The Maniyani Nair (also known as Kolaya, Kolari, Ayar,

Konar Konar may refer to: * Konar (caste), a caste in Tamil Nadu, India * Kunar Province of Afghanistan * Kunar River of Afghanistan and Pakistan * Kunhar River of Pakistan * Konar River in the Indian state of Jharkhand * Konar Dam, damming Konar River ...

, Urali Nair in different areas) is a

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

speaking

Yadava The Yadava (), not to be confused with Yadav, were an ancient Indian people who believed to have descended from Yadu (legendary king), Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage. The community was formed of various clans, being the #T ...

community, and

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 ...

sub-caste native to

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 ...

state of

South India South India, also known as Southern India or Peninsular India, is the southern part of the Deccan Peninsula in India encompassing the states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana as well as the union territories of ...

. They are mainly distributed in Kannur and Kasaragod districts. They are a pastoral community and their traditional occupation is tending cattle and cultivation. They are sometimes also referred as Itasseri Nairs.

Origin

The Maniyanis are believed to have come from the ancient

clan and associate themselves closely with the god

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

. It is believed that from Gokarnam, a group of those who set out for various parts of India, reached the Kolat land and the Tulu land via Mangalore.

Social life

The majority of the Maniyanis are concentrated in the districts of

Kannur Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and Municipal corporation (India), municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the maj ...

and

Kasaragod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and the administrative headquarters of the Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kera ...

. They follow similar birth, marriage & death customs and rituals like other Nair sub-castes. Even though they practice endogamy, they do sometimes intermarry with other castes like Nambiar, Payyanur Poduval, Nair, and Vaniya- Vattakad Nairs. Today, two sub-castes among the Nairs, namely Pallichan and Maniyani, are theyyam worshippers, and they have their own shrines for their theyyams.

References

{{Reflist Social groups of Kerala South Indian communities Ethnic groups in Kerala