British rule in the southern districts introduced new opportunities for trade and commerce, of which the Nadars took advantage. They established sophisticated "pettais" (fortified compounds) and "urvinmurais" (local caste associations) to ensure safety for their goods. Members of the "uravinmurai", who were known as "muraikkarars", would contribute a portion of their income to the association as "mahimai" (literally, to glorify oneself), in order to use the facilities of the "pettais" and to improve the common good. As the wealth of the Northern Nadars increased they began also to adopt the customs of the North Indian Kshatriyas in order to improve their social status, in a process now known as Sanskritisation. Many tried to disassociate themselves from their Nadar climber counterparts and the term Shanar (the term generally used to call a Tamil palmrya climber). They adopted the title of "Nadan", previously used only by the Nelamaikkarars.