The etymology of the community name is unclear. The names Muthuraja and Muthuraiyar may be derived from two words, the Tamil namemuthu meaning "pearl" and raja or raiyar both meaning "king". Muttaraiyar may also be derived from mundru meaning "three" and tharai meaning "earth", which was also a title of Velir chiefs. They are commonly known as Valaiyar, derived from Tamil word valai meaning "net" in reference to their earlier occupations as hunters and fishermen. Their title Ambalakkarar is derived from the Tamil word ambalam meaning panchayat or "village council", as they served as the heads of these councils.
Origin
According to Tamil historians, the Muttarayar are said to have invaded kingdoms in Tamilakkam around the 2nd century CE from Erumainadu, which is identified with the area in and around modernMysore in Karnataka. Their ancestors were soldiers in what is now the state of Andhra Pradesh, where they served the polygars. Thus, many still speak the Telugu languageat home and the Tamil language outside. They seem to have established themselves as Lords of the Tanjore district in Tamilakkam around this time. The most famous of this Mutharaiyar dynasty were Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar, also called Kuvavan Maaran, his son Maaran Parameswaran, alias Ilangovadiaraiyan, and Perumbidugu Mutharaiyar II, alias Suvaran Maaran. During the 7th to 8th centuries, they served as feudatories of the Pallavas and controlled the fertile plains of the Kaveri region. An inscription in the Vaikuntha Perumal temple in Kanchipuram mentions a Muttaraiyar chief receiving Nandivarman II Pallavamalla at the latter's coronation. According to historian T. A. Gopinatha Rao, this chief was Perumbidigu Muthurayar II, who is styled as Kalvara Kalvan in this epigraph. According to historian Mahalingam, he fought along with Udayachandra, the Pallava general of Nandivarman II, in at least twelve battles against the Cheras and Pandyas. When the Cholas came to power in 850, Vijayalaya Chola wrested control of Tanjore from the Muthuraja chieftains and turned them into vassals. The early rulers of the dynasty seem to have encouraged Jainism. The Jain acharya Vimalachandra from Sravanabelagola is said to have visited Suvaran Maaran's court and challenged the Saivas, Kapalikas, Pasupatas and Buddhists.
Demographics
The Muthuraja are mostly distributed in the Tiruchirappalli, Pudukkottai, Madurai, Coimbatore and Chennai districts of Tamil Nadu.
Literature
One of the most notable Muthuraja people was Peru Mutharaiyar, who was known for his great wealth and grand feasts. Two stanzas of Nālaṭiyār, a Jain work of ancient Tamil literature, is dedicated to him. Another work called Muttolaayiram which is part of the Tamil anthology lauds the exploits of the Mutturaja chieftains.
