Menon (Malayalam: eːnoːn 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 ...

hereditary title of the

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 bestowed by various kings of Kerala, most saliently 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 ...

and

Maharaja of Cochin The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...

, upon eminent Nairs. The recipient of the title held it lifelong, and the male members of the family held it in perpetuity in the matrilineal line. Historically, the Menons were feudal landlords or Jenmimar with some of them being Naduvazhis. They were often engaged in various administrative and political duties, such as being ministers,

accountants An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certifie ...

and advisors of the Kings of Kerala. Many members of the Menon subcaste are related to the

Cochin royal family The kingdom of Cochin or the Cochin State, named after its capital in the city of Kochi (Cochin), was a kingdom in the central part of present-day Kerala state. It originated in the early part of the 12th century and continued to rule until i ...

, Paliam royal family, & Kodungallur royal family since the members of royal families in Central Kerala were often married to aristocratic Nair/Menon families. Thus, the children of such Rajahs and

Maharajah Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a prince. However, in late ancient India ...

s held the Menon title and passed it to subsequent generations

matrilineally Matrilineality, at times called matriliny, is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which people identify with their matriline, their mother's lineage, and which can involve the inheritanc ...

. The famous Paliath Achans from the Paliam Royal family of Cochin and the Shekhari Varmas of the Palakkad Royal family, both families share the title.

Etymology

The title Menon meaning a superior person comes from the words ''Mel'', meaning above and ''avan'', meaning he. "Mel-avan" soon became "Menavan" finally being contracted into the current form of usage of the title, that is, Menon. In the Cochin Kingdom, as

Francis Day Francis Talbot Day (2 March 1829 – 10 July 1889) was an army surgeon and naturalist in the Madras Presidency who later became the Inspector-General of Fisheries in British Raj, India and British rule in Burma, Burma. A pioneer ichthyologist, ...

explains, when the Rajah intends to confer this honour, he salutes the person to whom he means to give it, by the title of Menon prefixed to his name, and should two other persons present, immediately address him in the same terms, the title is confirmed, if not he does not receive it. After becoming a Menon, he is called a Thampuran. As soon as a person was made a Menon, he was presented with an Ola(palmyra leaf) as a writing sheet and an iron style, as symbolic of the office he was expected to fill, i.e. of an accountant. The role of a Menon was connected to supervisory positions or that of a scribe and accountant in Palace or temple, preparing Grantha palm leaf manuscripts. Compared to the foot soldier Nair, these personnel were better educated, was closer in proximity to the ruler and were ordained or titled, with the title passing on through generations, in a matrilineal fashion.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Menon Nair Titles in India