Karnavar
Encyclopedia
Karanavar or Karanavan or Karanava, parsimoniously speaking, was the title of male head in Malayalee and Kodava
society.
Okka (clannish family) was known as "karona". During ancestral spirit worship, a Malayalee would act as a shaman and would get possessed by Karona spirit of a particular Okka.
, and was called Karnavar. The authority of the Karnavar in a family is unquestionable. Even after the decline of Matrilineal system, the word is used to denote authority, and elderly person.
Besides this, Karnavar is also a surname for some aristocratic Nair
families in and around Budhanur, Chengannur
, Kerala, India, all branches of the same original family at Budhanur. One legend is that it was conferred by Marthanda Varma
the King of Travancore
. While consolidating his newly found Kingdom of Thiruvithamkur (Travancore
), the nephew Rama Varma (later Dharma Raja
) and sister of Marthanda Varma were passing through the said area under the protection of Vattaparambil Valiathan
and were attacked by the people of the Ettuveetil Pillamar
. Marthanda Varma's brother in law and other fighters lost their life but the sister, the Rani of Attingal, and her son escaped and ran through the fields ("Budhanoor padam")where they met an elderly Nair
man who was farming in the field. He addressed the old man as "Karnavar" and asked for his help. The old Nair helped him by hiding him and informed the nearby feudal Lords known as Aaruveetil Madampimar who in turn informed the Vakkavanjipuzha Madhom, the head of which, known as the Vanjipuzha Thampuran, was an ally of Marthanda Varma
. Eventually Rama Varma endowed him with riches and the hereditary surname of Karnavar when he became the Maharajah.
Kodava
The Kodavas are a patrilineal ethno-lingual group from the region of Kodagu, in Karnataka state of southern India who traditionally were land-owning agriculturists with martial traditions and natively speak Kodava takk...
society.
Kodava
The founder of KodavaKodava
The Kodavas are a patrilineal ethno-lingual group from the region of Kodagu, in Karnataka state of southern India who traditionally were land-owning agriculturists with martial traditions and natively speak Kodava takk...
Okka (clannish family) was known as "karona". During ancestral spirit worship, a Malayalee would act as a shaman and would get possessed by Karona spirit of a particular Okka.
Malayalee
The senior most maternal uncle is/was addressed as Karanavan or Karnon. This term also worked as a title in many a cases.Chaliyan
The honorific plural Karanavar is used for the community point man in the Bhagavathi temples. In old days, Koil Thampuran(a Namboothiri ruler) would nominate him.Nair
The senior most maternal uncle was the head of the matrilineal joint families, known as TharavaduTharavadu
Tharavad is a system of joint family practised by people in Kerala, especially Nairs. Tharavadu was a legal entity like a Hindu Undivided Family as per Indian Income Tax laws, and was entitled to own properties. The others, like Namboothriris, Ezhavas, Christians and Muslims also now refer to...
, and was called Karnavar. The authority of the Karnavar in a family is unquestionable. Even after the decline of Matrilineal system, the word is used to denote authority, and elderly person.
Besides this, Karnavar is also a surname for some aristocratic Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
families in and around Budhanur, Chengannur
Chengannur
Chengannur , is a municipal town in Alappuzha district of the state of Kerala in South India. Chengannur is located in the extreme eastern part of Alappuzha district. It is north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram on the MC Road. Chengannur is connected to Kollam and Kottayam by NH 220...
, Kerala, India, all branches of the same original family at Budhanur. One legend is that it was conferred by Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
the King of Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
. While consolidating his newly found Kingdom of Thiruvithamkur (Travancore
Travancore
Kingdom of Travancore was a former Hindu feudal kingdom and Indian Princely State with its capital at Padmanabhapuram or Trivandrum ruled by the Travancore Royal Family. The Kingdom of Travancore comprised most of modern day southern Kerala, Kanyakumari district, and the southernmost parts of...
), the nephew Rama Varma (later Dharma Raja
Dharma Raja
Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He succeeded his uncle Marthanda Varma, who is credited with the title of "maker of modern Travancore"...
) and sister of Marthanda Varma were passing through the said area under the protection of Vattaparambil Valiathan
Valiathan
Valiathan is the surname used by members of certain families that are all part of a single original Tharavad and was a title corresponding to Unnithan. This latter title, originally known as Thankal, was conferred by the Rajah of Kayamkulam on Nair nobles of his state...
and were attacked by the people of the Ettuveetil Pillamar
Ettuveetil Pillamar
The Ettuveetil Pillamar were a group of nobles from eight Nair Houses in erstwhile Venad in present day Kerala state, South India. They were associated with the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Thiruvananthapuram and the Ettara Yogam. They were known by the villages in which they resided and all of them...
. Marthanda Varma's brother in law and other fighters lost their life but the sister, the Rani of Attingal, and her son escaped and ran through the fields ("Budhanoor padam")where they met an elderly Nair
Nair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
man who was farming in the field. He addressed the old man as "Karnavar" and asked for his help. The old Nair helped him by hiding him and informed the nearby feudal Lords known as Aaruveetil Madampimar who in turn informed the Vakkavanjipuzha Madhom, the head of which, known as the Vanjipuzha Thampuran, was an ally of Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma
Marthanda Varma , was the founder of the Indian Hindu feudal kingdom of Travancore from Venad SwaroopamHe ruled from 1729 till his death in 1758, having succeeded his maternal uncle Dharma Raja.King Marthanda Varma is usually credited as the "founder of Kingdom of Travancore" from...
. Eventually Rama Varma endowed him with riches and the hereditary surname of Karnavar when he became the Maharajah.