Thanjavur Marathi (colloquially called Rayar), are a Marathi-speaking ethno-linguistic group, who reside in the central and northern parts of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. They are the descendants of Marathi administrators, soldiers and noblemen who migrated during the rule of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom. Thanjavur was a Maratha kingdom in Tamil Country, until the British dethroned the last Thanjavur Maratha king, Shivaji of Thanjavur. It was founded by Maratha Warrior King Chatrapati Shivaji's half-brother, Ekoji alias Venkoji Rajē Bhonsalē. The Kshatriyas use Maratha, while the Brahmins use the name Deshastha. Demographics and distribution According to the 2001 census, Marathi is spoken as a mother tongue by about 0.1% of the total population of Tamil Nadu. Exact districtwise statistics are not available, but according to estimates, Marathis are mostly concentrated in the city of Chennai and the Thanjavur, Nagapattinam, Dharmapuri, Tirupatttur, Krishnagiri, Vellore, Ranipet, Salem, Thiruvannamalai, Tiruvarur, Kanchipuram and Tiruchirappalli districts of Tamil Nadu. The Marathi population in Tamil Nadu has dwindled recently due to migrations to Maharashtra, Bangalore, North India and foreign countries. Language The mother tongue of the Thanjavur Marathi people is Thanjavur Marathi, a Tamilized dialect of the Marathi language. Organizations There are many organisations that support the cause of Thanjavur Marathi people across various parts of India. One of the prominent ones is The Mahratta Education Fund (MEF), a non-profit organisation working for the spread of education to poor and deserving students of the South Indian Marathi-speaking community. In popular culture The fictitious RSS Swayamsevak Shriram Abhyankar, in the 1999 movie Hey Ram, played by Atul Kulkarni, is a Thanjavur Marathi. Notable people Anandarayar Sahib, Diwan of the Thanjavur Maratha kingdom during the reigns of Shahuji I, Serfoji I and Tukkoji Reddy Row, Diwan of Travancore from 1817 to 1821 and 1843 to 1845. R. Venkata Rao, Diwan of Travancore from 1821 to 1829 and 1838 to 1839. Sir T. Madhava Rao (1828–1891), Diwan of Travancore from 1857 to 1872 and an early leader of the Indian National Congress. He was also Dewan of two other princely States, Indore & Baroda. Thanjavur Subha Rao, Diwan of Travancore in the 1830s. T. Rama Rao (1831–1895), Indian civil servant. Served as Diwan of Travancore from 1887 to 1892. T. Ananda Rao (1852–1919), Indian administrator. Diwan of Mysore from 1909 to 1912. Son of Sir T. Madhava Rao. V. P. Madhava Rao (1850–1934), Indian administrator. Diwan of Mysore from