Rowther

Rowther or Ravuthar or Ravuttar (Tamil: இராவுத்தர் "Irauttar") is the title used by a community from the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are descendants of Turkic peoples who had came to South India during the Chola Period. Rowthers are Nawab of Arcot and many military Cavalry Chieftains in Tamil Rulers Army. Ravuttars are a traditionally a clan-based Martial population like the Maravars, and constitute one part of the multi-ethnic Tamil Muslim community. Rowthers traditionally follow the Hanafi school of "fiqh". Ravuttars have been found as Tamil poligers, zamindars and chieftains throughout the 15th to 18th centuries. In the modern era, they are often economically successful and act as entrepreneurs, business peoples and landlords. They remember their historic heroic valour during their marriage ceremonies, where the bridegroom is conducted into the procession on a horse, but this process is fast disappearing.
Etymology.
The name "Ravuttar" (or "Ravutta," "Ravuthar", "Rahtore", "Rathaur", "Rowther", "Rawther") is derived Sanskrit ("Rājaputra"), in the sense of 'prince', 'nobleman', or 'horseman'. D.C. Sircar points out that "Ravutta" or "Rahutta", as a title, means a 'subordinate ruler'. Some scholars claim that the name comes from Rathore, a name common among the Muslim Rajputs of North India. Rowthers are also known as துருக்கியர் "(Turukkiyar)" meaning 'Turks'. Historically, they are parts of clans traditionally holding positions as rulers and military folk. Some inscriptions mention a ruler named "Parvatha Ravuttar".
Rahut or Rowt means "Warrior" , Raya means "Captain" "Rāvuttarayan or Rāvuttakartan means High Military chief of Cavalry troops."
Demography.
Rawther are found all over Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Their mother tongue is Tamil and they use the Tamil script. Many of them are conversant in Urdu and familiar with the Perso-Arabic script. They follow the tenets of Islam and read the Quran and other religious texts in Arabic.
Food and Dress.
They drink tea and coffee. They are prohibited from taking alcoholic drinks on religious grounds. The men wear kurta, Dhoti, Shirt, and Cap, women wear a sari. Older women wear a lungi, sari and dupatta. Women keep their heads covered with the end of the sari.
Titles/Surname.
Ravuttar/Ravutta/Rowthers are common surnames among the group, but other titles often used are below:
Identity and origins.
The Cholas, who dominated Tamil Nadu for over two centuries (approximately 950 AD to 1200 AD) waned, and Pandya kings had the upper hand for the next century (approximately 1200 AD to 1300 AD). King Maravarman Kulasekara Pandyan I (1268 - 1310) had two sons: Jatavarman Sundara Pandyan III, who was by the king's wife, and Jatavarman Veera Pandyan II, who was by a mistress. The king proclaimed that Veera Pandyan would succeed him. This enraged Sundara Pandyan, who assassinated his father and became king in 1310. Some local chieftains in the kingdom swore allegiance to the younger brother Veera Pandyan and a civil war broke out.
Sundara Pandyan was defeated and he fled the country. He sought help from the far-off northern ruler Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji, who was ruling much of northern India from Delhi. At that time, his army under General Malik Kafur was in the south at Dvarasamudra (far to the north of Tamil Nadu). Khilji agreed to help Sundara Pandyan and ordered Malik Kafur's army to march to Tamil Nadu. With Sundara Pandyan's assistance, this Muslim army from the north entered Tamil Nadu in 1311. Many historians believe that Malik Kafur, who was based in Dvarasamudra at that time, was not planning to march south all the way to Tamil Nadu, and that, but for Sundara Pandyan's request to Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji, he would never have invaded Tamil Nadu. Thus the first invasion of Tamil Nadu from Delhi was a direct result of the internal quarrel in the Pandyan royal family. Once inside Tamil Nadu and his army well entrenched with not much opposition, Malik Kafur turned on Sundara Pandyan also, whom he came to help. The latter fled Madurai to southern Pandya Nadu. Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji and Malik Kafur never intended to conquer and hold Tamil Nadu as part of the Delhi Sultanate; he did not occupy Tamil Nadu but turned back north. (Sundara Pandyan's uncle Vikrama Pandyan did win a couple of battles against Malik Kafur but many historians do not believe it to be the reason for Malik Kafur leaving Tamil Nadu.)
Before invasion of Moghul, Chola King invited Turks of the Seljuk Empire the Fractions of Hanafi school (Known as Rowther in South India) for Horse trade link in 10th century. The biggest armada of Turks traders and missionaries settled in Tharangambadi, Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Muthupet, Koothanallur and Podakkudi. Turkish Rowthers were unable to convert Hindus in Tanjore regions since Hindus were very stubborn in their belief, so the Turkish mission and traders settled in this area's with their armada and expanded to a moderate size of Islam community. These new settlements were now added to the Rowther community. Hanafi fractions have a mix of fair and pale complexions because they were more closely connected with the Turkish than others in the South, Rowther women wear Purdah same as Turks and Iranian compared to Marakkars ( sea traders) who just wear sarees. There are some Turkish Anatolian and Safavid Inscriptions found in a wide area from Tanjore to Thiruvarur and in many villages. These inscriptions are seized by Madras Museum and are available for public viewing. Contact Archeologic Division at Madras Museum, for viewing and further research. Some Turkish inscriptions were also stolen from the Big Mosque of Koothanallur in 1850. And Last Pandya kingdom great Pandya Kulasekara, the agent of the Horse trading (Horse Trader-Rowther), Governor of Shiraz, held the chief place in the region. He occupied, according to Muslim historians, a place even in the council of Pandyas.
There are two factions of Rowthers in Tamil Nadu, Sultan Ala-ud-din Khilji's (Moghul) clan descendants Turkish Sultans and their Rathore (Rajputs) warriors covers majority of Tamil Nadu while Seljuk Turkic clans remains in Tharangambadi, Nagapattinam, Karaikal, Muthupet, Koothanallur and Podakkudi. Both now Moghul and Turkish Hanafi expanded with Population and some circumstantial evidence in historical sources that the Rowther are part related to Maravar converts. Ravuttars worked in the administration of the Vijayanagar Nayaks.
Social System:Kinship.
The Rowthers are an endogamous group. "The concern is for matching spouses who share the same economic backgrounds and the same cultural and particularly religious tradition. Specific religious and social practices vary widely among the different Muslim Tamil sub-divisions and attitudes about what is not vary too. Nevertheless, in cities, inter-marriages do occur, although they rare" (Mines, 1973).
Ata/Atha-A Ravuthers Kinship Term.
The Rowthers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala to this day address their fathers as Atha(அத்தா). 'Ata' or 'Atha' meaning father' in Turkish and other Turkic languages. 'Atatürk' in Turkish means 'Father of the Turkish Nation', the title given to Mustafa kemal, the first President of Turkey. However, in modern Turkish, it means 'ancestor/forefather'.Nowadays, the Persian loanword 'Baba' has replaced 'Ata' or 'Atha'. What is more interesting is that the word in Turkic/Turkish is pronounced exactly the same way as pronounced by the Rowthers.
Family.
Extended families are more frequent among the Rawther than nuclear families. A joking relationship exists between a man and his wife's brothers and sisters. Both sons and daughters inherit property. A daughter gets half of what a son gets.
Rites and Rituals.
Birth: The valaikaapu ceremony is observed among the Rawther during the ninth month of pregnancy. The husband's relatives bring bangles, a sari, sweets, and flowers for the pregnant woman. A feast of a child, an elderly person utters the azan (call for prayer) in the child's ear. The naming ceremony is held on the third, seventh, or fortieth day. On the sixth day, Kalima is pronounced, and the child is made to taste honey. The Aqiqa (tonsuring ceremony) may be held on the fortieth day after birth or some time later. The child starts reading the Quran at the age of five or six and after the completion of the Quran, sweets are distributed to friends and relatives. The ustad (teacher) is given gifts as a mark of respect. This ceremony is called the Hadiya. The khatna (circumcision) is a compulsory rite. This ritual performed before a boy attains the age of twelve. A Rawther girl, on attaining menarche, is kept in seclusion. On the seventh day, she is ceremonially bathed to terminate pollution and is accepted back into the house. For seven days after menstruation, a woman has to avoid praying, fasting, and reading the Quran. This is followed during the lifetime of a woman.
Marriage.
Nevertheless, in cities, inter-marriages do occur, although they are rare" (Vines, 1973). Parallel and cross-cousins are potential spouses. Earlier, marriages were performed soon after a girl attained puberty, but now girls get married between 18 and 20 and boys between 22 and 25. Most marriages are negotiated by the elders. Monogamy is the norm. The marital symbols are the lacha and toe-rings for women.They remember their historic Heroic Valour during their marriage ceremonies, where the bridegroom is conducted into the procession on a Horse, but this process is fast disappearing.
Occupational Activities.
Traditionally the Rowthers were Horsemen and Horse-traders but now they are engaged in various occupations, mostly their own businesses. They deal in gems, gold, textiles, and real estate and participate in the industry, construction work, and general merchandising. Some are professionals, such as doctors, engineers, and lawyers, and some are teachers.
Administration and Justice.
There is no traditional caste council or panchayat as such among the Rawthers. Learned and elderly persons act as advisers. The Rawther have an association which preaches against dowry, and collects funds for charity.
Religion and Culture.
The Rawther belong to the Sunni sect of Islam and the Hanafi school. They follow the five basic tenets of Islam, which are, reciting the Kalima, offering namaz (prayer) five times a day, observing rosa (fasting) during the month of Ramzan, giving zakah (charity) to the poor, and going on the Haj pilgrimage to Mecca and Madina. The two major festivals celebrated are Ramzan and Bakr-id. 
Inter Community Relation.
The Rawther share a ritual and social linkage with other sects of Muslims. They mix freely with their neighbors and friends belonging to other communities, and exchange food and sweets during festivals. They share wells and water sources with other communities. They share mosques and burial grounds with others belonging to the Sunni sect.
Closeness in Tamil inscriptions and literature.
The role of the Rowthers is very much in the religious harmony and social cohesion of Tamil Nadu
The Tamil Muslim Ravuttars working in the administration of the Vijayanagar nayak somewhere In the Khurram kunda.The inscription details the dedication of the land by the Rowther Muslim to near a Murugan temple in Cheyyur. The inscription not only reiterates the fact that Ravuttars (Rowthers) Muslim in the part of the Vijayanagar administration, but also that their relationship went beyond religion, As can be seen by the donation to the temple. Much before the Tamil Muslim Ravuttars made the Contribution to the Murugan temple,
Arunagirinathar, the 15th Century Tamil poet, calls Lord Murugan as 'soor kondra ravuttane! - சூர்க்கொன்ற ராவுத்தனே! - Oh Ravuttan, who vanquised the Soor/Demon!' and 'maamayilerum ravuttane! - மாமயிலேறும் ராவுத்தனே! - Oh Ravuttan, who rides on the great peacock' in his Kanthar Alangaram (கந்தர் அலங்காரம்) and in Kanthar Venba (கந்தர் வெண்பா).
Muttal Ravuttar.
Muttal Ravuttar is that it is specifically as a Muslim that he figures as a kshatriya who"Protect the field" of the kingdom who ultimately Hindu ideal the Draupathi cult espouses with these considerations in mind, we may now look more closely at the anomalous figure: First at the god himself and then myths, iconography, and rituals that define his relation to Draupathi and his role in her cult.
As we noted in chapter 3, The Muttal Ravuttar derives its Second element from a term meaning Muslim Rowther (Cavalier, Horseman, or trooper). The term comes from Urdu Raut, apparently via a Prakrit derivation from 'raja-putra' (Prince).
Modernisation.
The Rawthers give importance to education and even girls are now going in for school and college education and some have taken up great jobs too. They generally favor modern medicine. The number of children preferred is three to four. Many have now started using family planning methods. They have access to all civic amenities.