Editing Chettiar (section)

==Historical significance==

The Chettiar title has been associated with a diverse range of communities, including merchant groups, agriculturalists, and artisans. Chettiar's are identified with the [[Vysya]] (merchant) varna due to their economic prominence and community efforts to elevate social status.<ref>{{cite book |last=Belle |first=Carl Vadivella |year=2017 |title=Thaipusam in Malaysia |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kB1qDwAAQBAJ&q=chettiar+sudra&pg=PT126 |location=Singapore |publisher=ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute |isbn=9789814695756}}:”Although the Chettiars were originally a Sudra caste, in more recent times they have made claim to be considered as Vaisyas.”</ref><ref name="Pārttacārati2008">{{cite book|author=Intirā Pārttacārati|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-T4aAQAAIAAJ|title=Ramanujar: The Life and Ideas of Ramanuja|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2008|isbn=978-0-19-569161-0|page=98|quote=The Chetti, Vaisya, or merchant caste}}</ref> The title is also used by certain subgroups of the [[Vellalar]] caste, highlighting its adaptability across regions and professions.<ref>{{cite book |last=Singh |first=K. S. |title=People of India: Tamil Nadu |date=October 2014 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-1-78308-315-2 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dziNBAAAQBAJ&dq=vellan+chetti&pg=PA702}}</ref>

During the [[British Raj|colonial era]], Chettiars, particularly the Nattukottai [[Nagarathar]](Chettiyar), Aruviyur Nagarathar(Chettiyar), gained recognition as prominent bankers and financiers in [[South India]] and [[Southeast Asia]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Rudner |first=David |year=1989 |title=Banker's Trust and the Culture of Banking among the Nattukottai Chettiars of Colonial South India |journal=Modern Asian Studies |volume=23 |issue=3 |pages=417–458|doi=10.1017/S0026749X00009501 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kudaisya |first=Medha |year=2009 |title=Chinese and Indian Business: Historical Antecedents |editor1-first=Medha M. |editor1-last=Kudaisya |editor2-first=Chin-Keong |editor2-last=Ng |publisher=BRILL |location=Leiden |isbn=9789004172791 |chapter=Marwari and Chettiar Merchants. 1850s-1950s: Comparative Trajectories |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eQJfjnWly5wC&pg=PA85}}</ref>