Nayanar (meaning "the Nayar") is an honorific title used by sub-castes 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 histor ...
community from
North Kerala
North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod, Kannur, and Wayanad districts, and the taluks of Vatakara, Koyilandy, and Thamarassery in the Kozhikode District of Kerala and t ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. It can be used by
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 histor ...
families but also a generic term to refer to a Nair
Position in society
The Nayanars were ''
Samanthan
Samantan Nair or more commonly Samantan (meaning "equal to" or "deemed to be"), was a generic term applied to dignify a group of sub-clans among the ruling elites and feudal lords of the Nair community in Kerala. The Samantan Nairs are members of ...
s'', ''
Kiryathil
Kiryathil Nair or Kiriyath Nair is a martial nobility caste belonging to the Kshatriya varṇa, which forms one of the highest-ranking subcastes of the Nair community along with the Samantha Kshatriyas with whom they share a close history. ...
s'' ,
illathu nairs and ''
Naduvazhi
Naduvazhi ( IAST:''nātuvāḻi''; ) refers to feudal elites, ruling chieftains and descendants of royal kingdoms in various regions that are now administrative parts of Kerala, India. They constituted the aristocratic class within the Hindu cast ...
'' (chiefs of chiefdoms and aristocrats) and ''
Jenmi
Jenmi is the term used to refer to the landed aristocracy of Kerala. They formed the landowning nobility as well as the landed gentry of the region during Medieval times, and the majority of the estates and feudal properties were owned by this ...
mar'' (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
*
Pillai (Kerala title)
Pillai, meaning ''Prince'', is a title of nobility which can either refer to a ruling chief, members of the nobility, or junior princes of the royal family historically ranked immediately below the king. The oldest lineages of Pillais include ...
*
Mannadiyar
Mannadiar (or Mannadiyar) kshathriya Nair caste Palakkad region of Kerala. A majority of Mannadiars are land owners, agriculture being their traditional occupation, ranging from farmers to large feudal landlords (jenmis). They had relocated from ...
*
Madampi
''Madampi'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan. It stars Mohanlal, Siddique, Ajmal Ameer, Kavya Madhavan, Mallika Kapoor, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The film was released on 4 July 200 ...
References
{{reflist
Indian surnames
Nair