The Ravuthers/Rowthers of Kerala are a Muslim community who migrated from Tamil Nadu and have been living in Kerala for centuries. They speak a dialect of Tamil heavily influenced by Malayalam. They typically follow the Hanafi madhab compared to the majority of Kerala Muslims who follow the Shafi’ madhab. The Ravuthers are mainly found in the Central Travancore region and also in Palakkad.
The Ravuthers entered Kerala through different routes. The Ravuthers of Palakkad have come to Kerala by crossing the Palghat Gap. The second route is the route from Madurai via Cumbum and the third one being the Thirunnelvely –Tenkasi- Schenkottah –Pathanapuram-Pathanamthitta route.
The Ravuthers have been mainly urban settlers. They are known to have been very active in trade and controlled the inland trade in Central Travancore during early times. They are also known as Thulukkar/Thurukkar in the Central Travancore region and Tamil Nadu which means 'Turks' in Tamil. This is however considered derogatory nowadays.
The Ravuthers address their fathers as ‘Atha’ which means ‘father’ in Turkic languages. ('Ataturk' means 'Father of Turkey' in Turkish.) But nowadays in Modern Turkish, it means forefather/ancestor and 'Baba' and a Persian word has replaced 'Atha'. In some Turkic languages the word 'Ata' is still used.
With regard to their dressing, they tie the knot of mundu/lungi to the right as compared to the rest of Muslims who tie it to the left.
The Ravuthers address their fathers as ‘Atha’ which means ‘father’ in Turkic languages. ('Ataturk' means 'Father of Turkey' in Turkish.) But nowadays in Modern Turkish, it means forefather/ancestor and 'Baba' and a Persian word has replaced 'Atha'. In some Turkic languages the word 'Ata' is still used.
With regard to their dressing, they tie the knot of mundu/lungi to the right as compared to the rest of Muslims who tie it to the left.
And Allah Knows Best......
