The Nagarathars are a Chettiar community that originated in Kaveripoompattinam under the Chola kingdom of India. They are a prominent mercantile caste in Tamil Nadu, South India. Nagarathar business people are Hindus, predominantly originating in the Chettinad region of Tamilnadu. They have been trading with Southeast Asia since the heyday of the Chola empire, but in the 19th Century they migrated to countries throughout Southeast Asia. Nagarathars, also known as Nattukkottai Chettiars, were an important trading class of 19th and 20th century South East Asia and spread to Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Malayasia, Singapore, Java, Sumatra, and Ho Chi Minh City. Changing political and economic situations since that time have caused many of these communities to disappear as their members returned to India or sought other, more hospitable homes. Chettiars were traditionally involved in occupations like moneylending and wholesale trading. Banks established by Chettiars include the now defunct Bank of Chettinad, and the now ICICI merged Bank of Madurai founded by Karumuttu Thiagarajan Chettiar (an Architect par excellence, Textile Don, highly principled Educationist and Philanthropher), Indian Overseas Bank founded by Shri. M. Ct. M. Chidambaram Chettiar, and Indian Bank founded by Raja Annamalai Chettiar. Nagarathars are known for their philanthropy; building temples, and schools and maintaining them throughout Asia. In the following pages you can explore more about the history and culture of the Nagarathars.