Velakkathala Nayar
Encyclopedia
The Velakkathala Nayar are a caste of barbers found in Kerala
state, India, who traditionally barbered the Nambuthiris and Nair
castes. They were historically not allowed to marry higher subdivisions of the Nair community, and Christopher Fuller noted in 1975 that they were "not regarded as being 'real' Nairs at all, and they are ranked by most people - Nairs as well as non-Nairs - considerably below 'real' Nairs, being accorded a status approximately equal to the artisan castes."
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....
state, India, who traditionally barbered the Nambuthiris and 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...
castes. They were historically not allowed to marry higher subdivisions of the Nair community, and Christopher Fuller noted in 1975 that they were "not regarded as being 'real' Nairs at all, and they are ranked by most people - Nairs as well as non-Nairs - considerably below 'real' Nairs, being accorded a status approximately equal to the artisan castes."