The Rowther (, also known as Irauttar, Rawther, Ravuttar, Ravutta, Ravuthar, Ravuthamar) are a distinct Muslim community living largely in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a native warrior clan population who converted to Islam under the influence of saints like Nathar Shah (Nathar Wali) in 10th–11th centuries. Even after conversion they retained their Ravuttar caste name. they were one of the earliest Muslim communities in India. They were elite cavalrymen of the Chola and Pandya kingdoms. They were traditionally a martial clan like the Maravars, and constitute large
The Rowther (, also known as Irauttar, Rawther, Ravuttar, Ravutta, Ravuthar, Ravuthamar) are a distinct Muslim community living largely in the south Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a native warrior clan population who converted to Islam under the influence of saints like Nathar Shah (Nathar Wali) in 10th–11th centuries. Even after conversion they retained their Ravuttar caste name. they were one of the earliest Muslim communities in India. They were elite cavalrymen of the Chola and Pandya kingdoms. They were traditionally a martial clan like the Maravars, and constitute large part of the multi-ethnic Tamil Muslim community. Rowthers have also been found as Tamil polygars, zamindars and chieftains from the 16th to 18th centuries. The traditional homelands of the Rowthers were in the interior of Southern Tamilakam.
== Etymology == The name Ravuttar (or Ravutta, Ravuthar, Rowther, Rawther) means king, horseman, or cavalry warrior in the Tamil language and is derived from the word Rājaputra, in the sense of 'prince', 'nobleman', or 'horseman'. D.C. Sircar points out that Ravutta or Rahutta, as a title, means a 'subordinate ruler'. Some scholars claim that the name comes from Rathore, a name common among the Muslim Rajputs of North India. Historically, they are parts of clans traditionally holding positions as rulers and military folk. 'Ravuta' means a high-ranking title King, lord, or feudatory ruling chief.
Discovered by embedding cosine similarity (sentence-transformers MiniLM, 384-dim).