Mudaliar
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Tamil Nadu, Sri Lanka | |
| Languages | |
| Tamil |
Mudaliar (alternatively spelled: Muthaliar, Mudali, Muthali, or Moodley ) is a Tamil title and surname.[1] As title, it was historically given to high-ranking military officers and their descendants.[2][3] The surname is most prevalent among Tamils from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. Descendants of Tamil colonial migrants also bears variants of the name in countries such as South Africa, and else where in the Tamil diaspora.[4]
The title was primarily used by the communities like the Agamudaiyar, Karaiyar, Sengunthar and Vellalars.[5][6][7][8] Other communities adopted it as means to present themselves as superior to the social status which they actually held.[5]
Etymology
The title is derived from the Tamil word muthal or "muthar" meaning first with the suffix yaar denoting people.[9] The title is used in the same sense as simply meaning headman.[10]
See also
References
- ^ Barnett, Marguerite Ross (2015). The Politics of Cultural Nationalism in South India. Princeton University Press. p. 236. ISBN 9781400867189.
- ^ Silva, Chandra Richard De (2009). Portuguese Encounters with Sri Lanka and the Maldives: Translated Texts from the Age of Discoveries. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 225. ISBN 9780754601869.
- ^ Vidyodaya Journal of Arts, Science, and Letters: Vidyodaya Vidyā Kalā Bhāsāśāstrīya Sangrahaya. Vidyodaya Campus, University of Sri Lanka. 1970. p. 117.
- ^ Younger, Paul (2010). New Homelands: Hindu Communities in Mauritius, Guyana, Trinidad, South Africa, Fiji, and East Africa. Oxford University Press, USA. p. 135. ISBN 978-0-19-539164-0.
- ^ a b Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-53810-686-0.
- ^ Pandian, Jacob (1987). Caste, Nationalism and Ethnicity: An Interpretation of Tamil Cultural History and Social Order. Popular Prakashan. p. 109, 114. ISBN 978-0-86132-136-0.
- ^ "Mudaliar title usage" (PDF).
- ^ M, S, A, Vijaya, Kanthimathi, Ramesh (2 August 2008). "Genetic study of scheduled caste populations of Tamil Nadu". Journal of Genetics. 87 (2): 171–4. doi:10.1007/s12041-008-0026-2. PMID 18776647. S2CID 32841661 – via Indian Academy of Sciences.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Barnett, Marguerite Ross (2015). The Politics of Cultural Nationalism in South India. Princeton University Press. p. 236. ISBN 9781400867189.
- ^ Katz, Nathan (2000). Who Are the Jews of India?. University of California Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-52021-323-4.