Sri Lankan Chetties
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 6,075 (2012 census) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Province | |
 Western
|
5,427 |
 North Western
|
279 |
 Central
|
193 |
| Languages | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (mostly Roman Catholic and Anglican) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
Sri Lankan Chetties, also known as Colombo Chetties, Colombo Chittis or Colombo Hetties, are a formerly endogamous Sri Lankan social group or caste.
Colombo Chetty are mostly converted Roman Catholics or Anglicans and are found in niches throughout Sri Lankan society. Members trace their origins to traders of various ethnicities from South India. Most traders were Tamil speakers with a smattering of Malayalee or Telugu speakers. Colombo Chetties are descendants of traders who came to Sri Lanka during the Portuguese colonial era, post 1505. These traders converted to Catholicism and married women of various backgrounds including their own from India, Sri Lankan Tamil, Sinhalese, Portuguese Creoles and later Dutch, English and Eurasian Burghers.
The ethnic distinction between Burghers and Colombo Chetties is somewhat blurred. Until about 75 years ago most Chetties were educated in the Tamil language and considered a caste of Tamil people. However, Sri Lankan Chetty families married into elite Sinhalese, Burghers and Sri Lankan Tamil families.
Most early Sri Lankan Tamil pioneers in the colonial civil service, doctors, educators and religious leaders were of Sri Lankan Chetty origins. The author of the definitive modern history of the Tamil Jaffna Kingdom was a Sri Lankan Chetty. Today most Chetties speak English at home and are considered to be neither Sinhalese nor Tamil in the official census.
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Wikipedia