Poraiyar Nadar's estate (Tamil: பொறையார் நாடார் எஸ்டேட்), popularly known as Nadar estate was one of the largest zamindari estate in the erstwhile Tanjore district of Madras Presidency, British India. Headquartered in the village of Poraiyar, Mayiladuthurai district (Previously Thanjavur district), Nadar's estate covered a total area of 7000 acres in the Cauvery delta region.

History

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The patriarch of the Nadar estate was Vellaiya Nadar, he was an abkari contractor, he established several distillery industries across South India, following Vellaiya Nadar, the Poraiyar Nadar estate remained as one of the biggest distillers of British India for more than a century.[1][2][3][4][5]

Porayar Nadar estate's V. Thavasumuthu Nadar bought the Ariyalur Zamin in the court auction and became the Zamindar of Ariyalur.[6] Poraiyar Nadar Estate has held the title of Zamindar of Ariyalur for half a century.[7]

Thavasumuthu Nadar was a philanthropist, he desired to develop education in his rural area, established Thavasumuthu Nadar Higher Secondary School in 1882 in Poraiyar.[8] He helped to construct the Raja Mirasdar Hospital in Thanjavur in 1878.[9][10]

Nadar estate showed an active interest in the administrative affairs of Hindu temples, In 1889, V. Ponnusamy Nadar of Nadar estate was elected to the Kumbakonam Temple Committee, which administered Hindu temples in the taluks of Kumbakonam, Mayavaram and Shiyali.[11][12]

The most well known among the Nadar estate was Rao Bahadur T. Rathinasamy Nadar, he established the first Sangam for the Nadar community, the Nadar Mahajana Sangam in 1910.[13][14] During the Congress party's main agitational period, from inception in 1885 to early 1890s, T. Ratnaswami Nadar was one of its financiers.[15]

T. Rathnaswamy Nadar also played a vital role in the development of Tranquebar region by bringing in the railway line for the town.[16][17] To honor his services, the British Government conferred Rao Bahadur Award to him 1911.[18][19]

In 1906, Nadar estate's T. Guruswami Nadar built the hostel building for Kumbakonam Arts and Science College and dedicated it to the memory of his father V. Thavsasmuthu Nadar and named the hostel as “Queen Victoria” to commemorate her Golden Jubilee.[20][21]

T.V. Balagurusamy Nadar of Nadar estate was one of the founder-director of Tamilnad Mercantile Bank (then known as Nadars Bank ltd) in 1921.[22]

References

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  1. ^ Baker, C. J. (1975). South India : Political Institutions and Political Change 1880?1940. Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. pp. 26–72–73. ISBN 9781349027484.
  2. ^ Washbrook, D. A. (1976). The emergence of provincial politics : the Madras Presidency, 1870-1920. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. pp. 114–115-. ISBN 9780521053457.
  3. ^ "The History of Poraiyar Nadar Estate". Nadars.in.
  4. ^ "Thacker's Indian Directory: Including Burma and Ceylon 1937-1938". Indian Culture.
  5. ^ The Asylum Press Almanack And Directory Of Madras And Southern India 1918. 1918. pp. 1477–78.
  6. ^ Madras District Gazetteers: Statistical Appendix for Trichinopoly District. Superintendent, Government Press. p. 146.
  7. ^ The Asylum Press Almanack And Directory Of Madras And Southern India 1919. 1919. p. 1596.
  8. ^ Ayyar, KN Krishnaswami (1933). Statistical Appendix And Supplement To The Revised District Manual (1906) For Tanjore District. p. 201.
  9. ^ புலவர், செ. இராசு (1987). தஞ்சை மராட்டியர் கல்வெட்டுகள். p. 41. ISBN 81-7090-077-8.
  10. ^ Srinivasan, G. (14 March 2019). "Royals, landlords behind RMH ophthalmology department". Deccan Chronicle.
  11. ^ Baker, Christopher John; D. A, Washbrook (1975). South India : political institutions and political change, 1880-1940. Delhi: Macmillan Co. of India. pp. 29–38. ISBN 9780033390675.
  12. ^ Washbrook, D. A. (1976). The emergence of provincial politics : the Madras Presidency, 1870-1920. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. pp. 115–187–188. ISBN 9780521053457.
  13. ^ Hardgrave, Robert L. (2006). The Nadars of Tamilnad : the political culture of a community in change. New Delhi: Ajay Kumar Jain for Manohar Publishers & Distributours. p. 131. ISBN 9788173047015.
  14. ^ Lucy Carroll (Feb 1978). "Colonial Perceptions of Indian Society and the Emergence of Caste(s) Associations". The Journal of Asian Studies. 37 (2): 234–235. doi:10.2307/2054164. JSTOR 2054164. S2CID 146635639.
  15. ^ Baker, C. J. (1975). South India : Political Institutions and Political Change 1880?1940. [Place of publication not identified]: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. p. 200. ISBN 978-1-349-02748-4.
  16. ^ Lazar, Prof. P. Maria. Tales of Tranquebar. p. 26.
  17. ^ Sivasubramaniyan, A. Thamizhaga Varalatril Tharangampadi. New Century Book House. p. 10. ISBN 9788123430508.
  18. ^ John, Murray. The Historical Record of The Imperial Visit to India-1911. p. 364.
  19. ^ Who's who in India (lives and photographs of the recipients of honors on 12th December 1911). p. 113.
  20. ^ "Hostel of Government College for Men - Main Building". Nmma.nic.in.
  21. ^ "Poraiyar Nadar Estate's Philanthropy Services". Nadars.in.
  22. ^ "Founder Directors of TMB". Tamilnad Mercantile Bank Official Website.