Chennai - George Town / Sowcarpet

George Town / Sowcarpet is the documented Komati quarter of Madras. Citing Mattison Mines, 'Individuality and Achievement in South Indian Social History', Modern Asian Studies 26(1), 1992, the source records: 'There was fierce competition in George Town between the Tamil-speaking Beeri merchants, who formed the left-hand caste division and the Komati and Balija merchants, who were referred to as the right-hand caste division... The competition between the divisions gave rise to riots and disputes in 1652 and 1707. The British were able to settle the disputes between left-hand and right-hand caste divisions amicably by resettling members to designated areas in George Town.' Citing Susan J. Lewandowski, 'Merchants and Kingship: An Interpretation of Indian Urban History', Journal of Urban History (1985), pp. 170-172, it adds that by the late 1800s Komatis were 'founding import-export firms, particularly in timber, sugar and liquor, construction and engineering companies, and western style banks', that most were 'involved with the trade of oil, salt, grains, fruits and vegetables or were moneylenders or textile merchants', and that 'The Komati community during the colonial period changed their name to the Arya Vaisya Community' - the documented origin of the modern name. Three community institutions survive in the same few streets today. NOTE: the same George Town right-hand/left-hand division is the Madras counterpart of the Mysore faction structure that Rice describes and that produced the Gubbi riots.