Muthuraja Explained
Muthuraja (also known as Mutharaiyar) is a Tamil and Telugu[1] speaking community found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
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".[2] Muttaraiyar may also be derived from mundru meaning "three" and tharai meaning "earth".
Titles
Their title Ambalakkarar is derived from the Tamil word ambalam meaning panchayat or "village council", as they served as the heads of these councils.
Demographics
The Tamil Speaking Muthuraja are densely distributed in the Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Thanjvur, Thiruvarur, Karur, Madurai, Dindigul, Perambalur, 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
Notes and References
- Book: Barriers broken: production relations and agrarian change in Tamil Nadu . Sage Publications . 1990 . 9780803996397 . Athreya . Venkatesh B. . 25 . 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 . Djurfeldt . Göran . Lindberg . Staffan.
- Book: A handbook of Tamil Nadu . International School of Dravidian Linguistics . 1996 . 9788185692203 . K. M. Venkataramaiah . 425 . 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.
- Book: Kattavarayan Katai . Otto Harrassowitz Verlag . 2004 . 9783447047128 . Eveline Masilamani-Meyer . 19 . Among the Telugu castes that came to Tamilnadu were the Mutturajas or Mutrāchas..
- Book: Biology of the People of Tamil Nadu . 1981 . L. D. Sanghvi . V. Balakrishnan . Irawati Karmarkar Karve . 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..
- Book: Kent, Eliza F.. Sacred Groves and Local Gods: Religion and Environmentalism in South India. 2013-03-26. Oxford University Press. 9780199895472. 33–34. en.
