Muthuraja

Muthuraja or Mutharaiyar is a Tamil and Telugu[1][2][3][4] speaking community prevalent in southern India.[5]

This article is about the Indian caste called Muthuraja. For other uses, see Muttaraiyar.
Mutharaiyar
ClassificationBackward caste
ReligionsHinduism • Jainism
LanguagesTamil • Telugu
Country India
Populated statesTamil Nadu •  • Andhra Pradesh • Telangana
RegionCentral Tamil Nadu
EthnicitySouth Asian

Etymology

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".[6] Muttaraiyar may also be derived from mundru meaning "three" and tharai meaning "earth".

Their title Ambalakkarar is derived from the Tamil word ambalam meaning panchayat or "village council", as they served as the heads of these councils.[6]

History

The origin of the Muthuraja people is shrouded in mystery. Historian T. A. Gopinatha Rao equates them with the Kalabhras as Suvaran Maaran, a prominent 8th century Muthuraja king of Thanjavur is styled KalavaraKalvan in one of his inscriptions. Few historians like Rao read the epithet it as KalabhraKalvan interchanging the letter v with b.[7] According to Tamil historians, the Mutharayar are said to have invaded kingdoms in Tamilakkam (now part of Tamil Nadu) around the 2nd century CE from Erumainadu(bison country), which is identified with the area in and around modern Mysore in Karnataka.[8] British record them as belonging to Telugu origin and migrated to Tamilnadu along with Vijayanagaram dynasty.[9]


Demographics

The Tamil Speaking Muthuraja are densely distributed in the Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Thanjavur, Karur, Madurai, Dindigul, Perambalur and Sivagangai districts of Tamil Nadu.

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.

See also

References
  1. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. L. D. Sanghvi; V. Balakrishnan; Irawati Karmarkar Karve, eds. (1981). Biology of the People of Tamil Nadu. p. 21. Mutracha (MT) Mutracha 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
  5. "115 சாதிகளை ஓரணியில் திரட்டிய உள்ஒதுக்கீடு: முதல்வரைச் சந்திக்க முடிவு". Hindu Tamil Thisai (in Tamil). Retrieved 27 January 2023.
  6. 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.
  7. Parmanand Gupta. Geography from Ancient Indian Coins & Seals. Publisher: Concept Publishing Company. p. 24.
  8. Anthropological Survey of India. Bulletin, Volume 3, Issue 2. India. Dept. of Anthropology. p. 8.
  9. Thurston, Edgar (1909). Castes And Tribes Of Southern India Vol.5 (m-p), pg 127-131.
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