The 24 Manai Telugu Chettiar (24MTC) also called as Sadhu Chetty/Telugu Chetty is a community who are predominantly found in the states of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

Karnataka Karnataka ( ) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed as Mysore State on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, States Re ...

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. 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 Indi ...

Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...

in India, as well as

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

Origin, Etymology and history

They were a section of

Balija The Balija are a Telugu-speaking mercantile community primarily living in the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and in smaller numbers in Telangana and Kerala. In Tamil Nadu, they are known as Gavarais. Etymology Var ...

community that later developed into a distinct one. They usually speak Telugu and Tamil. In North Arcot district they are called Telugu Chettis (Chetti). They have 24 gotras. They, along with many other Telugu communities have been documented to have migrated into Tamil Nadu during the period of the Vijayanagara Empire.

Occupation

In the pre-colonial agrarian era, they were originally traders and manufacturers of bags made out of hemp (jute fibers), but later they entered into trading different merchandises and by the British colonial period (early 19th century) they were mostly engaged in trade by transporting the goods about towns and village and particularly in the city of Madras, the trade of various kinds of fruits was largely in their hands. Today they are a largely urbanised community involved in Industry, money lending and trading of various commodities.

Community Sub-divisions or clans

Their 24

gotras In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to Lineage (anthropology), lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline ...

are further divided into groups of sixteen and eight. Usually marriage is forbidden between members of the same group, but permitted between members of the sixteen and eight gotras. Among the names of the gōtras as per the historians, are the following: ''Vasava'', ''Vamme'', ''Mummudi'', ''Pilli Vankaravan'', ''Makkiduvan'', ''Thallelan'', ''Gendagiri'', ''Madalavan'', ''Piligara'', ''Mukkanda'', ''Vadiya'', ''Thonda'', ''Kōla''. Present forms of gotras or clans 16 Veedu: ''Mummudiyar, Tharishiyavar, Kolavar, Kanithiyavar, Thillaiyavar, Paluvidhiyar, Chennaiyavar, Mathalaiyavar, Kothavangavar, Rajabhairavar, Vammaiyar, Kappavar, Vachiyavar, Kenthiyavar, Naliviraiyavar, Surayavar, Gandavangavalar'' 8 Veedu: ''Makkadaiyar, Korahaiyar, Marattaiyar, Kavalaiyar, Pillivangavar, Thavalaiyar, Soppiyar, Kottavar, Nalabakshiyavar''

References

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External links

Merchantile communities of India

24 Manai Telugu Chettiar History

Key castes get place in Stalin’s Cabinet, but 6 dists missing
Chettiar Social groups of Gujarat Indian castes