Rowther

After the fall of Chola dynasty, the newly formed Later Pandyan Empire in Tamil country under Kulasekara Pandyan invited the Seljuk Turks from the fractions of Hanafi (known as Rowther in South India) in 1279 C.E.. The largest armada of Turkic traders and missionaries settled in Tharangambadi (Nagapattinam), Karaikal, Muthupet, Koothanallur, Podakkudi and Athikkadai.

After the Pandian King Maravarman Kulasekera, who came to Tamil Nadu, who succeeded him to the throne? There was confusion. The sons of Maravarman Kulasekara Pandiyan, Jadavarman Sundara Pandiyan and Jadavarman Veera Pandiyan, fought for the next title. Among them, Sundara Pandiyan killed his father Maravarman Kulasekara Pandiyan in 1310 AD. Later, the Delhi Sultan, who ruled Delhi, begged Alauddin Khilji to help him capture the regime. At his request, Alauddinqilji sent his commander Malik Kapoor to Tamil Nadu. Malik Kapoor similarly helped Sundara Pandiyan and placed him on the throne in 1311 AD. With his help, he spread Islam in Tamil Nadu. Due to his disagreement with Sundara Pandiyan, General Malik Kapoor defeated Sundara Pandiyan and took over the Madurai government. After that, he spread Islam more rapidly in Tamil Nadu. Normally Alauddin Kilji or Malik Kapoor did not want to combine Tamil Nadu with the Mughal Empire of Delhi. Their only wish is to spread Islam in Tamil Nadu. Malik Kapoor left Madurai after a few years because that wish was fulfilled. But afterwards the rulers of the Rowthers, except Allahuddin, Goodbuddin, Nasiruddin, Adilshah, Farudin Mubarak Shah, Alauddin Sikandarsha, were in Madurai. They issued coins in their names. Information about them is mentioned in two inscriptions in Pudukkottai. The Muslim Rajputs who came to Tamil Nadu during the invasion of Malik kapoor were also of Rowthers.

They Rowthers are proud Muslim community. Their Turkish rulers, zamindars have been Mirazudars and some palayakarars.

Seljuk Turks

Rowthers commonly have Turkish ancestry and history.They migrated from the Seljuk Empire to tamilnadu in the 12th century.

Hanafi franctions having fair complexions because they were more closely connected with the Turkish than others in South. There are some Turkish Anatolian and Turkish Safavid Inscriptions found in wide area from Tanjore to Thiruvarur and in many villages, inscriptions seized by Madras Museum and available for public viewing. You may contact Archeologic Division [II] at Madras Museum, for viewing and further research.

Kulasekharapatnam now even called Rawthers Paalaiyam that a part of it. Due to the Army Soldiers of horses. Turks married former muslim coverts (by nathir shah), thus formed an indo Turkish tribe. Turkish father and Indian mother (mostly from maravar community) .

Rawther calls there father using “ata” (Turkish word for father) and mother using “amma” (drividian term for mother). That says entire history. Because there mother relation, they became more like son of a soil and obedient of pandian kingdom.

Delhihi Sultanate ruler Alauddin Khalji sent an army led by Malik Kafur to the southernmost kingdoms of India. After subjugating the Hoysalas, Malik Kafur invaded the Pandya kingdom (called Ma'bar in Muslim chronicles), taking advantage of a war of succession between the Pandya brothers Vira and Sundara. During March–April 1311, he raided several places in the Pandya territory, including their capital Madurai. He was unable to make the Pandya king a tributary to the Delhi Sultanate, but obtained a huge plunder, including elephants, horses, gold and precious stones.

By 1310, Alauddin Khalji of the Delhi Sultanate had forced the Yadava and Kakatiya rulers of Deccan region in southern India to become his tributaries. During the 1310 Siege of Warangal against the Kakatiyas, Alauddin's general Malik Kafur had learned that the region to the south of the Yadava and Kakatiya kingdoms was also very wealthy. After returning to Delhi, Kafur told Alauddin about this, and obtained permission to lead an expedition to the southernmost regions of India.

In early 1311, Malik Kafur reached Deccan with a large army. In February, he besieged the Hoysala capital Dwarasamudra with 10,000 soldiers, and forced the Hoysala king Ballalato become a tributary of the Delhi Sultanate. He stayed at Dwarasamudra for 12 days, waiting for the rest of his army to arrive at Dwarasamudra. At this time, the Pandya kingdom, located to the south of the Hoysala territory, was in a state of political turmoil. After the death of the king Maravarman Kulashekhara, his sons Vira and Sundara Pandya were engaged in a war of succession. Some later chroniclers state that Sundara sought Malik Kafur's help, leading to the Delhi army's invasion of the Pandya territory. However, the writings of the contemporary writer Amir Khusrau cast doubt on this claim: Khusrau's account suggests that Malik Kafur raided the territories controlled by both of them.

“As per khusru’s accounts, Rawther cavalry (50000 soldiers) stood against malik kuffur and many of them fight until there death”.

In Draupadi Amma temples, found in North Tamil Nadu and parts of Andhra Pradesh, one of the guardians is invariably a Muslim warlord called Muttal Ravuttar (meaning horseman). Muttal rawther consider to be the cavalry chieftain of rawthers fights against Malik kaffur, who helps to protect Madurai meenakshi temple.

Once again they proved their Turkish blood by their willing to die for trust, even against their brothers.

HINDU PEOPLE WORSHIP RAVUTHERS

RAVUTHA KUMARASAMY

Ravutha Kumaraswamy is one of the family deity of Kongu Velala Gounders who lives in the Kongunadu place. His temple is in the village of Sivagiri, Arukkal Kakkam, in the Kongu country of Tamil Nadu. The "Kannan" crowd worships Ravutha Kumaraswamy in the Kongu Velalar. Ravuthers is a Tamil Nadu Muslim.who once a knight, was a great embarrassment to the ancestors of the Hindu white-collar community. This is why they worship him as the guardian deity of Kumaraswamy and themselves, and Kulasamy (Lord Muruga Perumanal incarnation).

Temple History

Until a few years ago, the Vedalakkal Kannan group wanted to build a temple for the statues of Ravutha Kumaraswamy, who had been sitting on the roof of the field for 890 years. On the advice of their clan priests, Shivacharyas, stupas and ancestors, the stupa was set up for Lord Muruga Perumanal, the chief elder. Siddhas are in a state of yoga on both sides of the antechamber. The statue of Veeramathi Amman, the female deity, and statues of the deity are placed on the north side of the Ravutha Kumaraswamy temple with another large plane. The inside of the temple is dedicated to Lord Ganesha, Lord Ganesha and Lord Shiva. There is also a separate sanctum sanctorum on the outside of the temple. The Ravutha Kumaraswamy Temple has a very different structure to that of Kumaraswamy and the Minara to Ravuther. The statues of Ravuther are seen in different positions, holding the sword in the front door of the temple, and Kylie dressing up with a curl in the mouth of the tattoo. Behind Kumaraswamy Muruga Perumal in the sanctum sanctorum, the guardian goddess has raised a sword on the pedestal, with one leg resting on two Ravuthers.

Subject: Ravuttars cavalry

Culture: Indo-Turkish

Setting: Pandya Empire (12th–14th century CE)

"[ halted Muslim expansion by borrowing Turkish techniques of mounted warfare and by attracting Turkish horsemen into its own forces."

* Doniger 2009 p560

"'Ravuttan' designates a Muslim horseman, a folk memory of the historical figure of the Muslim warrior on horseback, 'whether he be the Sufi warrior leading his band of followers or the leader of an imperial army of conquest.'"

Helmet

* Elgood 2004 p57

"There are a number of metal helmets from south-west India with 'anchor' nose guards."

* Robinson 1967 p106

"This large nasal is almost certainly a feature of southern Indian armor and a means of identification."

Armor

* Elgood 2004 p55

"We have in sixteenth-century Vijayanagara a tradition of padded cloth armour for man, horse and elephant (augmented in the higher ranks with metal plates) but no mention of mail.  This form of armour continued in use until the nineteenth century in Hindu society ...."

* Elgood 2004 p56

"[T]he warrior riders depicted on the pillars of Vijayanagara buildings in the sixteenth century have a raised rib pattern on their upper and lower garments like widely spaced courduroy.  This occurs so frequently that it appears to be a standard item of equipment; the presumption must be that it represents some form of cloth armour since it is clearly flexible and the design is inconsistent with metal armour."

Rawther warriors and traders from southern Tamil land moved to different areas such as present day Kerala and Karnataka. Rawther cavalry helped for the formation of Travancore kingdom. And have main role in Tippu sultan’s army.

Many traders migrated and became wealthy merchants even outside India, they settled in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and many more.

“Rawthers are famous for their physical strength and attitude, some of them are very proud about their past. But some of them became ignorant and socially backwards"

• Tamil people
• Tamil Muslim

• செய்யிது சமாலுதீன் ( பாண்டிய சுல்தான் கி.பி.1293-1306 )
• Quaid-e-millath (Politician)
• P.kalifullah (politician)
• Shaam (Actor)
• Ibrahim Rowther (film producer)
• Abdul kadir Rowther (poet)
• Ka. Mu. Sheriff (Poet)
• P. Dawood Shah (Tamil Scholer)