Nayanar (Nair Subcaste)

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For other uses of the name, see Nayanar
Nayanar
Classification: Landlord/Samanthan/Jenmi/Naduvazhi
Large population: North Kerala/Kolathunad (Kasaragod District/Kannur District)
Language: Malayalam
Religion: Hinduism

Nayanar is a title among certain clans of Nairs in the North Malabar region of Kerala. Men of this clan affix Nayanar to their name .

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[edit] Etymology

"Nayanar" may have been derived from the Sanskrit word "Nayaka" which means "leader" and hence similar in meaning to "Nayanmar" which is used to describe "leaders" and the Nair caste as a whole.

[edit] Position in society

Nayanars were mainly chiefs of local fiefdoms (Samanthans), aristocracy or landed gentry/feudal landlords (Jenmi)(Ref.1). Three noted families are Erambala, Varikkara and Vengayil Nayanars. These three families were originally Nambiar but received the Nayanar Sthanaperu (title name).

[edit] Notables

  • E.K. Nayanar (Erambala Krishnan Nayanar, a former chief minister of Kerala)
  • Vengayil Kunhiraman Nayanar ( a renowned Malayali journalist, essay writer, critic and short story writer, one of the pioneers in these fields in Kerala)

[edit] References

1. Organized Struggles of Malabar Peasantry, 1934-1940 Prakash Karat Social Scientist, Vol. 5, No. 8 (Mar., 1977), pp. 3-17

[edit] See also