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A Journey Through Time—From Ancient Trade Routes to Sacred Temples, Discover the Rich Heritage of the Nagarathars.
The Nagarathars, also known as the Nattukottai Chettiars, are an illustrious Tamil mercantile community with a history dating back to 3000 BCE. Renowned for their expertise in trade, temple building, and unwavering devotion to Saivism, they have left an indelible mark on Tamil culture and heritage.
The history of the Nagarathars, also known as the Nattukottai Chettiars, traces back to around 3000 BCE. They originated in Sandhyapuri on Jambu Island, a part of Naganadu, and were devoted Shaivites renowned for trading precious gems (navaratna). They were respected equally to kings. Facing harassment from the king of Naganadu, the Nagarathars relocated to Kanchipuram from 2897 BCE to 790 BCE, where they traded nine gems with royal approval. Due to excessive taxation by the King of Kanchi, they moved to Puhar or Kaveripoompattinam (known as Puhar—where enemies could not enter) at the request of the Chola king. They settled in the eastern, western, and southern streets of Kaveripoompattinam. As a result of their contributions and influence, they were granted the rights to crown Chola kings, use the lion flag, and place a gold kalasam atop their mansions, earning them the title Rathina Maguda Dhanavaisyas.
In 674 CE, Poovandhi Cholan, upon assuming the throne, imprisoned Vaisya women. Unable to endure this persecution, 8,000 Vaisya families entrusted 1,500 male children to Athmanatha Sastri and tragically chose to end their lives. They entrusted Sastri with the upbringing of their children and their wealth, ensuring that he could continue the worship of Maragatha Vinayakar. In 683 CE, when Poovanthi Cholan fell ill, he requested Dhanavaisya youth to crown his son Rajabhooshana Cholan. They declined, explaining they were unmarried and that there were no women in their community. Seeking counsel from Eesana Sivacharya, a solution was proposed: the youths could marry Vellala girls. The Vellalar community agreed to this on the condition that these girls and their descendants would receive dikshai (initiation into the Saiva religion by a guru). Five hundred and two Vaisya youths thus married Vellala girls, with Niramba Azhagiya Desigarof Srivanjiam serving as the guru for the girls.
In 707 CE, King Soundara Pandyan met Rajabhooshana Cholan and requested that some good citizens be sent to his land. Rajabhooshana Cholan approached the Dhanavaisyas with this request, and they agreed on the condition that all of them could relocate to the Pandya land. Consequently, the king permitted the entire community to move to the Pandya region. Thus, they settled in what is now known as Chettinad, bounded by the Vellar River to the north, Piranmalai to the west, Thellupunal Nandi to the south, and the sea to the east. King Soundara Pandyan granted them the towns of Ariyur and Ilayathangudi, including the Piranmalai temple, Sundarapattinam and its temple, and the Kailasanaathar temple in Ilayathangudi. The youths who lived on the east, west, and south streets of Kaveripoompattinam had married Vellala girls from three different clans. As a result, they could not remain united and eventually separated. Hence, the Aaruvazhi (six-way) Vaisyas on the west street were given to Ariyur and the Piranmalai temple. The Nanguvazhi Vaisyas, divided into four sub-sects on the south street, were given Sundara Pattinam and its temple. The youth on the east street, known as the Ezhuvazhi Vaisyas with seven sub-sects, were given the layathangudi town and its temple. They agreed that the Maragatha Vinayakar would be in the custody of the people of Ariyur, with rituals and prayers conducted commonly by all.
A few years later, the Ezhuvazhi (seven) llayathangudiNagarathars separated and approached King Soundara Pandyan to request separate temples. Some from this Ezhuvazhinar sect further split into two sub-sects. In response, the king agreed to provide nine temples, including the one at Ilayathangudi. The temples given were Mathoor, Vairavanpatti (712 CE), Eraniyur, Pillaiyarpatti, Nemam Kovil, Illupaikudi (714 CE), Soorakudi, Velangudi (718 CE). This is the history of the nine Nagara temples. When the Nagarathars moved from Kaveripoompattinam to the Pandya country, the place where they first settled came to be known as Nagarathar Malai, now known as Naartha Malai in the Pudukkottai district. Initially, their temples were simple structures made of mud or situated under trees. Over time, the Nagarathars transformed these into stone temples. They used the wealth they earned through trade in Burma to fund these temple constructions and services, prioritising this as they believed that the temple was the body of God.
“Nattukottai Nagarathars were not large in number. Though limited in population, they believed in living within their land limits and the boundaries they set for themselves, adhering strictly to their norms. Their clan traditions, pure Tamil language skills, and unwavering commitment to Saivism highlight their identity as not just a business community but also a cultural entity. Analysing their lifestyle of building temples in every town they inhabit and paying tax (pullivari) to the temple reveals much about the culture, civilisation, and linguistic richness of the Tamil race. They remain as citizens deeply attached to the temple, largely indifferent to politics, says Dr. Thamizhannal. The weddings of the Nagarathar community revolve around the temple and are generally conducted in Chettinad. Wedding invitations would first mention the names of Sivan and Ammai as identified in their particular temple. From this, one could deduce the temple to which they belonged. For instance, if the invitation begins with ‘Arulmigu Vadivudayammaiudanaagiya Valarolinaathar Vayirava SwamiThiruvarulaal,’ it indicates that the family is associated with the Vairavan temple. This practice of identifying themselves through the names of their deities reflects their deep faith, humility, and cultural values. Just as they would invite people of the town to their wedding ceremonies, the Nagarathars had the tradition of inviting the family deity with betel leaves and nuts. Three days before a wedding, they would send a pangaali (close relative) to the temple to which they belong, invite the deity, and record the wedding details in the temple records. Once the invitation, with the betel leaves and nuts, is offered, the wedding must not be postponed.
On the night before the wedding, around 7 pm, two garlands worn by the Lord, accompanied by coconuts and fruits, are sent to the homes of the bride and groom by temple representatives called Vairavi from their respective temples. The marriage proceeds only after the bride and groom have worn these garlands. In the Nagarathar community, a marriage is considered valid only if these garlands are worn. Therefore, the wedding details are meticulously recorded at the temples of their community. Afterwards, the groom is officially recognised as a member (Pulli) within the community. This traditional wedding practice has been upheld for centuries, with the nine Nagarathar temples serving as authoritative record keepers of weddings. This system underscores the central role of temples in the community’s life. After the Chola, Pandya, and Nayak kings, the Nagarathars continued to render excellent service to the temples, thus earning a significant place in history. They had the right to maintain their own security forces or army, and they independently flew the lion flag. They built residences that resembled majestic palaces, which earned them acclaim in the Tamil world as being comparable to kings.
The origin of the name “Nagarathar” “Pattinam” refers to Kaveripoompattinam, and “Nagaram” refers to Kanchipuram. As members of this trading community lived in Kanchipuram, known as the city (nagaram) of cities, they were termed Nagarathars. Additionally, “Nagaram” also signifies a temple. Instead of segregating based on their gothrams (clans), they differentiated themselves based on temples, leading to the name Nagarathar. 2,000 years ago, a Chola king fell in love with a Nagaprincess. Their son was Tondaiman llanthiraiyan. The Chola king granted him the northern part of his kingdom, which became known as Thondai Nadu. Kanchi in Thondai Nadu later became the second capital of the Cholas, after Uraiyur. Wealthy merchants settled in Kanchipuram and engaged in international trade through the port of Mamallapuram, as well as flourishing domestic trade. To further boost trade in their region, the Chola king invited them to settle in Kaveripoompattinam (Puhar) and granted them several privileges and concessions. Since they originally hailed from Kanchi Nagaram (town), they became known as Nagarathar. In those days, the word “nagaram” referred to a trading centre or vaniga sabhai. Hence, these merchants came to be known as Nagarathar. The term “Chetty” originated later. In Sanskrit, “Sreshtioriginally meant an exemplary person, evolving over time into “Sretty,” “Siratti,” and eventually “Chetty,” as noted by Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru.
Another perspective suggests that due to their frugality (“chikkanamaga”), efficiency in not wasting anything, and keen assessment of value, they came to be known as Chetty. Mahatma Gandhi referred to himself as a Chetty, acknowledging his heritage as a Baniya Chettiar from Porbandar. The Nagarathars earned the title “Rathina Maguda Dhanavaisyar” due to their involvement in crowning kings and their expertise in gem trading. If one were to assess the achievements of a small community in the world, the Nattukottai Nagarathars would undoubtedly rank at the top due to their exceptional contributions to temple services and their dedicated work for spiritual and religious pursuits. This commendable trait has been upheld across generations among the Nagarathars, evident in their profound attachment to temples. Nagarathars firmly believed that serving a temple devotedly was more significant than constructing thousands of mansions. Even today, they are revered as foremost in their dedication to temple service. Nagarathars have been performing sacred services for temples since the 8th century. However, it was only from the 19th century onwards that their contributions in this area began to be properly documented. They undertook the service for Kovilurin 1808 CE, Ariyakudi Srinivasaperumal temple in 1818 CE, and Uyyakondan Siruvayal Ponnazhagiammantemple in 1820 CE. The estimated value of the temple services rendered by them before 1940 was over Rs. 20 crore at that time.
Source: Nine Nagarathar Temples History & Heritage book by Thiru So. So. Me. Sundaram.