Nayanar (''meaning "the Nayar"'') is an honorific title used by sub-castes of the
Nair community from
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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The word Nayanar is believed to have originated from the word "''Nayanmar"'' meaning "
Nairs
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 ...
", which is a title of nobility. Nayanar families are mostly seen
north
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography.
Etymology
T ...
of the river
Korapuzha
Korapuzha, also known as Elathur River, is a short river of , with a drainage area of , flowing through the Kozhikode district of Kerala state in India. It is formed by the confluence of two streams, Akalapuzha and Punoor puzha which origin ...
. Like other
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 ...
(
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
neighboring districts) Nairs, Nayanars earlier claimed a higher status to Nairs of
South Malabar
South Malabar refers to a geographical area of the southwestern coast of India covering some parts of the present-day Kerala state. South Malabar covers the regions included in present-day Kozhikode and Thamarassery Tehsil, taluk of Kozhikode dist ...
(
Kozhikode
Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature.
It is the nineteenth large ...
and
neighboring districts).
The Nayanar title is mostly given to prominent
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
* ...
families by the
Chirakkal Raja. They sometimes have interchangeable surnames like
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
* ...
and
Kurup.
Samantha Nairs of
South Malabar
South Malabar refers to a geographical area of the southwestern coast of India covering some parts of the present-day Kerala state. South Malabar covers the regions included in present-day Kozhikode and Thamarassery Tehsil, taluk of Kozhikode dist ...
,
Kaimals of
Cochin
Kochi ( , ), formerly known as Cochin ( ), is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernaku ...
, and
Pillais of
Travancore
The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...
are considered similar castes to Nayanars.
Position in society
The Nayanars were ''
Samanthans'', ''
Kiryathils'',
Illathu Nairs 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 ...
'' (chiefs of chiefdoms and aristocrats) and ''
Jenmimar'' (landed gentry).
[1. Organized Struggles of Malabar Peasantry, 1934-1940 Prakash Karat Social Scientist, Vol. 5, No. 8 (Mar., 1977), pp. 3-17]
See also
*
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 ...
*
Kannur district
Kannur () is one of the 14 Districts of Kerala, districts along the west coast in the state of Kerala, India. The city of Kannur is the district headquarters and gives the district its name. The old name, Cannanore, is the anglicized form of th ...
*
Korapuzha
Korapuzha, also known as Elathur River, is a short river of , with a drainage area of , flowing through the Kozhikode district of Kerala state in India. It is formed by the confluence of two streams, Akalapuzha and Punoor puzha which origin ...
References
Surnames of Indian origin
Nair