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Mudaliar (alternatively spelled: Muthaliar, Muthaliyar, Mudali, Muthali or Moodley) is a title used by people belonging to various Tamil castes. Castes using the title speak Tamil as their native language. The title was mostly used among Tamils from Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, and was given to a high-ranking military officer.

The title was primarily used by the communities like Kaikola Sengunthars, Karaiyars and the Vellalars. Other communities adopted it as means to present themselves as superior to the social status which they actually held.

Etymology

The title is derived from the Tamil word muthal meaning first with the suffix yaar denoting people. The title is used in the same sense as simply meaning headman.

See also

• Ceylonese Mudaliyars
• List of Mudaliars

References

1. Barnett, Marguerite Ross (2015). The Politics of Cultural Nationalism in South India. Princeton University Press. p. 236. ISBN 9781400867189.
2. 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.
3. ^ Ramaswamy, Vijaya (2017). Historical Dictionary of the Tamils. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 229. ISBN 978-1-53810-686-0.
4. Pandian, Jacob (1987). Caste, Nationalism and Ethnicity: An Interpretation of Tamil Cultural History and Social Order. Popular Prakashan. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-86132-136-0.
5. Barnett, Marguerite Ross (2015). The Politics of Cultural Nationalism in South India. Princeton University Press. p. 236. ISBN 9781400867189.
6. Katz, Nathan (2000). Who Are the Jews of India?. University of California Press. pp. 47–48. ISBN 978-0-52021-323-4.

• Indian family names