Rowther (
anglicised
Anglicisation is the process by which a place or person becomes influenced by English culture or British culture, or a process of cultural and/or linguistic change in which something non-English becomes English. It can also refer to the influen ...
as ''Irauttar'', ''Rawther, Ravuttar'' ''Ravutta'', ''Rahtore'', ''Ravuthar'') is a Tamil Speaking Muslim community from the
Indian state
India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions.
History
Pre-indepen ...
of
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
.
Rowthers are Tamil tribes converted to islam by
Preacher Natharshah. Even after converstion they retained their caste name. the Madurai district Gazeratteer mentions that Rowthers Cavalry under the Tamil Rulers and they were a martial class They were elite cavalrymen of
Chola
The Chola dynasty was a Tamils, Tamil thalassocratic Tamil Dynasties, empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated ...
and
Pandya kingdoms. They were traditionally a martial clan like the
Maravar
Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title '' Thevar''. T ...
s, and constitute large part of the multi-ethnic
Tamil Muslim
Tamil Muslims are Tamils who practise Islam. The community is 5.7 million in India, primarily in the state of Tamil Nadu where 70% of the Muslim community identified themselves as Tamils. The Tamil-speaking Muslims are descendants of marria ...
community. They follow the
Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...
school of ''
fiqh
''Fiqh'' (; ar, فقه ) is Islamic jurisprudence. Muhammad-> Companions-> Followers-> Fiqh.
The commands and prohibitions chosen by God were revealed through the agency of the Prophet in both the Quran and the Sunnah (words, deeds, and ...
''.
Ravuttars have also been found as Tamil
polygar
Palaiyakkarars, or Poligar, (as the British referred to them) in Tamil Nadu refers to the holder of a small kingdom as a feudatory to a greater sovereign. Under this system, ''palayam'' was given for valuable military services rendered by any in ...
s,
zamindar
A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as a ...
s and chieftains from the 16th to 18th centuries.
In the modern era, they are successful entrepreneurs, businesspeople, professionals and landlords.
Etymology
The name ''Ravuttar'' meaning King, Horseman Cavalry Warrior in
tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
language (or ''Ravutta,'' ''Ravuthar'', ''Rahtore'', ''Rathaur'', ''Rowther'', ''Rawther'') is derived (''
Rājaputra''), in the sense of 'prince', 'nobleman', or 'horseman'. D.C. Sircar points out that ''Ravutta'' or ''Rahutta'', as a title, means a 'subordinate ruler'. Some scholars claim that the name comes from
Rathore
The Rathore is a Rajput clan found in Northern India.
Subclans
Jodhana, Vadhel, Jaitawat, Kumpawat, Champawat, Meratiya, Udawat, Karamsot etc. are the branches or subclans of Rathore Rajputs. Coverage
This article discusses the "Kanauji ...
, a name common among the
Muslim Rajputs
Muslim Rajputs are the descendants of Rajputs of Northern regions of the Indian subcontinent who are followers of Islam. They converted from Hinduism to Islam from the medieval period in India onwards, retaining historically Hindu surnames suc ...
of North India.
Historically, they are parts of clans traditionally holding positions as rulers and military folk. Ravuta means a high-ranking title King, lord, feudatory ruling chief.
Rahut or Rowt means ''Warrior'', Raya means ''Captain'' ''Rāvuttarayan'' or ''Rāvuttakartan'' means high military chief of cavalry.
Demography
Rawther are found all over
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and in southern districts of
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. Their mother tongue is
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
and
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
. Many of them are familiar with the
Perso-Arabic script
The Persian alphabet ( fa, الفبای فارسی, Alefbâye Fârsi) is a writing system that is a version of the Arabic script used for the Persian language spoken in Iran ( Western Persian) and Afghanistan (Dari Persian) since the 7th cent ...
. They follow the tenets of Islam and read the Quran and other religious texts in Arabic.
Culture
Rowthers generally speak
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
follow
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
cultural practices and They celebrate tamil festivals. They have their own ''Ravuthar Cuisine'' and ''
Rawther Biryani''. The elderly men wear white
Vēṭṭi
A ''Vēṭṭi'' (), also known as veshti, is a white unstitched cloth wrap for the lower body in Tamil Nadu and in the North and East of Sri Lanka (Tamil Eelam). Vēṭṭi is a part of the traditional attire consisting of Kurta and Angvastra. ...
or White ''
kayili'' while elderly women wear a white ''thupatti'' draped over a
sari
A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include:
* as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO
* bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO
* gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...
.
Titles/surname
Ravuttar/Rawther/Rowther are common surnames among the group, but other titles often used are below:
*
Sahib
Sahib or Saheb (; ) is an Arabic title meaning 'companion'. It was historically used for the first caliph Abu Bakr in the Quran. The title is still applied to the caliph by Sunni Muslims.
As a loanword, ''Sahib'' has passed into several langua ...
*
Khan
*
Shah
Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...
*
Pillai/Pillay (
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
and
Tamilnadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language— ...
)
* ''Ambalam''
* ''Servai'' Servaikkarar (In 1730s, ''Ravuttan Servaikkarar'' (''Rauten Cheerwegaren'') was a high military ranked man in
Ramnad kingdom
The Kingdom of Ramnad or Ramnad estate was a permanently settled kingdom and later ''zamindari'' estate that existed in the Ramnad subdivision of the Madurai district and later Ramnad district of the erstwhile Madras Presidency in British Indi ...
.)
Identity and origins
Ravuttars are Soldiers, officials and literati attached to Muslim Court in the Deccan. In described as a Rāuta, Rāutta or Rāvutta derived from Sanskrit ''Rajaputra'' and was often assumed by subordinate rulers.
Sundara Pandyan sought help, in a civil war, from Sultan
Ala-ud-din Khilji
Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrativ ...
who ruled much of northern India from Delhi. Khilji agreed to help Sundara Pandyan and ordered General Malik Kafur's army to march into the peninsula in 1311. Thus the first invasion of Tamil Nadu from Delhi was a direct result of the internal quarrel in the Pandyan royal family.
Later, Chola kings too invited artisans of the
Seljuk Empire
The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turko-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total are ...
who belonged to the
Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...
school.
During 8th-10th centuries, an armada of Turkish traders settled in
Tharangambadi
Tharangambadi (), formerly Tranquebar ( da, Trankebar, ), is a town in the Mayiladuthurai district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast. It lies north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary named Uppanar of the Ka ...
,
Nagapattinam
Nagapattinam (''nākappaṭṭinam'', previously spelt Nagapatnam or Negapatam) is a town in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Nagapattinam District. The town came to prominence during the period of Medieval ...
, Karaikal, Muthupet,
Koothanallur
Koothanallur (shortened as KNR) is a town in Tiruvarur district in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The town is located at a distance of from the district headquarters Tiruvarur and from the state capital Chennai. Koothanallur is known fo ...
and Podakkudi.
These new settlements were now added to the Rowther community. Hanafi factions have a mix of fair and pale complexions. There are some Anatolian and Safavid inscriptions found in a wide area from Tanjore to Thiruvarur and in many villages. These inscriptions are seized by Madras museum. Some Turkish inscriptions were also stolen from the Big Mosque of Koothanallur in 1850.
There are two factions of Rowthers in Tamil Nadu, Tamils cavalry warriors covers majority of Tamil Nadu while Seljuk Turkic clans remains in Tharangambadi, Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Muthupet, Koothanallur and Podakkudi.
Both now tamil and turkish Hanafi expanded with Population and some circumstantial evidence in historical sources that the Rowthers are part related to
Maravar
Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title '' Thevar''. T ...
converts.
Ravuttars worked in the administration of the Vijayanagar Nayaks.
Social system: kinship
The Rowthers are an
endogamous group
Endogamy is the practice of marrying within a specific social group, religious denomination, caste, or ethnic group, rejecting those from others as unsuitable for marriage or other close personal relationships.
Endogamy is common in many cultu ...
. "The concern is for matching spouses who share the same economic backgrounds and the same cultural and particularly religious tradition. Specific religious and social practices vary widely among the different Muslim Tamil sub-divisions and attitudes about what is not vary too. Nevertheless, in cities, inter-marriages do occur, although they are rare" (Mines, 1973).
Ata/Aththa - A Rowther's kinship term
The Rowthers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to this day address father as ''Aththa(அத்தா)'' meaning father or ancestor in
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
languages.
Family
Extended families are more frequent among the Rawther than nuclear families. Both sons and daughters inherit property. A daughter gets half of what a son gets.
Rites and rituals
Marriage
Nevertheless, in cities, inter-marriages do occur, although they are rare" (Vines, 1973). Parallel and cross-cousins are potential spouses. Earlier, marriages were performed soon after a girl attained puberty, but now girls get married between 18 and 20 and boys between 22 and 25. Most marriages are negotiated by the elders. Monogamy is the norm. They remember their historic valour during their marriage ceremonies, where the bridegroom is conducted in a horseback procession.
Occupational activities
Traditionally the Rowthers were
landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the ...
s and land owning community (historically mentioned as Rowthers are brave cavaliers and early Muslim horse-traders in Tamil literature) but now they are engaged in various occupations, mostly their own businesses. They deal in gemstones, gold, textiles, and real estate and participate in the restaurant industry, construction work, and general merchandising. Some are professionals, such as doctors, engineers, advocates and teachers.
Administration and justice
There is no traditional caste council or panchayat as such among the Rawthers. Learned and elderly persons act as advisers. The Rawther have an association which preaches against dowry, and collects funds for charity.
Religion and culture
The Rawther belong to the
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
sect of Islam and the
Hanafi
The Hanafi school ( ar, حَنَفِية, translit=Ḥanafiyah; also called Hanafite in English), Hanafism, or the Hanafi fiqh, is the oldest and one of the four traditional major Sunni schools ( maddhab) of Islamic Law (Fiqh). It is named aft ...
school. They follow the five basic tenets of Islam, which are, reciting the
Kalima, offering prayer (''thozhugai'') five times a day, observe fasting (''nonbu'') during the month of Ramzan, giving charity (
zakah
Zakat ( ar, زكاة; , "that which purifies", also Zakat al-mal , "zakat on wealth", or Zakah) is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah. It is considered in Islam as a religious obligation, and by Quranic ranking, is ne ...
) to the poor, and going on the
Haj pilgrimage. The two major festivals celebrated are Ramzan and Bakr-id.
Intercommunity relations
The Rawther share a ritual and social linkage with other sects of Muslims. They mix freely with their neighbors and friends belonging to other communities, and exchange food and sweets during festivals. They share mosques and burial grounds with others belonging to the Sunni sect.
Closeness in Tamil inscriptions and literature
The well-known legend of the
Shiva
Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...
saint
Manikkavacakar of the 9th century is connected with the purchase of horses for the Pandya king. In that the god Shiva who appeared in disguise as a horse trader to protect the saint and he is called as Rowther. Also, the Tamil god
Murugan
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...
is praised by saint
Arunagirinathar
Arunagirinaadhar (Aruna-giri-naadhar, ', ) was a Tamil Saiva saint-poet who lived during the 15th century in Tamil Nadu, India. In his treatise ''A History of Indian Literature'' (1974), Czech Indologist Kamil Zvelebil places Arunagirinathar's ...
as ''soor kondra ravuttane'' (Oh Ravuttan, who vanquised the Demon) and ''maamayilerum ravuttane'' (Oh Ravuttan, who rides on the great peacock) in his Kanthar Alangaram
கந்தர் அலங்காரம் and in Kanthar Venba (கந்தர் வெண்பா).
This shows religious harmony of Rowthers and
Saivites
Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...
in early
Tamilakam
Tamiḻakam (Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nad ...
till now.
Initially, most horses and warriors were drawn from
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and
Central Asia
Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...
. For the Indian population the most prominent feature of these warriors was their distinctive religion or ethnic identity but their military and equine expertise, which was always for hire. Apart from being loosely labelled Muslims or Turks (Turushka), these mounted men were known as ''Ashvapatis'' or ''Irauttars (lords of horses)''.
There were Tamil Ravuttars working in the administration of the
Vijayanagara Empire
The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...
in the Khurram Kunda. The inscription details the dedication of the land by the Rowther to a Murugan temple in Cheyyur.
Muththaal Ravuttar
Muththaal Ravuttar (meaning Muslim Rowther is a Prakrit derivation from ''raja-putra'') figures as Tamil male deities who protect Tamil land.
Modernisation
The Rowthers give importance to education.
Fathima Beevi
M. Fathima Beevi (born 30 April 1927) is a former judge of the Supreme Court of India. Appointed to the apex Court in 1989, she became the first female judge to be a part of the Supreme Court of India, and the first Muslim woman to be appointed ...
, India's first female Supreme Court judge, hails from a prominent Rowther family in
Pathanamthitta
Pathanamthitta (), is a municipality situated in the Central Travancore region in the state of Kerala, India, spread over an area of 23.50 km2. It is the administrative capital of Pathanamthitta district. The town has a population of 37 ...
.
Notable persons
See also
*
Indo-Turkic people
The group of Turkic people who are of Indo-Aryan descent are commonly known as the Indo-Turks or Indo-Turkic. They are sometimes categorised as Romanis, but this claim is largely false. Many Indo-Turks live in Central Asia and Russia.
Indian ...
*
Maravar
Maravar (also known as Maravan and Marava) are a Tamil community in the state of Tamil Nadu. These people are one of the three branches of the Mukkulathor confederacy. Members of the Maravar community often use the honorific title '' Thevar''. T ...
s
*
Quaid-e-Millath
*
Tamil Muslim
Tamil Muslims are Tamils who practise Islam. The community is 5.7 million in India, primarily in the state of Tamil Nadu where 70% of the Muslim community identified themselves as Tamils. The Tamil-speaking Muslims are descendants of marria ...
References
Bibliography
*J. P. Mulliner. ''Rise of Islam in India''. University of Leeds chpt. 9. Page 215
*
*
*
* Mines, Mattison. ''Social Stratification among the Muslim Tamils in Tamil Nadu, South India'', Imtiaz Ahmad, ed, Caste and Social Stratification among the Muslims, Manohar book service, New Delhi, 1973.
* Nanjundayya, H.V. and lyer, LK.A, 1931, ''The Mysore Tribes and Castes, IV'', The Mysore University. Mysore.
* Thurston, E., ''Castes and Tribes of Southern India'', Government Press, Madras, 1909.
{{Indian Muslim
History of Tamil Nadu
Muslim communities of India
Social groups of Tamil Nadu