Nattukottai Chettiars

Nattukottai Chettiars are a subgroup of the Tamil community, originating from the Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu, India. They are also referred to as Nagarathars or Chettys. They were among the early private financiers of Singapore, dating back to the 1820s. Their capital fueled much of Singapore's financial needs in various areas, including natural resources, shipping, property, and retail. Chettiar firms were one-stop financial solutions. Their loans ranged from less than $100 to millions of dollars. They were flexible with collateral for smaller loans, and their syndicate of firms shared larger loans to mitigate risks for individual firms. This approach led to a long-lasting, trusted relationship with clients who received funding at all stages of their business growth.

The Chettiars’ presence in the region can be traced back to the 10th-11th century, when they held royal rights to trade with Southeast Asia under the Indian kingdom of Chola. The traded goods ranged from luxuries such as diamonds and pearls to basic needs like salt, rice and cloth. In the 19th century, before arriving in Singapore, they had already been trading in Penang and Malacca, capitalising on the opportunities in the rapidly developing Malaya of that period. During colonial times, European banks generally lent money only to European firms and, in some cases, to established Asian individuals. Chettiars seized the opportunity and lent money to Chinese businessmen, European planters, Malay royalty, Eurasian civil servants and Indian traders.  Even after the first Chinese bank, Kwong Yik Bank, was established in 1903, access to loans remained limited for many locals, as the banks primarily focused on serving their clan members and established businesses. Local entrepreneurs just starting out were unlikely to get loans. Chettiars, on the other hand, lent to all levels of locals. At the top end, some documented clients include Yap Ah Loy (pioneer tin miner of Kuala Lumpur), Tan Chay Yan (pioneer rubber planter), Tan Kah Kee (referred to as Henry Ford of the Malayan Community), Loke Wan Tho (founder of Cathay Cinema) and Sultan Hussein of Singapore. அ

Entrepreneurship within the Chettiar community was systematically inculcated. Typically, Chettiar boys came to Singapore at the age of 10 to start a 12-year apprenticeship that involved rigorous mental arithmetic, account keeping, and training in various Chettiar firms. Adult men, having left their families in India, served 3-year terms in Singapore before returning for a 1-year home leave. Despite their wealth, they adopted a frugal lifestyle. Most Chettiars settled in shophouses along Market Street, right in the heart of the city. These were bachelor co-operatives known as Kittangis. The Kittangis served as both their business premise by day and their sleeping quarters by night. In addition to boarding, they provided a slew of in-house services – three meals, cleaning, laundry service and on-site barbers – at affordable rates. There were usually two office floors with about 30 to 40 businesses in one building.  

The Nattukottai Chettiars’ Chamber of Commerce was founded in 1931 to consolidate Chettiar business interests and to represent them. As the Chettiars had an extensive network with other Chettiar firms in Southeast Asia, they were able to offer a rare financial service during those times -- international money transfers. At the peak in the 1950s, there were about 200 Chettiar banking firms in Singapore. A testament to their wealth and influence in the colonial period may be found in a letter written in 1937, by Singapore’s Coronation Celebrations Committee, set up for the coronation of King George VI. Seeking sponsorship of the fireworks display, it stated, “In fact it has almost become a custom to appeal to the Chettiars for their cooperation on all important celebrations as the community is one of the richest, if not, the richest, of the several communities in the colony.” During World War II, Chettiars were the largest contributors to the Indian National Army (INA), established in Singapore by Subhas Chandra Bose, the Indian freedom fighter.

Their philanthropy extended to many fronts. They were well known in India for building and renovating hundreds of temples and they continued this tradition wherever they migrated, including Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Their legacy in Singapore includes two temples -- the Sri Thendayuthapani Temple (also known as the Chettiars’ temple) on Tank Road and the Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple in Chinatown. The genesis of the much-celebrated Thaipusam Festival in Singapore goes back to the Chettiars, who initiated it around the 1850s. In the 1940s, they introduced the Navarathri Festival in their temple, which turned into a nine-day festival of the arts. Chettiars were also dedicated to supporting education. Before the war, they founded one of the earliest free Tamil schools, known as the Thandayuthapani School, and also operated an English-medium private school, the Chettiars’ Premier Institution, on Orchard Road. Both schools no longer exist. The Chettiars’ educational support also extended to many other Tamil schools in Singapore, and when the University of Malaya was established in Singapore, they made a substantial donation.

The Chettiars were among the largest property and estate owners in Singapore, and several roads in Singapore were named after them -- Meyyappa Chettiar Road, Annamalai Avenue, Arnasalam Chetty Road, Muthuraman Chetty Road and Narayanan Chetty Road. Some of these names have been changed over time. While the Chettiar contributions have found their way into history books and heritage institutions, the contemporary Chettiar community in Singapore is no longer a leading business community.  From the 1970s, Chettiars in Singapore turned to professional, technical and other white-collar jobs, with their characteristic entrepreneurial activities receding to the background. Another noteworthy development is that as non-Kittangi Chettiars grew in numbers, so did their families – with wives and children settling in Singapore as family units. The number of Chettiar families was reported to be about 30 in the 1960s but by 2020, they had increased to about 1000.



For more information
Chettiars’ Temple Society Singapore. “Sri Layan Sithi Vinayagar Temple - Sri Thendayuthapani Temple,” Accessed 1 August 2025. https://sttemple.com 
Chettiars’ Temple Society Singapore. “Chettiars’ Temple Society Digital Library,” Accessed 1 August 2025. http://www.sttemplelibrary.com/ 
Genealogy Society Singapore. “Chettiars: The Pioneer Financiers of Singapore,” 22 October, 2022 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc652EvA2Xc 
Nishimura, Yuko, and Padmini Swaminathan. Gender, Kinship and Property Rights: Nagarattar Womanhood in South India. Contributions to Indian Sociology, 2000.
Rudner, David West. Caste and Capitalism in Colonial India: The Nattukottai Chettiars. California: University of California Press, 2022. 
S Muthiah, Meyyappan, Meenakshi and Ramasamy, Visalaksi. The Chettiar Heritage - The Complete Book. India: The Chettiar Heritage, 2000. 
Suppiah, Ummadevi. The Chettiar Role in Malaysia’s Economic History, edited by Raja, Sivachandralingam Sundaram. Kuala Lumpur: University of Malaya Press, 2016

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.