The Chettiars are Hindus predominantly originating in the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu. In the 19th Century Chettiars migrated to countries throughout South East Asia. There are both Tamil speaking and Telugu speaking Chettiars. They are very famous for their artistic houses and tasty cuisine.

Among the Chettiars a sub-group that was of some importance in 20th Century South East Asia were the Nattukkottai Chettiars. They were a mercantile class that at the time had spread to Ceylon (Sri Lanka}, Burma (Myanmar), Malaya, Singapore, Java, Sumatra, and Saigon. Changed political and economic fortunes since then have caused many of these communities to disappear as their members returned to India or sought other, more hospitable homes.

Chettiars were traditionally involved in occupations such as money-lending. Three banks established by Chettiars include the now defunct Bank of Chettinad and Bank of Madurai (est. 1943), and the still thriving Indian Overseas Bank. (ICICI Bank absorbed Bank of Madurai in a rescue in 2001. (Bank of Madurai had acquired Chettinad Mercantile Bank (est. 1933) and Illanji Bank (est. 1904) in the 1960s.)

Some Famous Chettiars

• Raja Annamalai Chettiar
• Dr. RM. Alagappa Chettiar[1]

Sources

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).

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.