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The highest levels of the caste hierarchy among the Nairs have been described being:<ref name="Fuller1975"/> (ordered from the highest ranked subcaste to the lowest): | ||
| *Kshatriya Subcastes | *Kshatriya Subcastes | ||
| ** ] | ** ] | ||
Revision as of 17:49, 27 May 2011
Nair (also known as Nayar), is the name of a Hindu forward caste from the Southern Indian state of Kerala. The Nair community as of 19th century was divided in many subdivisions.
The 1891 Census of India listed a total of 128 Nair subdivisions in the Malabar region and 55 in the Cochin region, as well as a further 10 in the Madras area but outside Malabar. There were 44 listed in Travancore in the census of 1901.
Hierarchy
The highest levels of the caste hierarchy among the Nairs have been described being: (ordered from the highest ranked subcaste to the lowest):
- Kshatriya Subcastes
- Lower ranking Subcastes
- Maaran (except in Malabar)
- Vātti
- Chempukotti Nair
- Otattu Nair
- Puliyath Nair & Matavan Nair
- Kalamkotti Nair & Anduran Nair
- Chakkala Nair & Vattakkatan Nair
- Asthikkuracchi Mārār & Chitikan Nair
- Chetty Nair
- Chaliyan Nair
- Yaduvanshi
- Veluthedathu Nair
- Vilakkithala Nair
Population
| Race | Social Grouping | Caste | Travancore Pop(1901) | Cochin Pop (1891) | Malabar Pop (1891) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nair | All Nair | All Nair | 537,430 | 102,768 | 396,492 |
| Malayala Kshatriya | Total Malayala Kshatriya | 478,940 | 82,994 | 318,789 | |
| Samanta Kshatriya | 1,575 | 803 | 1,500 | ||
| Samanthan Nair | 436 | 274 | 1,225 | ||
| Kiryathil Nair | 25,164 | 23,017 | 115,125 | ||
| Illathu Nair | 326,208 | 23,279 | 42,429 | ||
| Swaroopathil Nair | 104,639 | 28 | 0 | ||
| Purathu Charna Nair | 0 | 9,096 | 109,396 | ||
| Akathu Charna Nair | 0 | 0 | 32,446 | ||
| Padamangalam Nair | 6,175 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Tamil Padam Nair | 258 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Pallichan | 2,277 | 18,568 | 16,668 | ||
| Nair (Unspecified) | 12,208 | 7,929 | NA | ||
| Nair Inferior | Total Nair Inferior | 38,117 | 13,008 | 44,669 | |
| Itasseri Nair | 22,944 | 0 | 0 | ||
| Chakkala | 15,168 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Vattakkatan | 5 | 8,452 | 30,980 | ||
| Asthikkuracchi | 0 | 4,553 | 13,689 | ||
| Unknown / Other | Total Others | 20,373 | 6,797 | 33,034 |
Historical evidence
It may be noted that the earlier Keralamahatmayam, an Upa Purana of the Bhoogola Hindu Purana, does not make mention of any subcastes among the Nairs but only states them to be the military caste of Kerala. But the 17th century Keralolpathi which is a work purported to be written with the ulterior motive of promoting Brahminical supremacy mentions different subdivisions of Nair caste. While Kiriyathil Nayars were considered prominent in Malabar and Cochin, Illathu Nairs were prominent in the hierarchy in the Travancore. In fact, Kiriyathil Nayars are confined mainly to the northern and central part of Kerala.
See also
References
- ^ Fuller, C. J. (Winter, 1975). "The Internal Structure of the Nayar Caste". Journal of Anthropological Research. 31 (4): 283–312.
{{cite journal}}: Check date values in:|date=(help)(subscription required) - Dr. Hermann Gundert, Keralolpathiyum Mattum, (Band 4, Hermann Gundert Series, Eight works published during 1843-1904) (Kottayam: Current Books, 1992), p 185
- L.K. Anantha Krishna Iyer (1912). The tribes and castes of Cochin Volume II. London: Luzac and Co. pp. 15–16.