Nair
For the depilatory product, see Nair (hair removal).
Languages
Malayalam
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Nambudiri Brahmins, Samanta Kshatriyas, Bunts
Nāyar (Malayalam: നായര്, pronounced most commonly spelt Nair) is the name of a Hindu upper caste from the southern Indian state of Kerala. The Nairs were a martial nobility and figured prominently in the history of Kerala.
Before the British conquest in 1792, the Kerala region contained small, feudal kingdoms, in each of which the royal and noble lineages, the militia, and most land managers were drawn from the Nayars and related castes. Nayars were prominent in politics, government service, medicine, education, and law.
Nairs were traditionally matrilineal. Their family unit, the members of which owned property jointly, included brothers and sisters, the latter's children, and their daughters' children.
The Nairs were classed as a martial race by the British, but were de-listed after rebelling against them under Velu Thampi Dalawa, and thereafter were recruited in low numbers into the British Indian Army. Only Nairs were recruited into the Thiruvithamkoor Nayar Pattalam (Travancore State Army), until 1935 when non-Nairs started to get admitted.
This State Force (known also as the Nair Brigade) was merged into the Indian Army after independence and became the 9th Battalion Madras Regiment, the oldest Battalion in the Indian Army.
It is believed that the Kolathiri and Travancore kingdoms had Nair origins. The Zamorin Raja was a Samanthan Nair and the Arakkal kingdom of Kannur, which was the only Muslim kingdom in the Kerala region, also had Nair origins.
Nair feudal families such as the Ettuveetil Pillamar were extremely influential in the past and often had greater influence than the Raja.
Etymology
The word Nair lends itself to two etymological interpretations. The first interpretation is that the word Nair is derived from the Sanskrit word Nayaka meaning leader.
The Sanskrit word Nayaka appears in various forms in southern India (Nayakan/Naicker in Tamil Nadu, Nayak in Karnataka and Maharashtra, and Nayudu in Andhra Pradesh) and the word Nair has been suggested to be the corruption of Nayak in Malayalam. The second interpretation is that the word Nair is a corrupted form of the word Nagar- serpent men because Nairs practiced snake worship.
The family name Nair or Nayar also occur in Punjab, belonging to a Khatri community.
Theories of origin
Nair feudal chief belonging to the Ettuveetil Pillamar
Nair Lady (Arumana Ammachi Panapillai Amma Shrimathi Lakshmi Pillai Kochamma, consort of Maharajah Visakham Thirunal Sir Rama Varma of Travancore)
According to Dr K. Pillai, the first reference about the Nairs is in an inscription dated to the 9th century A.D.
The Nairs have been described thus:
"A race caste who do not owe their origin to function, although, by force of example, their organization is almost equally rigid, and they are generally identified with particular trades or occupations.
These race caste communities were originally tribes, but on entering the fold of Hinduism, they imitated the Hindu social organization, and have thus gradually hardened to castes".
However this does not rule out the possibility that the Nairs do not constitute a homogeneous ethnic group as it is possible that each subcaste or clan may have different origins. For example, members from other tribes or communities were adopted into the Nair fold once Nair became to be known to refer to a caste, such as the Tamil Padam Nairs.
There have also been incidents where the Nair caste status was bestowed upon persons favoured by the Raja.
A number of sociologists are of the view that the Nairs are not indigenous to Kerala, as many customs and traditions distinguish them from other Keralites. According to one theory, Nairs are descendants of the Newars of Nepal, who joined the Munda exodus and later migrated to Kerala.
The most prominent arguments given in support of this theory are the presence of distinct pagoda-like architectural style of Nair Tharavaadus and Temples and the practice of Marumakkathaayam (matrilinial) system of inheritance similar to both Nairs and Newars.
There is also a hypothesis on the basis of mythology that the Nairs are Nagas and were Kshatriyas belonging to the Serpent dynasty (Nagavansham) who removed their sacred thread and migrated south to escape the wrath of a vengeful Parashurama. A Naga origin from Rohilkhand has been suggested. The affinity of the Nair community towards serpent worship, their martial past, and the absence of the sacred thread lends support to this theory.
In addition, the Travancore State Manual states that there were indeed serpent-worshiping Nagas in Kerala who fought with the Namboothiris till they reached a consensus. The Nairs have also been classified as of Indo-Scythian (Saka) origin as well as being linked to the Nagas.
According to Chattampi Swamikal, who interpreted old Tamil texts, the Nairs were Naka (Naga or Snake) Lords who ruled as feudal lords in the Chera kingdom.
Therefore this theory proposes Nairs to be descendants of the rulers and martial nobility of pre-Brahmin Kerala who, after the arrival of the Namboothiris (and establishment of the Varnas/Caste System), got categorized as sat Sudras. However, Nairs have also been classed as Kshatriyas by some sources. The Nairs fought by forming suicide squads (Chavers) against the invading force.
It is not clear whether the Cheras themselves were Nairs, or if the Cheras employed the Nairs as a warrior class.
The Sanskrit Kerala Mahatmayam, an upa purana of the Bhoogola Purana, calls them the progeny of Namboodiri men with Deva, Rakshasa and Gandharva women.
Connection with Bunts and Tulu Nadu
The 17th century the Brahmin-inspired Keralolpathi and Grama Padhati describes the Nairs of Kerala and the similarly matrilineal Bunts of southern Tulu Nadu as descendants of the Sudras who accompanied the Brahmins to Kerala and Tulu Nadu respectively from Ahichatra/Ahikshetra in southern Panchala. There were constant skirmishes and fighting, and the ‘Buntaru’ or warriors were important stabilizing segments of the population.
In due course the Bunts succeeded in becoming owners of lands that did not fall into the hands of the priestly class, namely Brahmins.” – South Kanara Mannual, Vol I.
The Manual of Madras Administration Vol II (printed in 1885) notes that the Nadavas are the same people as the Nairs of Malabar and the Bunts of southern Tulu Nadu:
They appear to have entered Malabar from the North rather than the South and to have peopled first the Tulu, and then the Malayalam country. They were probably the off-shoot of some colony in the Konkan or the Deccan.
In Malabar and south of Kanara as far as Kasargod, they are called Nayars and their language is Malayalam. They seemed to have intimate connections with the Brahmins and acted as their protectors, perhaps brought to Tulu Nadu by the Kadamba kings in the 8th century.
Yet, there is no written proof for this occurrence and the only mention of the Nairs in the inscriptions comes after the Alupa period (early part of 14th century). In his accounts of ancient India, he refers to the "Nayars of Malabar" and the "Kingdom of Chera".
Irrespective of the different theories that seek to explain the origin of Nairs, it is clear that till the early 20th century, Nairs exerted their influence in medieval Kerala society as feudal lords and owned large estates.
The position in society of the Nairs as that of a martial nobility in medieval Kerala has been likened to the position in society of the Samurai in medieval Japan. Nairs dominated the civil, administrative and military elite of the pre-British era in Kerala.
Decline of Nair dominance
The decline of Nair dominance came about in multiple stages. During colonial times, the British perceived that Nairs were an inherent threat to their hegemony in the region and therefore outlawed their right to bear weapons and by banning the Nair martial art of Kalaripayattu. Weapons were integral to the Nair psyche and power, and combined with repressive legislation led to a loss of social standing for Nairs, though some of the social legislation was in part inspired by the Nairs themselves, such as changes in inheritance law permitting the Karanavan to pass on some (and later all) of the fruits of his stewardship of the taravad to his own children.
In the words of William Logan, an administrator-historian with extensive experience of Malabar:
The marumakkathayam system and tharavadu system are not viable any more and has declined in tune with the social and cultural changes which have taken their toll on many old institutions. Many tharavadus, already bursting at the seams with internal dissensions and strife, collapsed under the pressure.
Fathers took charge of their sons and daughters and husband and wife started living together with their offspring. The tharavadu system of living became a thing of the past by the 1940s.
This militia also called Onnu Kurai Ayiram (The thousand without one, ie with out the last Cheraman Perumal) existed in Kodungallur through centuries and was a group consisting of Nair members proficient in the martial tradition of Kalaripayattu, organised on a hereditary basis (from the Nair tharavads -Valloppalli, Tayyappalli, Kilikkotta and Kattolli) for the protection of the Chera kings. The Keralolpathi also clearly states that the commander of the Patinayiram (The ten thousand- an alternate referral to the Ayiram militia) called Patamel Nair commanded the forces of the last Chera Perumal and was the Supreme Commander of his Army.
Also the once in 12 year Mamankam festival conducted by the Zamorin of Calicut during the medieval ages was an important platform when the Nair militia of the Zamorin and the Nair Chaver Pada of the Valluvakkonathiri used to demonstrate their superior skills in the Kalari martial tradition. Kalaripayattu therefore was an essential component of education mainly for Nair men and to a lesser extent Nair women and the Vadakkan Pattukal (Ballad tradition of Malabar) is prolific with descriptions of fencing skills and bravery of Nair warriors like Thacholi Othenan.
The ritual husband had no further duties to the girl after the completion of this ritual, although she had to observe a period of death impurity upon the death of her ritual husband. This ritual marks the union of the bride and groom and was not necessarily a permanent arrangement. However it was this innate weakness of sambandham that helped maintaining the integrity of the matrilineal tharavadu.
Sambandham denoted hypergamy between Nair women and Namboothiri men as well as reciprocal marriage among Nairs. However such an alliance was not recognized as constituting marriage by Namboothiri Brahmins as well as by colonial courts but was seen as comparable to concubinage. Two reasons cited for this were that dissolution of sambandham was fairly easy and that it did not give rise to property relations.
In addition, Nair women were autonomous, self-reliant, and enjoyed greater personal freedom than women in the rest of India. William Logan in his Malabar Manual, page 136 says:
In case of sambandham with Namboothiri men, the system benefited both the Namboothiri Brahmins as well as matrilineal castes like the Nairs for two reasons. Bhattathirippad in 1933.
In case of sambandham with Nair men, The Malabar Marriage Act, 1896 (Act IV of 1896) succeeded to alter by statute, the personal law of the Hindu matrilineal castes of Malabar and South Canara districts of the erstwhile Madras Presidency.
It was a permissive legislation that made it possible for people following marumakkathayam and aliyasantana law (matrilineal law) to register their marriages, if they so wished. The Act enabled people to be legally married, something that was not possible under matrilineal law as interpreted in the colonial civil courts.
The marriage ceremony starts with this ritual that is carried out in their respective homes. The groom stands on a wooden plank while the bride's younger brother washes his feet.
The bride's aunts (wives of maternal uncles) perform aarti for the groom with a platter on which are arranged wicks made of twisted cotton. With his parents on either side, the groom follows the girls around the mandapam and seats himself on the right side of the canopy, which is decorated by flowers, fabric, palm fronds, and banana stalks.
Thaali-kettu (Tying the thaali) - The bride is now escorted by her aunt or mother to the mandapam to the sound of the nadaswarams and is made to stand facing to the east, with the groom facing her.
Rice and other dishes and curries like Parippu with ghee, Sambhar, Kaalan, Moru, Avial, two or three Thorans, Inchikkari, Naranga Uppilittathu, Kadumanga, Nellikka Achar, Nenthrakkai Upperi, Chena Upperi, Chembu Upperi, Sharkara Puratti, Valiya Pappadam, Cheriya Pappadam and sweet dishes like Ada Prathaman, Palada Prathaman, Semiya Payasam, Payattu (Parippu) Prathaman, and Palppayasam are served on Banana Leaf according to a well-set schedule.
Kudi Veppu (Entering the bridegrooms house) - This ritual involves the first entry of the newly wed in to the bridegroom's house. Among some Nairs of Malabarm two local ritualistic additions called ariyidal and Garbha Prashnam are performed.
A mixture of ghee (melted and clarified butter) and honey is given to the infant as a base for its various foods in the future. They will then perform rituals of worship at home, or visit a temple for Nirmalyam (viewing the deity for the first time for the day).
Thiruvathirakkali
Thiruvathira is observed on the full-moon day of Dhanu Masam, on the day of the Thiruvathira star (Alpha Orionis).
It is believed that observing Thiruvathira vratham or Thiruvathira nonbu (fasting during thiruvathira) would ensure that a woman's husband would have a long life. The practice of presenting bunches of bananas to the elders was common.
The Nairs, along with the Nambudiri Brahmins played a major role in upholding this system.
"Their submission to superiors was great; but they exacted deference from those under them with a cruelty, and arrogance, rarely practised but among Hindus in their state of independence"
"A Nair was expected to instantly cut down a Tiar, or Mucua, who presumed to defile him by touching his person; and a similar fate awaited a slave, who did not turn out of the road as a Nair passed"
Fortunately, especially after Indian Independence in 1947, the rigid caste barriers upheld by the Nairs began to break down.