Nayanar is an honorific title used among certain clans of 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...

s in the North Malabar

North Malabar

North Malabar , is a historic as well as geographic distinction in India used to refer the area covering; present Kasaragod and Kannur Districts, Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad District and Koyilandy & Vatakara taluks of Kozhikode District in modern Kerala and the entire Mahé sub-Division of...

 region of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

. Men of these clans were mainly chiefs of fiefdoms, and formed the aristocracy and landed gentry of the area.

Etymology

The word Nayanar means "The Nayar" and is used as an aristocratic

Aristocracy (class)

The aristocracy are people considered to be in the highest social class in a society which has or once had a political system of Aristocracy. Aristocrats possess hereditary titles granted by a monarch, which once granted them feudal or legal privileges, or deriving, as in Ancient Greece and India,...

 title in the Malabar region.

Position in society

The Nayanars were Samanthan

Samanthan

Samantan Nair or more commonly Samantan was a generic term applied to dignify a collection of Kshatriya sub-clans among the ruling elite and feudal estate owners of Kerala belonging to the Nayar race.-Historical background:Kerala was under the second Chera Empire approximately during 800...

s and Naduvazhi

Naduvazhi

Naduvazhi refers to landlords, chieftains and descendants of royal households in Kerala, India.-Function:Prior to the British reorganisation of the area now known as Kerala, it was divided into around ten feudal states. Each of these was governed by a rajah and was subdivided into organisational...

(chiefs of fiefdoms and aristocracy) and Jenmi

Jenmi

Jenmi is the term used to refer to the landlords of the Nair and Namboothiris castes from Kerala. In the past the majority, if not all the land was owned by these Jenmimar , and it was not unusual for an aristocratic family to own up to of land...

mar (landed gentry).

Nambiar Nayanars

The three noted families of Erambala, Varikkara and Vengayil were originally Nambiar

Nambiar (Nair subcaste)

Nambiār, alternatively spelled Nambiyār -the royal family - is a honorific title dignifying certain endogamous royal clans in the North Malabar region, defined as north of the Korapuzha river, of Kerala...

s but received the Nayanar Sthanaperu (title name) from authorities such as the Chirakkal Raja

Chirakkal Raja

Chirakkal Raja is the title of the senior most king of the Chirakkal branch of the Palli division of the Kolathiri dynasty of the erstwhile feudal state of Kolathunadu in North Malabar, Kerala state, South India. Chirakkal Rajas and Kolathiris traces their ancestry back to the Mushika dynasty of...

 and the Brahmin

Brahmin

Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...

 heads of temples.

Edathil Nayanars (Samanta Kshatriya Nayanars)

The Edathil Nayanars are of Samanthan or Samanta Kshatriya status. They are the first Nayanars of north Malabar whom did not receive the title as honorific by the raja like the Nambiar Nayanars. Some of these tharavad

Tharavadu

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...

s include Samanthan Kenothedam, Samanthan Karakkattedam

Karakkattedam

The Karakkattedam are a caste in the North Malabar region of the Indian state of Kerala and belong to the Edathil clan of the Nayanar Nair subcaste.-History:...

, Samanthan Chittothedam and Samanthan Kaitheriedam

Kaitheri Edam

Kaitheri Edam is a famous Nambiar clan from which Kaitheri Makom as well as a number of other prominent Nair rebels like Kaitheri Ambu Nambiar, Kaitheri Eman Nambiar and Kaitheri Kammaran Nambiar hailed from. The family deity of this clan is situated in the Sri Kaitheri Edam Bagavathi temple,...

. These Nayanar tharavads use the word Edam, which means Kottaram or palace, with their tharavadu

Tharavadu

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...

 or family name. These clans are Kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

s who once enjoyed very high position in the royal darbar of hirakkal Raja|Chirakkal]. Women of this section of Nayanars married Namboothiris or into the royal family of Chirakkal. Men belonging to these four families were addressed with an honorary suffix of "Vanavar" along with their family names. Female members were addressed with "Akathoottu Vanavar".

See also

• Nair Subcastes
• Kiryathil Nair
  Kiryathil Nair
  Kiryathil Nair or Kiriyathil Nair is a subcaste of the Nair community who traditionally lived in the region now known as Kerala, India. The 17th century Keralolpathi states them to be descendants of warrior Nāga tribes who came to Kerala from the north along the western coast...
  
  
• Upper Castes
• Mannadiar
  Mannadiar
  Mannadiar is one of the subclan of the Nair community among Keralites. The title "Mannadiar" was awarded by the Maharajah of Cochin to those Nairs who excelled in warrior skills. They are mostly found in the Central Kerala region...
  
  
• Madampi
  Madampi (Nair title)
  Madampi is an aristocratic title given to the uppermost subdivisions of Nairs in Kerala, by the Maharajahs of Travancore and Cochin. Usually, it was given in addition to the Pillai title. Madampis served as Jenmis or landlords during the pre-independence era...