Adiyodi is a higher subcaste of the

Samantha Samantha is an English feminine given name in use since the 17th century that is of uncertain derivation. It is now in popular use worldwide due to various popular culture influences. Etymology Some etymologists have suggested Samantha might ...

Nair The Nair (, ) also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom hi ...

community found in the northern region of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. It is the same caste to which Raja of Kadathanadu belonged.

Origin and history

The Adiyodi caste is believed to have originated from the old Samantha Nair title " Pillai." The title "Pillai" was traditionally reserved for junior members of

Kshatriya Kshatriya () (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority"; also called Rajanya) is one of the four varnas (social orders) of Hindu society and is associated with the warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...

(later known as

Samanthan Samantan Nair, also known as Samanthan Nair or just Samantan (meaning "equal to" or "deemed to be"), was a generic term applied to dignify a group of sub-clans among the ruling elites (Naduvazhi) and feudal lords (Jenmimar) of the Nair community ...

) family and junior members of a royal family, particularly for children born of unions between Samantha Kshatriya Maharaja and Nair women. Members of this group were also referred to as Pillayathiri—a compound of Pillai (royal child) and Thiri (a Sanskrit-derived term meaning "sacred one", primarily used as a suffix in Northern Kerala), which roughly translates to "sacred royal child." They held a unique social position as lords of landlords, ranking below the king but above the landed gentry. This elevated status gave rise to the title Adiyodi, which can be interpreted as "lord of lords." Women belonging to this group were known as Pillayathiri Amma, maintaining the same sacred undertone. Children born to an Adiyodi were known as Kidavu, which also means "royal child". In certain regions, under the influence of Sanskritization, this title evolved into Unnithiri, where Unni also denotes a sacred Royal child in the local context. The Raja of Kadathanadu is traditionally believed to belong to the Adiyodi caste. Historical accounts suggest that they were originally Samanthan Nair Royal families. Due to conflicts with the

Zamorin of Calicut The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...

(Samoothiri), they were driven out from their lands. Following their displacement, the Raja of Chirakkal is said to installed them as lords or vassals under his dominion.

Caste system

Members of the Adiyodi caste were traditionally regarded as socially superior to all type of

subcastes. The Adiyodis were considered to hold a position above the traditional Nair caste and immediately below the king in the social hierarchy. This intermediate status sometimes led to their classification as Antarala Jati, in the traditional Kerala caste structure. Marriages were primarily arranged within the Samantan (Samanthan or Samanthan Nair) communities, reflecting their elevated status. In some instances, they also engaged in Sambandham with women from the

Nambiar Nambiar may refer to: *Nambiar (caste surname), a surname used by multiple caste groups *Nambiar (Ambalavasi caste), a surname of Pushpaka Brahmin from Kerala, India *Nambiar (Nair subcaste), a surname of Nair from North Malabar, India People * ...

, Purathu Charna and Kiriyathil Nair subcastes of

North Malabar North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala State, Kerala's present day Kasaragod district, Kasaragod and Kannur district, Kannur districts, Mananthavady taluk of the Wayanad District, Wayanad distr ...

Notable people

* Kenoth G. Adiyodi, Indian zoologist and author * K. G. Adiyodi, Indian politician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adiyodi Surnames of Indian origin Nair