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"Chetty", "Chetti", and "Chetties" redirect here. For the Sri Lankan community, see Sri Lankan Chetties.

Chettiar (also spelt as Chetti and Chetty) is a title used by many traders, weaving, agricultural and land-owning castes in South India, especially in the Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka.

Etymology

Etymology

Chettiar/Chetty is derived from the Sanskrit word Śreṣṭha (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठ) or Śreṣṭhin (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठीन्), meaning superior. This term was later Prakritised as Seṭhī (Devanagari: सेठी), and eventually became Śeṭ (Devanagari: शेट) or Śeṭī (Devanagari: शेटी) in modern Indo-Aryan dialects.

In early Indian literature, the term referred to a wealthy class of merchants associated with the Vysya varna.

Historical Significance

The Chettiar title has been associated with a diverse range of communities, including merchant groups, agriculturalists, and artisans. Although many Chettiar groups originally belonged to the sudra caste in the Hindu social hierarchy, some later identified with the Vysya (merchant) varna due to their economic prominence and community efforts to elevate social status. The title is also used by certain subgroups of the Vellalar caste, highlighting its adaptability across regions and professions.

During the colonial era, Chettiars, particularly the Nagarathar (Nattukottai Chettiars), gained recognition as prominent bankers and financiers in South India and Southeast Asia.

See also

References

  1. "Chettiar Band, AVM To FM". Outlook. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  2. "Chettiars reign where wealth meets godliness". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2013. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
  3. "BBMP move shocking: Puttanna Chetty's grandson".
  4. Jalal, Ayesha (1995). Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Cambridge University Press. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-521-47862-5.
  5. Raychaudhuri, Tapan; Habib, Irfan (1982). The Cambridge Economic History of India: c.1200–c.1750. Cambridge University Press Archive. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0-521-22692-9.
  6. "The Dawn and Dawn Society's Magazine". 12. Calcutta: Lall Mohan Mullick. 1909: 91. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. Belle, Carl Vadivella (2017). Thaipusam in Malaysia. Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. ISBN 9789814695756.:”Although the Chettiars were originally a Sudra caste, in more recent times they have made claim to be considered as Vaisyas.”
  8. Intirā Pārttacārati (2008). Ramanujar: The Life and Ideas of Ramanuja. Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-19-569161-0. The Chetti, Vaisya, or merchant caste
  9. {{cite book |last=Singh |first=K. S. |title=People of India: Tamil Nadu |url=https://books.google.co.in/booksid=dziNBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA702&dq=vellan+chetti&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjE6aO96r6KAxUAWGwGHcQCIgQ4FBDoAXo
  10. {{cite book |title=Castes and Tribes of Southern India, Volume 2 |author=Thurston, Edgar |url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.56743/page/n415/mode/1up?view=theater&q=vellalan+chetti |y
  11. Rudner, David (1989). Banker's Trust and the Culture of Banking among the Nattukottai Chettiars of Colonial South India. Vol. 23. pp. 417–458. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  12. Kudaisya, Medha (2009). "Marwari and Chettiar Merchants. 1850s-1950s: Comparative Trajectories". In Kudaisya, Medha M.; Ng, Chin-Keong (eds.). Chinese and Indian Business: Historical Antecedents. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9789004172791.

Further reading

  • 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).
  • Kudaisya, Medha M. (2009). "Marwari and Chettiar Merchants. 1850s-1950s: Comparative Trajectories". In Kudaisya, Medha M.; Ng, Chin-Keong (eds.). Chinese and Indian Business: Historical Antecedents. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9789004172791.
  • 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.

Etymology

Chettiar/Chetty is derived from the Sanskrit word Śreṣṭha (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठ) or Śreṣṭhin (Devanagari: श्रेष्ठीन्) meaning superior, Prakritised as Seṭhī (Devanagari: सेठी), and then Śeṭ (Devanagari: शेट) or Śeṭī (Devanagari: शेटी) in modern Indo-Aryan dialects.

See also

References

  1. Jalal, Ayesha (1995). Democracy and Authoritarianism in South Asia: A Comparative and Historical Perspective. Cambridge University Press. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-521-47862-5.
  2. Raychaudhuri, Tapan; Habib, Irfan; Kumar, Dharma (1982). The Cambridge Economic History of India: c.1200–c.1750. Cambridge University Press Archive. pp. 27–28. ISBN 978-0-521-22692-9.
  3. "The Dawn and Dawn Society's Magazine". 12. Calcutta: Lall Mohan Mullick. 1909: 91. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help):”In all the early Indian literatures, the word is applied to a very wealthy class of merchants, who invariably belonged to the Vysya class”
  4. Belle, Carl Vadivella (2017). Thaipusam in Malaysia. Singapore: ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. ISBN 9789814695756.:”Although the Chettiars were originally a Sudra caste, in more recent times they have made claim to be considered as Vaisyas.”
  5. Intirā Pārttacārati (2008). Ramanujar: The Life and Ideas of Ramanuja. Oxford University Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-19-569161-0. The Chetti, Vaisya, or merchant caste
  6. Population Review. Indian Institute for Population Studies. 1975. p. 26.

Further reading

  • 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).
  • Kudaisya, Medha M. (2009). "Marwari and Chettiar Merchants. 1850s-1950s: Comparative Trajectories". In Kudaisya, Medha M.; Ng, Chin-Keong (eds.). Chinese and Indian Business: Historical Antecedents. Leiden: BRILL. ISBN 9789004172791.
  • 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.
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