The 24-Manai Telugu Chettiars and Their Clan Deities

http://www.shanlaxjournals.com 155 £UP® Shanlax International Journal of Tamil Research The 24-Manai Telugu Chettiars and Their Clan Deities K. Ragupathi Ph.D. Researcher University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Dr. P. Shanti Professor, Department of Tamil University College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala Abstract The Chettiar community has been present in South India since the time of kings. From ancient times, they have been engaged in trade, import-export, and small-scale businesses. The term “Chettiar” refers broadly to a social group. Within this community, several subgroups exist, such as the 24-Manai Telugu Chettiars, Nattukottai Chettiars, and Kongu Chettiars, among others. This study focuses specifically on the 24-Manai Telugu Chettiars and their clan deities, documenting their traditions and heritage based on field research. Keywords: Pallaiyam — a Traditional Dish where Newly Harvested Grains are Boiled in Water and Consumed by the Community Informants During Field Research Name Age Location Karthikkumamasami 56 Vannamadai Majeswari 47 Vannamadai Papathi 81 Vannamadai Balakrishnan 65 Umpalpetti Somaswathi 60 Umpalpetti ©»º: 10 ]Ó¨¤uÌ: 1 ©õu®: AU@hõ£º Á¸h®: 2025 P-ISSN: 2454-3993 E-ISSN: 2582-2810 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/ zenodo.17346701 öu. v. C¢xUPÀ¿›, |õPº÷PõÂÀ 156 £UP® £ßÚõmkU P¸zuµ[P® : Œ©Põ»z uªÇõ#Ĩ @£õUSPÒ 24 ©øÚ öu¾[S ö\mi¯õºPЮ AÁºPÎß S»öu#Á[PЮ Põ. µS£v •øÚÁº £mh B#Áõͺ £ÀPø»U PÇPUPÀ¿›, v¸ÁÚ¢u¦µ®, ÷PµÍõ •øÚÁº £. \õ¢v ÷£µõ]›¯º, uªÌzxøÓ £ÀPø»U PÇPUPÀ¿›, v¸ÁÚ¢u¦µ®, ÷PµÍõ B#Äa_¸UP® ö\mi¯õº GÝ® \‰P® ©ßÚº Bm]Põ»® •u÷» C¢v¯õÂß öuߣSv°À Põn¨£mk Á¸QÓx. AÆÁøP°À CÁºPÒ £søh Põ»® •u÷» ÁõoP® HØÖ©v CÓUS©v ©ØÖ® ]ÖÁoP® ö\#x Á¸QßÓÚº. ö\mi¯õº Gߣx J¸ ö£õx \•P©õPz uõß Põn¨£kQÓx AÆÁøP°À 24&©øÚ öu¾[S ö\mi¯õº, |õmkU÷Põmøha ö\mi¯õº, öPõ[S ö\mi¯õº GßÖ CßÝ® £» Em¨¤›ÄPÒ Põn¨£kQÓx. 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