Transient Communities: A Search for Identity through Ethnicity (Page 3)

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The Nattukkottai Chettiars of Chettinad in Tamil Nadu, basically being traders migrated away from their homeland of Chettinad to various places within and outside Tamilnadu, and also to overseas for trade. They are a community who has a strong Cultural milieu and are commonly called as 'Nagarathars' or townsfolk people, or Nattukottai Chettiars. They represent the major banking caste of south India during the period from 1870 to 1930.

KS Nair, when discussing the concept of ethnicity and ethnic group states that a group of immigrants who simulate their native culture in the urban area may be said to constitute an ethnic group. Such migrant groups would exhibit all the attributes of an ethnic group and are organised in the city on the basis of a common culture. In accordance to K S Nair, we find Nagarathars as a transient community, in their new place of migration before Settling, always first built a nagara Viduthi which was a social institution besides being a lodging house. as such, Viduthi constituted corporate bodies whose officers represented the interests of local Nagarathar communities. At Viduthi- sponsored festivals and more mundane convocations (such as weekly or monthly meetings to set interest rates), Viduthis maintained a constant schedule of collective events in which their members came together and exchanged notes on business. Viduthis were the clearinghouses for information about each other and about business opportunities. At the same time, the information they provided served as checks against incautious business behaviour and reasonable requests for credit.

whenever a new business was started or before they set on travel for trade, a traditional Nagarathar prayed to Lord Muruga. Therefore, the Viduthis of Pudhiya Thandayuthabani and Pazhaya Thandayuthapani trusts in coral Merchant street housed Murugan shrines. Nagarathars therefore made contributions for the construction of Murugan temples in their nagara Vituthi (Nagarattar 'rest houses' orchoultries) (Rudner 1994: 5).
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