Kaimal is an

aristocratic Aristocracy (; ) is a form of government that places power in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocrats. Across Europe, the aristocracy exercised immense economic, political, and social influence. In Western Christian co ...

title or position granted by various Rajas to powerful Nair families in Kerala. The word "Kaimal" originated from "Kai," meaning "the hand," signifying power in medieval Kerala. Kaimals are considered one of the highest title among Nairs. Kaimals identify themselves as a

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 ...

Subcaste. There are many references recorded in various historical documents. They are the

Jenmi Jenmi or Janmi (), plural Jenmimar, is the Malayalam term used to refer to the landed aristocracy of Kerala who traditionally held their lands as absolute and allodial owners, with such lands known as Jenmom or Janmam. They formed the landownin ...

and

Naduvazhi Naduvazhi ( IAST:''nātuvāḻi''; ) were feudatory Nair or Samantan princes who ruled over microstates that are now administrative parts of Kerala, India. They constituted the aristocratic class of Nairs within the Hindu caste system and were ei ...

of Kerala. Several well known families have borne the title, including the

Thachudaya Kaimal The Thachudaya Kaimals were a lineage of ruling Nair chiefs in Travancore, now in the Indian state of Kerala. This line goes back to the period of the early rulers of Venad, now known as Travancore. Based on the 18th-century installation of Thachu ...

, Kaimals of Koratti, Angi and Pondicherry. Many Kaimal families are also part of Kshatriya Kshema Sabha along with

Nair Service Society The Nair Service Society (NSS) is an organisation created for the social advancement and welfare of the Nair community that is found primarily in the state of Kerala in Southern part of India. It was established under the leadership of Mannathu ...

Subcaste

Koima + Alu: Koima (Dominant) Alu (Person) means 'The person who dominates.' This was the title given to the feudal chiefs under the Kerala kings. The Kaimals were the title awarded to individuals from different Nair subcastes. There are different Nair Kaimals: (1)

, (2) Vakkayil Kaimal, (3) Vakkathu Illam Kaimal, (4) Kiriyathil Nair Kaimal, (5) Illathu Nair Kaimal, (6) Moothedathu Kaimal, (7) Eleyedathu Kaimal, (8) Thengumpillil Kaimal, (9) Aalangattu Kaimal, (10) Kodancheri Kaimal, (11) Koratty Kaimal, (12) Anchi Kaimal, (13) Ner Nintha Kaimal, and (14) Chuzhandu Vanna Kaimal, to name a few of the better-known Kaimal families. Kaimals of Cochin The Kaimals of Cochin are direct descendants or sons of Tulu Cheraman Perumal stemming from his different wives, a revered Chera king who ruled the state during the medieval period from Kodungallur. They were two types, first one is

Samanthan Nair 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 ...

and the other is Vellayama Nair (Kiriyathil Nair) subcaste. Kaimals of Malabar The

Keralolpathi The Keralolpathi (; IAST: ''Kēraḷōlpatti''; ), formerly transliterated as "Kerala Ulpathy", is a Malayalam Hindu prose chronicle that deals with the mythical origins and legends of Kerala in southern India. The ''Keralolpathi'' covers the his ...

states that the title of Kaimal was given to the sons of

Kolathiri Kolathiri or Kolathiri Rājā () (King of KolathunāduA. Shreedhara Menon (2007), ''A brief History of Kerala'', DC Books, Kottayam or King of Cannanore in foreign accounts) was the title by which the senior-most male along the matrilineal lin ...

, rulers of Kannur, whom the Keralolpathi refers to as Cheraman Vadakkan Perumal. They were descendants of the Mushika royal family 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 ...

and belonged to the

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 ...

community. Over time, they discontinued the practice of using the title Kaimal. Kaimals of Travancore The Thachudaya Kaimals were ruling chiefs of Travancore, nominated by the Travancore Raja from the Noble

families. They were from the

Illathu 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 his ...

(

of Travancore) subcaste.

The Dutch in Cochin

On 26 October 1662, the rulers of Kochi successfully defeated the Portuguese who wanted to change the statue of Kochi from that of an ally to that of a vassal. They exploited the rivalry between the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

and the Portuguese, and made the Dutch their ally in the war against the Portuguese forces. The Kochi kings fought this battle with the assistance rendered by the Anchi Kaimals. T. I. Poonen says

Regional rulers

Some regional rulers such as Koratty Kaimal were served and protected by trained non-Nair warriors as well. Territorial rulers titled Kaimal and Kartha ran parallel administrative systems by challenging kings. Many of them were very powerful and even Raja sought help from foreign powers such as the Portuguese to conquer them.

References

{{reflist Surnames of Indian origin

Subcaste

The Dutch in Cochin

Regional rulers

See also

References