Title
A set of five Cane Purses
Year/Period
20th century
Region
Chettinad, Tamil Nadu
Object Type
Material
Technique
Accession No.
2014-00242
Collection of
The region of Chettinad in the Southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu is the region of origin of the Chettiar community of business or the Vaishya caste. The Nagarattar Chettiars are among the early Indian migrants to the Southeast Asian region with business establishments in Vietnam, Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore. Their presence in the Straits Settlements can be traced to the early 18th century onwards. This is a set of five cane purses used by Chettiars, and is among items given in dowry to a Chettiar bride. Hand woven products such as these are still being produced in Chettinad.