Nayar
Nayar or Nair ( Malayalam നായർ IAST Nāyar ) is the name of a Hindu - Kshatriya - Jati in the southern Indian state of Kerala . Before the British conquest in 1792, there were small feudal royal houses in the Kerala region, in which the royal and princely clans, the military and most of the rural landowners belonged to the Nayar caste. The Nayars are known for their history as warriors, especially for their martial art, Kalaripayattu .
The Nayar families traditionally had a matrilineal kinship system. Regarding marriage, the Nayars had unusual manners and customs:
“After puberty, a girl or woman could receive a number of visiting husbands of their own caste or of a higher caste. Nayar men were allowed to visit as many women of appropriate status as they wanted. Women were supported by their matrilineal group and fathers had no rights or obligations with regard to their children. (After puberty the girl or woman could receive a number of visiting husbands of her own or a higher caste. Nāyar men might visit as many women of appropriate rank as they chose. Women were maintained by their matrilineal groups, and fathers had no rights or obligations in regard to their children.) "
Most of the Nayars have the surname of their extended family, the Tharavadu . For this purpose, further surnames are added to identify the parentage. The kings of Cochin conferred the Nayars prince titles such as Achan , Kartha , Kaimal and Mannadiar . The title Menon also appears in the Malabar and Cochin areas.
Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Nayars exercised their influence in Kerala society as feudal lords and large landowners. Their position in society as a warrior caste has been compared to that of the samurai in medieval Japan. The Nayars dominated the civil, administrative, and military elite of the pre-British era.
In the post-colonial era, land reform resulted in massive land loss by the Nayar feudal lords, and some Nayars became impoverished literally overnight.
literature
- M. Janarthanan: A history of the Nayars of South Travancore. Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, Tirunelveli, June 2008
- D. Renjini: Nayar women today. Disintegration of the matrilineal system and the status of Nayar women in Kerala. New Delhi 2000.
