Chettiar

Chettiar, (Tamil:செட்டியார்) (also spelt Chetty), is a title used by various castes in South India especially in TamilNadu. For the most part, it is a title used In Kannada it is Setty, Shettar and Shettigar, who are Padmashalis in Andhra Pradesh (Telugu).In Tamil nadu Population ,14% of people belongs to Chettiar Community.< ref name="Joe A Scaria">. 2 april 2011. </ref>

Primary usage of title

Chettiar title is used mainly by trading castes of South India. It is also used by the non-trading communities such as the Kummara. The title is equivalent to Vysyas in varna, a popular medieval usage mainly among the North Indians who were engaged in trade of various kinds.^{[citation needed]}

Usage among various occupational

Most of the non-Tamil castes use it as an affix to their profession specific names. Setty represents a trade in Telugu. Telugu, Kannada and Malayali weavers use the title of Chettiar although they are of different castes, but engaged in the same occupation.^{[citation needed]}

Castes using the title

Tamil Nadu

• Ayira Vysya
• Vallanadu
• Nagarathar
• Saliya
• Senaithalaivar
• Devanga
• Pattariyar
• Vellan Chettiar
• Vaniya Chettiar
• Kasukkara Chettiar
• Kongu Chettiar
• Komati
• Pannirendam chettiar
• Sozhia Chetty
• Beri chettiar
• Elur Chetty
• Sozhapuram chettiar
• 24 Manai Telugu chettiar
• Agaram Vellan Chettiar

Karnataka

• Devanga
• Padmashali

Andra Pradesh

• Padmashali
• Komati

Kerala

• Vanika Vaisya
• Pattariyar

Tamil Nadu

• Sadu Chettiyar

See also

• Tamil diaspora
• Colombo Chetty
• Chitty

References

Notes

Other resources

• Christine Dobson, Asian Entrepreneurial Minorities, Curzon Press UK, 1996. A chapter in the book is devoted to the Chettiars who set up businesses in Burma.
• Rajeswary Brown (1993) "Chettiar capital and Southeast Asian credit networks in the inter-war period". In G. Austin and K. Sugihara, eds. Local Suppliers of Credit in the Third World, 1750-1960. (New York: St. Martin's Press).
• David Rudner (1989) Banker's Trust and the Culture of Banking among the Nattukottai Chettiars of Colonial South India. Modern Asian Studies 23 (3), 417-458.
• Heiko Schrader (1996) Chettiar Finance in Colonial Asia. Zeitschrift fur Ethnologie 121, 101-126.

External links

• http://www.kvvs.org/
• http://www.pttemple.com/AboutNagarathars.html