Unnithan
Encyclopedia
Unnithan is the modern form of the older title of Thankal . Unnithans were among the highest of the Nair
aristocracy
in the Travancore
region of the Indian state of Kerala
. Unnithan ladies (Kunjammas) of the Edassery Pattaveettil family were often married by the Rajahs or princes of the royal families such as Mavelikara, Ennakad, Prayikkara etc. They are mostly of Central Travancore
origin.
Unnithans were never addressed in gatherings by their first names but instead by their family names with the title of Eman ,and as Thankal, even by the Maharajahs. Their women used the honorific title of Kunjamma, indicative of their greater status among the Nair community, where ladies unanimously used the title of Amma.
While other titles of nobility were used by members of various castes such as Panicker
, Pillai
, etc., Unnithan or Thankal was a title of high status reserved only for the highest class among the Nair
aristocracy. All Unnithans were, in the past, addressed formally only as Thankal while the later term was a general surname.
These classes of Nairs dominated the civil, administrative and military elite of the Pre-British era in Kerala.The ban on their kalaris and personal army by the British along with the Land reforms in early 1900s and 1950s which lead to massive loss of land-ownership was a major blow to their social standing and power. However, they continued to be feudal Land-lords, and still owned large estates, till the Land Reforms Ordinance
, which set a ceiling on the land holdings that a person or family could possess was enacted by the Kerala State Government which was the first communist state government popularly elected to power in India, which reduced many of these families to poverty overnight.
Edgar Thurston says in his "Castes and Tribes of Southern India" that:
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...
aristocracy
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
in the 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...
region of the Indian state 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....
. Unnithan ladies (Kunjammas) of the Edassery Pattaveettil family were often married by the Rajahs or princes of the royal families such as Mavelikara, Ennakad, Prayikkara etc. They are mostly of Central 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...
origin.
Unnithans were never addressed in gatherings by their first names but instead by their family names with the title of Eman ,and as Thankal, even by the Maharajahs. Their women used the honorific title of Kunjamma, indicative of their greater status among the Nair community, where ladies unanimously used the title of Amma.
While other titles of nobility were used by members of various castes such as Panicker
Panicker
Panicker is an Indian title or last name used by members of various communities in the state of Kerala. The Kaniyars community of Kerala, particularly central and northern region, by virtue of their traditional occupation as teachers of a martial art are commonly known as Panicker...
, Pillai
Pillai (community)
Pillai is a Tamil speaking community from the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a landowning upper caste, feudal community.-Origin of Vellalar:...
, etc., Unnithan or Thankal was a title of high status reserved only for the highest class among the 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...
aristocracy. All Unnithans were, in the past, addressed formally only as Thankal while the later term was a general surname.
These classes of Nairs dominated the civil, administrative and military elite of the Pre-British era in Kerala.The ban on their kalaris and personal army by the British along with the Land reforms in early 1900s and 1950s which lead to massive loss of land-ownership was a major blow to their social standing and power. However, they continued to be feudal Land-lords, and still owned large estates, till the Land Reforms Ordinance
Land Reforms Ordinance
Due to the ancient land relations and taxation and regulation under the British Raj, at the time of independence, India inherited a semi-feudal agrarian system, with ownership of land concentrated in the hands of a few individual landlords. Since independence, there has been voluntary and state...
, which set a ceiling on the land holdings that a person or family could possess was enacted by the Kerala State Government which was the first communist state government popularly elected to power in India, which reduced many of these families to poverty overnight.
Edgar Thurston says in his "Castes and Tribes of Southern India" that:
See also
- JenmiJenmiJenmi 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...
- Jati system of Kerala
- ValiathanValiathanValiathan 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...
- ThampiThampiThe Thampis are the sons of the Samanthan Nair Maharajahs of Travancore and their morganatic wives belonging to Illathu Nair or other similar Kshatriya castes...
- PillaiPillai (community)Pillai is a Tamil speaking community from the Indian states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. They are a landowning upper caste, feudal community.-Origin of Vellalar:...
- SamanthanSamanthanSamantan 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...
- PGN Unnithan
- Adoor GopalakrishnanAdoor GopalakrishnanMoutatthu "Adoor" Gopalakrishnan Unnithan is an Indian film director, script writer, and producer. Adoor Gopalakrishnan had a major role in revolutionizing Malayalam cinema and is regarded as one of the greatest filmmakers of India.. Adoor's first film Swayamvaram pioneered the new wave cinema...