Muthuraja
Muthuraja
Tamil and Telugu speaking community in south India
Muthuraja (also known as Mutharaiyar) is a Tamil and Telugu[1] speaking community found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
| Muthuraja | |
|---|---|
| Classification | Backward caste |
| Religions | Hinduism • Jainism |
| Languages | Tamil • Telugu |
| Country | India |
| Populated states | Tamil Nadu |
| Region | Central Tamil Nadu |
The etymology of the community name is unclear. The names Muthuraja and Muthuraiyar may be derived from two words, the Tamil name muthu meaning "pearl" and raja or raiyar both meaning "king".[2] Muttaraiyar may also be derived from mundru meaning "three" and tharai meaning "earth".[citation needed]
Their title Ambalakkarar is derived from the Tamil word ambalam meaning panchayat or "village council", as they served as the heads of these councils.[2]
The Tamil Speaking Muthuraja are densely distributed in the Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Karur, Madurai, Dindigul, Perambalur and Sivagangai districts of Tamil Nadu.[citation needed]
The Telugu speaking Muthuraja Naidu comparatively fewer in number are mostly distributed in the Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kanchipuram, Vellore, Tiruvannamalai, Viluppuram and Cuddalore districts of northern Tamil Nadu[citation needed]
- Athreya, Venkatesh B.; Djurfeldt, Göran; Lindberg, Staffan, eds. (1990). Barriers broken: production relations and agrarian change in Tamil Nadu. Sage Publications. p. 25. ISBN 9780803996397.
The Muthurajas are descendants of the soldiers which the poligars recruited in their homeland, the Telugu-speaking areas of contemporary Andhra Pradesh, north of Tamil Nadu. Like other castes originating from Andhra, they are bilingual, often speaking Telugu in family circles and Tamil outside the house
- K. M. Venkataramaiah, ed. (1996). A handbook of Tamil Nadu. International School of Dravidian Linguistics. p. 425. ISBN 9788185692203.
Muthuracha: A Telugu caste found in some districts of Tamil Nadu, the Muthuracha (muthurācha) is also called Muttaraiyan. Some are talaiyāris or watchmen of villages. They seem to be a major sect in the coastal villages of Andhra Pradesh
- Eveline Masilamani-Meyer, ed. (2004). Kattavarayan Katai. Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. p. 19. ISBN 9783447047128.
Among the Telugu castes that came to Tamilnadu were the Mutturajas or Mutrāchas.
- L. D. Sanghvi; V. Balakrishnan; Irawati Karmarkar Karve, eds. (1981). Biology of the People of Tamil Nadu. p. 21.
Mutracha (MT) Mutracha is also known as Muttiriyan in Tamil Nadu. It is primarily a Telugu caste found in the southern districts of Andhra Pradesh. They were employed by the Vijayanagar kings to defend their frontiers when they entered Tamil Nadu and were honoured with the title of Paligar. They speak Telugu in Tamil Nadu.
- Athreya, Venkatesh B.; Djurfeldt, Göran; Lindberg, Staffan, eds. (1990). Barriers broken: production relations and agrarian change in Tamil Nadu. Sage Publications. p. 25. ISBN 9780803996397.
- Kent, Eliza F. (26 March 2013). Sacred Groves and Local Gods: Religion and Environmentalism in South India. Oxford University Press. pp. 33–34. ISBN 9780199895472.
