Sir T. Madhava Rao · T. Gopala Rao |
| Total population |
|---|
| 70,000 appx. (2001) |
| Regions with significant populations |
| Chola Nadu region of Tamil Nadu, Chennai, Dharmapuri district, Kerala |
| Languages |
|
Thanjavur Marathi (mother tongue), Kannada, Tamil |
| Religion |
| Related ethnic groups |
Thanjavur Marathi (Tamil: தஞ்சாவூர் மராத்தியர், Marathi: तंजावूर मराठी) (colloquially called Rāyar (Tamil: ராயர்)), are a Marathi-speaking ethno-linguistic group, who reside in the central and northern parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are the descendants of Marathi administrators, soldiers and noblemen who migrated during the rule of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. Kshatriyas use the designation Maratha while Brahmins use the self-designation Deshastha.
Thanjavur Marathi is the mother tongue for over 3% of the total population in the towns of Kumbakonam and Thanjavur.
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There has been evidence of Marathi immigrants in the Tamil country ever since ancient times. During the Vijayanagar Empire and its aftermath, there was regular movement of people from central India. The Thanjavur Marathi community originated in the 17th century. The first Thanjavur Marathi was Venkoji, also known as Ekoji, a brother of Chattrapathi Shivaji, who established the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom.
In the early years of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom, migrants to Thanjavur were very few and rare. Most Thanjavur Marathis are descendants of people who migrated during and after the reign of Serfoji I who ruled from 1712 to 1726. Serfoji I invited Brahmins to settle in Thanjavur and offered them vast quantities of land. He also established agraharams such as Sarabhojirajapuram. Migrations to the Tamil country from Maharashtra and northern Karnataka took place throughout the 18th and the first half of the 19th century until the demise of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom in 1855. Since 1855, migrations have almost ceased. Some aristocratic Thanjavur Marathi families, however, continue to follow the centuries-old custom of concluding marriage alliances only with aristocratic Maratha families of Maharashtra and Central India.
According to the 2001 census, Marathi is spoken as a mother tongue by about 0.1% of the total population of Tamil Nadu.[1]Exact districtwise statistics are not available, but according to estimates, Marathis are mostly concentrated in the city of Chennai and the Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Dharmapuri, Vellore, Salem, Thiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, Kanchipuram and Tiruchirappalli districts of Tamil Nadu. The Marathi population in Tamil Nadu has dwindled recently due to migrations to Maharashtra, Bangalore, North India and foreign countries.[2] There is also a considerable Thanjavur Marathi population in southern Kerala made up mostly of people who migrated to Travancore from Kumbakonam and Thanjavur to take advantage of the privileged positions they enjoyed in the Travancore court during the 19th century.
The Marathi population in the Tamil-speaking districts of the Madras Presidency as per the 1931 census are as follows
| District | Marathi population |
|---|---|
| North Arcot | 9947 |
| Tanjore | 9149 |
| Madras | 7539 |
| Salem | 5903 |
| Coimbatore | 3095 |
| Chingleput | 2932 |
| Trichinopoly | 2037 |
| Madura | 2002 |
| South Arcot | 1673 |
| Ramnad | 1009 |
| The Nilgiris | 1301 |
| Tinnevely | 333 |
| Source : South Indian Maharashtrians: Mahratta Education Society's Silver Jubilee Souvenir, Volume I. Madras: Mahratta Education Society. 1937. p. 50. | |
The 1931 census also recorded a population of 7,054 Marathi speakers in the princely state of Travancore and 5,210 in Cochin.
The mother tongue of the Thanjavur Marathi people is Thanjavur Marathi, a dialect of the Marathi language. Kannada is also spoken and understood by a significantly large segment of the Thanjavur Marathi population.[3] Having lived in the Tamil country for centuries, almost all Thanjavur Marathis in Tamil Nadu are proficient in Tamil.
The Thanjavur Marathis are credited with having introduced culinary dishes such as poli and sambhar to Tamil Nadu. They also introduced folk dances such as Poi-kaal kudirai. Musical instruments such as gottu vadyam and tambura were also introduced by them.
D. Vasudeva Rao, Managing Director (Retired), Ennore Foundries Limited. Rao Bahadur C Srinivasa Rao - Director General of Post and Telegraph D J Balaji Rao - Vice Chairman, SCCI.
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