Nair Warriors - 3

Keralolpaththi (केरळोल्पत्ति) and Keralamāhāthyam (केरळमाहात्म्यम्) are two of the sacred texts of indigenous Malayali Hindu communities. These two texts also give clear mention about the ancestries of these communities. According to Keralolpaththi, Maharishi Parashurama had initiated had 108 kalaris and donated swords to 36,000 Brahmins. According to Mahabharata, Maharishi Parashurama was the martial art teacher of Guru Dronacharya and Bheeshma Pitamaha. It is believed that Maharishi Parashurama is one of the Ashtachiranjeevis and is still alive in the Himalayas. 

The Indian martial arts were actually the tradition of the Brahmin community. Dhanurveda was composed by Maharishi Vasishtha. Marmashastra was composed by Maharishi Agastya. Martial arts and Hatha Yoga traditions are also connected with Maharishi Vishwamithra. Agni Purana covers all aspects of Indian martial arts: spear fighting, empty-hand fighting, sword fighting etc. According to Hindu beliefs, Agni Purana was narrated by Lord Agni to Maharishi Vasishtha. Lord Agni belongs to a supernatural tribe called Deva of Indian sub-continent. Maharishi Vasishta belonged to Brahmin community and was the paternal grandfather of Maharishi Parashara. 
In Jammu, there is a Hindu Temple dedicated to Maharishi Parashurama in a town called Akhnoor. When I was searching about Kalaris on the internet I found that in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir there is a place called Kalary. I don't know how they pronounce this name. And there are two places with name Kalari in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Pakistan's Punjab. In Afghanistan too there is a place called Kalari in the Parvan region. All these regions were once the parts of Nagavansha kingdoms. 

Recently, I saw an article on an encyclopedia website about a caste which is actually from southern parts of Kerala and Tamil Nadu according to the Census Reports. I don't know what is the real name of this caste but now its members have changed   their caste name and have created a fake history to glorify it. Most of the details in this fake history are taken from the sacred scriptures of Kerala. These details They changed these details by putting their caste name instead of Brahmin and used it to create the fake history about their community. Also, they have mentioned that some of their traditions are the traditions of Nair community. I don't know why they are doing all these and what is the purpose behind it. When 108 Kalaris were set up by Lord Parashurama, there were no titles like Panicker, Kurup, Pillai, Thampi, Kaimal, Kartha and Nambiar. These titles were later given by the kings of Kerala to the members of some non-Brahmin communities according to their profession and positions in their professions. 

Both Indian and foreign authorities agree that at the close of 15th century only The Kolathiri or The King of Kannur (Cannanore), The Samuthiri (Zamorin) or The King of Kozhikode (Calicut) and The Thiruvadi - as the Portuguese authorities call him - The King of Venad had what we may call full sovereign rights. It is believed that the Travancore Royal Family belonged to Illathu Nair caste before converting to Kshatriya Varna. Similarly, Thiruvananthapuram is connected to Anantnag of Kashmir from ancient times. Apart from these rulers, there were minor Rajahs of whom the chief were the Rajahs of Thanoor, Kodungallur (Crangannor), Kochi (Cochin), Mangatt, Idapalli, Vadakkumkur, Procaud (Purakkad), Kayamkulam and Kollam (Quilon). The Rajahs of Parur, Purakkad and Idappalli belonged to Nambudiri or Malayali Brahmin community. 

The Nairs constituted a distinct rank and caste. They comprised the upper class of the natives. They were a valiant and well-disciplined body of men. The kings could not make a Nair of a peasant, the Nairs being such by descent. A Nair could not be thrown into prison for any offence, and was only subject to the death-penalty if he killed another Nair or a cow or married women of inferior community. Social disputes of Nair community were settled by the meetings of castemen. Serious matters were referred to Nambudiri Brahmans for decision. Like the king, the Nairs too had many concubines from the communities which they were not allowed to marry. As mentioned before, Nairs were not allowed to marry women of inferior community and if they did so they were punished to death. 
The Nairs never ceased taking military lessons. Two months in every year they devoted to military practice under the eyes of their masters who belonged to their own caste. They rarely laughed. Their arms, the bows, arrows, swords, jevelins, shields were very large and they used them with utmost dexterity. The Nairs used to gird themselves with Nair-knife which was called Nair Kaththi (नायर कत्ति) in Malayalam. It was a hook-shaped knife fifteen inches long and seven broad with a wooden handle about four inches long. The Nairs were exceedingly experts in the use of bows, and discharged several arrows at the same time, by means of their feet and hands. They frequently hunted tigers. Every Nair was a member of some Kalari and the Kalaris were controlled by the ruling families. The Rajahs depended for their authority on the Nair militia who thus enjoyed almost a monopoly of political influence in the country. 
The Nair lords consisted of some of the hereditary officials of the state and others who were merely vassal rulers and were independent in their territory. The Nair lords resembled feudal barons, especially in that they had to provide soldiers when their suzerain (സാമന്തർ) went to war with another ruler. The Kolathunadu country was also divided up between Nair lords who maintained armies. South of the territories of the Rajah of Idappalli lay the important territory of Vadakkumkur. Its capital was Kaduthirithi, a few miles to south-east of Vaikom. The rulers of this place were Nairs and were alluded to in ancient documents as "Vadukkumkur Nair." Though nominally subordinate to Rajah of Kochi to whom they were allied by marriage, the Vadakkumkur Nairs enjoyed full ruling authority and had a very considerable military strength. 
Though the Nairs were from their infancy trained up to arms, and were very bold and brave, they were nevertheless very civil and meek or gentle in their conversation, according to the custom of that country. When they entered in the houses of lower classes they only touched the doors and the walls but never ate there for the fear of being defiled. In such cases, Nairs were similar to Brahmins. A Nair may approach a Brahmin; but if a person from a lower class came near a Nair, the Nair would cut him down. The lower class of people were obliged in going along the streets or roads, to keep shouting in a loud voice, "Hoo, hoo !" so that, if a Nair were coming along, he might order them to make way for him. If a Nair met another older than himself on the road he does him reverence and gives place to him. Before the social reformation of Kerala their was hierarchy between communities. Indigenous communities were Hindus and strictly religious. Migrant communities were non-Hindus, they had their own faith and worshiped their own deities. The lifestyles of indigenous and migrant communities were different. As the indigenous communities were strictly religious they never mingled with migrant communities. In the Indian society caste is based mainly on ancestry and not profession. The Illathu Nairs did the duties of Vaishya Varna which are given in the Manusmriti.  The ancestors of Illathu Nairs were mainly entrepreneurs, reservists, ministers and did various respectable professions. There are certain rules for a person to become a member of a caste. Some Hindu castes allow a person to become its members by performing some rituals whereas in strictly religious Hindu castes, i. e. indigenous castes, this is not allowed. 

The Portuguese came to know about India after conquering Arabia. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Portuguese attacked the Arabian coastline, they landed there and built there own fortresses. The Portuguese became interested in the goods and possibilities of the East and Arabian peninsula. In those days, Kozhikode was an extremely powerful kingdom that dominated all its neighbouring regions and correspondingly having multiplicity of goods available: spices, Brazilwood, gold, silver, varnish (lacquer), incense, flax etc. The traders in those days were Tamil Brahmins, Konkani Brahmins, Nairs and Moors (Muslims). From the port of Kozhikode the Moors used to ship pepper and drugs, which they transported to Mecca, and spread over Turkey, and thence to all provinces of Christendom by exchange from country to country. As the pepper was high on demand in those days it was also called "black gold" in Malabar. The Portuguese made their appearance in India at the end of 15th century. The first Portuguese to set foot on the Indian soil was Peru de Covilha, a crafty adventurist and the personal agent of King John II of Portugal. In 1488, he arrived at the Indian port of Kannur on Arabian trade ship, disguised as an Arab merchant. From there he visited the towns of Kozhikode, Goa and several ports and settlements along the Malabar coast. The information he gathered about the western part of India as well as the secrets he learned from Arabs about the sea routes the way were trasmitted by him in 1491 to agents of Portuguese king in Cairo. His findings played an important role in the Portuguese expeditions of conquest of India. 
When Vasco da Gama reached the palace of the Samuthiri king he was received at the gate of the palace by the commander of the bodyguard, without whose permit no one could enter the palace. The king received them seated on a rich bed set out with silk and gold in a room arranged with silk stuffs of various colours and of white canopy which was of subtle workmanship and covered the whole room. The Rajah of Kozhikode, Samuthiri king (Zamorin), was clothed in white cotton strewed with branches and roses of beaten gold but wore many ornaments of great value. He had on his left arm above the elbow a bracelet which seemed like three rings together, the middle one larger than the others, all studed with rich jewels particularly the middle one which bore large stones which could not fail to be of very great value; from this middle ring hung a pendant stone which glittered; it was a diamond of the thickness of a thumb. Round his neck was a string of pearls about the size of hazel-nuts, the string took two turns and reached to his middle. Above it, he wore a thin round gold chain which bore the jewel of the shape of heart surrounded with larger hearts and all full of rubies; in the middle was a green stone of the size of a large bean, which, from its showiness, was of great price, which was called an emerald. In the court of the Samuthiri king the Captain-Major made a speech explaining his mission and desire of the Portuguese king to open commercial relations with India.
The kind of stuff the Vasco da Gama had brought from Lisbon for exchange in India was not suited to Indian market and there was no demand for them from the Indian side. There was but little trade done between the Portuguese and the local inhabitants of Malabar. When the monsoon was over da Gama made preparations for returning to Portugal. He requested the Samuthiri king for permission to leave a factor at Kozhikode in charge of the merchandise which he was not able to sell. The Samuthiri king required customs to be paid according to the regulations of the port; but this da Gama refused to do. It was this controversy that embittered the relations of da Gama with Samuthiri king and helped to convince the latter that the new-comers were bent not merely on commercial pursuits. The Samuthiri king warned other rulers of Malabar about Portuguese. 

After two years Vasco da Gama reached back in Lisbon. The successful return of armada caused a great rejoicings in Portugal. The cargo he brought with him was 60 times the cost of expedition. A new expedition was fitted up with Pedro Alvarez Cabral as commander. His armada consisted 33 ships and carried 1500 men. After a very eventful voyage, in which chance led him to the coast of Brazil, which was thus "discovered and taken possession of" by Portuguese, Cabral reached India with only 6 ships. On September 18 Samuthiri king met Cabral, but the interview broke up owing to a misunderstanding. Cabral, thinking that his person was in danger, returned in a hurry to the ship, leaving the cargo and Portuguese who accompained on the shore. Negotiations were then resumed between the Samuthiri king's plenipotentiaries and Aires Correia, as the agent of Cabral. After prolonged discussions extending over two and a half months a settlement was reached which gave the Portuguese the right of having a factory in Kozhikode. The Portuguese in meantime began to claim extraordinary rights on the sea. 
Cabral requested the Samuthiri king to give him the Arab ships because those ships were able to load pepper which he wanted for himself. To which the Samuthiri king replied that the Portuguese were welcome to buy as much as they could pay for. But Arab competition was keen; and dissatisfied with the method of having to bid and buy in the open market, Cabral hit upon the easy way of attacking and taking possession of Arab vessels within his reach. The Nairs on the coast had been friendly with the Portuguese. They had treated them with courtesy and had done business with them. But the news of Cabral's unwarranted aggression caused and consternation, as the people of Kozhikode had, for many centuries, been accustomed to complete security of property and person. The populace was roused to fury, and in the riot that ensued the factory was destroyed and more than half the Portuguese on land were wounded. Cabral retaliated his brutal fashion. He massacred the crew of all the boats he could lays hands on in the harbour, in some cases burning the ships with the men in them. It confirmed in the minds of Nairs of Kozhikode the belief that the intruders were uncivilised barbarians, treacherous and untrustworthy. It made the Samuthiri king an enemy and Kozhikode the most determined opponent of Portuguese connection as Affonso Albuquerque found out later on. Cabral soon discovered that further stay in Kozhikode is dangerous and the coast was unknown to him and monsoon was about to set in. He decided to sail to Kochi. 



Reference: Malabar and The Portuguese by Shri. Kavalam Madhava Panikkar, Saudi Arabia By Sherifa Zuhur, Writing New Worlds: The Cultural Dynamics of Curiosity in Early Modern Europe by Cambridge Scholars Publishing, India Wins Freedom: New Constitution and the Indian Political System by Ranjana Arora, Verinder Grover, Agrarian Relations in Late Medieval Malabar by M. T. Narayanan, Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Ka'nara (2 pts.) by Government Central Press, 1883, The Voyages and Adventures of Vasco Da Gama by George Makepeace Towle, Fifteen Years in India; Or, Sketches of a Soldiers Life by Robert Grenville Wallance, Selected essays of G. Sankara Pillai by Shri. N. Radhakrishnan, Suma Oriental of Tom Pires, The Triumph and Tragedy of The Synod of Diamper by K X M John, Kalarippayat by Dick Luijendijk.


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Nair Warriors - 2

Keralolpaththi (केरलोल्पत्ति) which professes to be a history of ancient Kerala also contains significant reference to Shastrakas, the Brahmins of certain settlements (gramas) who received the gift of arms from their patron deity Lord Parashurama. The Sanskrit Kerala Mahathmyam, an Upapurana of Bhoogola Purana, calls Nairs the progeny of Namboothiri men with Deva, Rakshasa and Gandharva women. The Nairs formed a fierce warrior class pledged to protecting the rulers of the many kingdoms into which Kérala was divided. 
In the sixteenth century, the warriors that the Kings of Kerala had were the Nairs and they were all noblemen. They were gallants and were all good with the King or the lord of the land. They were very smart, clean, honest and effective in their nobility. They all lived with the kings, and some of them with other lords, relations of the king, and lords of the country, and with the salaried governors; and with one another. They accompanied their lords day and night; little was given them for eating and sleeping, and for serving and doing their duty. 
They had no other duty than to carry on war, and they continually carried their arms with them, which were swords, bows, arrows, bucklers, lances and shields, with which they used to fight. These Nairs, besides being all of noble descent, had to be armed as knights by the hand of the king or lord with whom they lived, and until they have been so equipped they cannot bear arms nor call themselves Nairs, but they enjoyed the freedom and exemption and advantages of the Nairs in many things. In the palace, when the king of Calicut was seated in his throne, a young Nair boy used to stand near the king, who used to hold a shield with border of gold and jewels and a boss in the center of a span's breath, and the rings inside of arms were of gold; also a short drawn sword of an ell's length (approximately 45 inches), round at the point, with a hilt of gold and jewellery with pendant pearls. 
No one could be a Nair if he is not of good lineage. They never associated with any peasant, and neither ate nor drank except in the houses of other Nairs. But during the time that they are at war, they may touch any peasant, and eat and drink with them in their houses, without any penalty. And the king was obliged to maintain the mother and family of any Nair who may die in the war, and those persons are at once written down for their maintenance. And if these Nairs are wounded, the king has them cured at his expense, besides their pay, and has food given them all their lives, or until they are cured of their wounds. The Nairs, when roaming in the streets, used to order the unprincipled men to go out their way. If the they didn't do so they were killed by the Nairs. The Nairs were not allowed to kill a cow because they worshiped them. 
The Nairs were not allowed to bear arms, or take part in the wars, until they had been made knights. At the age of seven, little Nair boys were sent to Kalaris to learn Kalarippayattu. In which they learned all manner of feats of agility and gymnastics for the use of their weapons. First they learned Meippayattu or body exercises. In Meippayattu, they were taught different stances, pivots, leaps, trots, blocks, cuts, kicks and forward, backward, sideways and circular movements employed in defending and attacking, and then to tumble, and for that purpose they render supple all their limbs from their childhood, so that they can bend them in any direction. And after they have exercised in this, they were taught Verumkai i. e. techniques of bare-handed defence and attack, and to manage the weapons which suited each one most. The weapons included bows, clubs, or lances; and most of them were taught to use the sword and buckler, which is of more common use among them. In Kalarippayattu, the courses in which use of weapons are taught are called Kolethaarippayattu (exercises with wooden weapons) and Angathaari (exercises with sharp weapons). Sometimes Nairs didn't eat more than once a day; and they had small expenses for they have little pay. Many of them contented themselves with about two hundred Maravedis each month for themselves and the servant that attended to them. Maravedi is a certain amount of rice. 150 to 200 Maravedis is equal to 40 kg of rice. When these Nairs went to the wars their pay was served out to them every day as long as the war lasts; it is four Tharas per day each man, which are worth five Maravedis each, with which they provide for themselves. 
The martial art teachers of Nagavanshi Nairs belonged to their own caste and were graduates in Kalaripayattu and they were given the title Panicker by the kings. They were very strict among the Nairs. The word Panicker means master. In Illathu Nair caste, Panicker was a title given by the kings of Kerala to the Nair who was appointed as the head of the army. Similarly, Kurup was a title given to an Illathu Nair who was appointed as the teacher of Kalaripayattu. In those days, Illathu Nairs had their own schools and the teachers of the schools belonged to their own caste because they wanted to preserve their traditions. The titles Kurup and Panicker were also given to the people of some other Hindu sub-communities according to their profession. These sub-caste are not related Illathu Nair caste in any way. When a Nair was ready to become a knight—that is, to enter upon active military service—he resorted to the king, attended by all his relations, and made him a present of sixty golden coins called Phanam.Then the king asked him if he wished to serve, and would do so faithfully; to which he replied, "Yes." The king thereupon ordered an officer to gird him with a sword, and, putting his right hand upon his head, uttered a short prayer, and then embraced the new knight. 
When Nairs enlisted to live with the king, they bound themselves and promised to die for him; and they did likewise with any other lord from whom they received pay. This law was observed by some and not by others; but their obligation constrained them to die at the hands of anyone who should kill the king or their lord: and some of them so observed it; so that if in any battle their lord should be killed, they go and put themselves in the midst of the enemies who killed him, even should those be numerous, and he alone by himself died there: but before falling he did what he could against them; and after when one was dead another went to take his place, and then another: so that sometimes ten or twelve Nairs died for their lord. And even if they were not present with him when he was killed, they went and seeked the person who killed him, or the person who ordered him to be killed: and so one by one they all died. Those Nairs whom the king had received as his, he never dismissed however old the Nairs may be; on the contrary, the Nairs always received their pay and rations, and the king granted favours to whoever had served well.
If any lord was in apprehension of another man, he took some of the Nairs, as many as he pleased, into his pay; and the Nairs accompanied and guarded him; and on their account the lord went securely, since no one dared to molest him; because if he were molested they and all their lineage would take vengeance on him who had caused this molestation. These guards were called Janguada and there are some people who sometimes take so many of these Nairs, and of such quality, that on their account they no longer feared the king, who would not venture to command the execution of a man who was guarded by these, in order not to expose many Nairs to danger for it. And even if the Nairs were not in his company when the man they guard was killed, they would not any the less revenged his death. 
The Nairs showed much respect to their mothers, and supported them with what they gained, because besides their allowances, most of them possessed houses and palm trees and estates, and some houses were let to peasants, which was granted by the king to them or to their uncles, and which remained their property. They also had much respect for their elder sisters, whom they treated as mothers. No Nair woman ever entered the towns under pain of death except once a year, when they were allowed go out with the men of their family. On that night more than twenty thousand Nair women entered Calicut to see the town, which was decorated with full of lamps in all the streets, which the inhabitants set there to do honour to the Nairs, and all the streets were hung with cloth. 
When Vasco Da Gama had arrived in Calicut (Kozhikode), on the fourth day a large boat came to the chapel of St. Raphael, bringing a Nair, a messenger of Samuthiri (Zamorin) King. He carried a small round shield, some wooden slings, and a short naked sword with an iron hilt. His hair was matted close to his head. He was tall, well-proportioned, and very dark. He refused to go on board, but spoke to Vasco da Gama through an interpreter from his boat. His message from the Samuthiri was to ask who the strangers were, and what they wanted in Calicut. 
Vasco Da Gama has described Nairs as follows, "in this region of Malabar the race of gentlemen is called Nairs, who are the people of war: they are people who are very refined in blood and customs, and separated from all other low people, and so much do they value themselves that no one of them ever turned Moor (Muslim); only the low people turned Moors, who worked in the bush and in the fields." Gasper Correa has mentioned in his book 'The three voyages of Vasco da Gama' that "there was no power in the world sufficiently great to take Calicut, in which there were two hundred thousand men available for war."



Reference: Kalarippayattu by Shri. Chirakkal T. Sreedharan Nair, A Description of Indian and Oriental Armour by Edgerton of Tastton, Earl Wilbraham Egerton Egerton, Archives of Asian Art by Asia Society, 2004, UGC-NET/JRF/SET Sociology (Paper-II) by Dr. K. Kautilya, Aspects of Aryanisation in Kerala, Kerala Historical Society, A Description of the Coasts of East Africa and Malabar in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century by Duarte Barbosa, The three voyages of Vasco da Gama by Gasper Correa, Martial Races of Undivided India by Vidya Prakash Tyagi.  


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Nair Warriors - 1

Nair was a well-known martial community in previous centuries. Even the European travellers who had visited Kerala in the olden times had praised the Nair warriors. In the Sangam era, the Nairs were known as Nāka. Nāka is the Tamil word for Nāga or Nāgavanshi. In Tamil alphabets 'Ga' is not included. For example, the name Ganapathi in Tamil is called Kanapathi. In the Sangam scriptures, Nāka is mentioned as caste of Serpent-worshippers. Some people claim that Nairs are related to the Naga tribe of Assam which is not true. The caste name of the Assamese tribe Naka comes Burmese word 'No-Ka' which means 'people with pierced earlobes.' 
The Sangam era scriptures were written in Vattezhuthu script. One of the mentions about Nākas or Nāgas is as follows, "Hail the Nākas the ones with big moustaches, broad chest, powerful physiques, sacred ash-bearing forehead, hands powerful enough to smash the skull of a lion in one blow, who are masters in martial arts, extremely proficient in archery and use of swords, and so acrobatic that they can spring to great heights and do somersaults in air, capable of single-handedly driving back a herd of elephants, adepts in use of fatal slingshots, and agile and trained enough to escape shots coming their ways, experts in slitting the necks of war-horses with a knife tied to their shins, who wrench out the tongues of the ones who utter untruths and so truthful themselves, God-fearing and respectful towards sagely figures and having sages, who shine like precious stones, among themselves." One of the manuscripts describe Nākas thus:
'Fortitude-personified are the Nākas
Stupendously strong of arms are the Nākas
Annihilators of evil-minded are the Nākas
Competent and complete swordsmen are are the Nākas
Wielders of sharp swords are the Nākas
Of good and widespread repute are the Nākas
Mystics and self-realized are the Nākas
Masterful in archery are the Nākas
Who win the wars with their skills are the Nākas
Who sacrifice supremely are the Nākas
Who prostrate before the saintly souls are the Nākas
The embodiments of righteousness are the Nākas
Righteousness is the only way known to the Nākas
Righteousness is their very mind for the Nākas
Righteousness is the soul itself for the Nākas
Righteousness is God Supreme for the Nākas
Righteousness is the only knowledge for the Nākas
Righteousness is their very world for the Nākas'
In short, the picture about Nākas emerging from the records written in old Tamil is that they were able-bodied warriors, with good expertise in martial arts, Marmashastra, acrobatics and usage of weapons. They were well-informed in matters connected with elephants, horses etc and were truthful, spiritually inclined and intelligent. They never condoned or forgave the act of indiscipline, infidelity and untruthfulness. They were teetolaters, strictly moral, especially so, in their behaviour with women, and were devotees of Lord Shiva. And there were among them men of high spiritual attainments like self-realised sages.  
The Sangam texts also mention that the Nāgas were always armed with noose (I think it's Urumi or Nāgapāsham), they had well-built cities and they were a civilized people. The speech of Nāgas was not Tamil, but it was not impossible for a Tamil man to master it. During the Chera-Chola war Nairs were important warriors. From there they began to be called "Lokar" and "Malokar" meaning the great people. These titles were not given to any other non-Brahmin or non-royal caste. In 'Social History of India', Shri. S. N. Sadasivan has mentioned that the Pulayas and Parayas used to address the Ezhavas as Malor (Malokar or Mahalokar). In none of the ancient scriptures it is given that the Ezhavas were also given the titles Lokar and Malokar. Once I read on website that Lokar and Malokar are the surnames of Gaud Saraswat Brahmin community. I don't if it's a correct information or not. 
The origin of Nāgavansha is from Kashmir. Later their empire expanded to northern Pakistan and northern Afghanistan. The Naga kingdom of northern Pakistan was known as Takshashila and the Naga kingdom of northern Afghanistan was known as Gāndhāra. In Kalhana's Rājatarangini, we find frequent references to Gāndhāra and its Brahmins. It is recorded that Mihirakula the Ephalite Hun King of Kashmir settled thousands of Gāndhāran Brahmins in Kashmir. He also tells us that young warriors of Gāndhāra were in great demand for the army of Kashmir. 
In the Mahabharata time, Gāndhāra was ruled by King Shakuni and Princess Gāndhāri was his sister. The southern part of Travancore region was known as Anantapura in ancient times. It was too a kingdom ruled by the Nāgavanshi kings. I think it had some connection with Gāndhāra because in Thiruvananthapuram there is a Temple called Shree Gāndhāri Amman Kovil. The main deity of this Temple is a Goddess. I personally believe that the Idol of the Goddess of this Temple was brought by the Nāgavanshis of Afghanistan. Similarly, in Kollam, there is a Temple dedicated to King Shakuni. Kānthāri Mulaku (कांतारि मुळक) is typical chilli found in Kerala and is similar to Afghan chillies. I think its real name was Gāndhāri Mulaku. 
Ahichhatra (अहिछत्र) in India is the place from which Brahmans are said to have been brought into Malabar by King Mayura Varma. Ahichhatra was evidently a stronghold of the Nagas, chief among whom were the Madras, the Gāndhāras, and the Bahlikas. Once I saw on the internet that in Rajasthan there is a beautiful ancient fort called Ahichhatragarh (अहिछत्रगढ़) and it was built by the Nāgavanshis. So, the word Ahi has some connection with Nāgavansha. In the Rigveda the term Ahi (अहि) is applied to the Asuras or Dasyus.
A legend of the Mahabharata relates how Princess Kadru compelled Garuda to convey her sons across the sea “to a beautiful country, in a distant region, which was inhabited by Nagas”. After encountering a violent storm and great heat, the sons of Kadru were landed in a place called Ramanika (रमणिका) in Ahidesha. Ahidesha (अहिदेश) is the territory of the serpents (Nagas or Asuras in ail probability). According to some historians, Ahidesha is Kerala. Below are some verses taken from ancient Malayalam scriptures.
"എങ്കിലോ അക്കടലുടയവർ നാകത്താന്മാരല്ലൊ ആകുന്നതു, 
അവർക്കല്ലൊ ആദികാലത്തെ വരുണൻ ഒരു നൂറ്റെട്ട് കാതം കൊണ്ടു തറമുഴുവതും കൊടുത്തു എന്ന് ചൊല്ലിയതു. 
കൈത്തടിമെ കരുവാന നാകത്താരെ 
മെയ്ത്തടിമെ മെനിയാന നാകത്താരെ 
പൊയിത്തിടരെ പൊടിയാക്കും നാകത്താരെ 
എത്തിശൈയും പൂക്കൾ കൊണ്ട നാകത്താരെ
ചിത്തി മുത്തി കൈ കണ്ട നാകത്താരെ 
വില്ലാളി വീരനാന നാകത്താരെ
വിരുതു കെട്ടി പടൈ വെല്ലം നാകത്താരെ
പുല്ലനെ വെല്ലാം തുറക്കും നാകത്താരെ"  
I got its translation as shown below. Please forgive me if the translation is incorrect.  
"Isn't it the Nagas who own the sea, 
they were given 108 units of land by Lord Varuna (of Rigveda).
O Nagas, who have strong hands.
O Nagas, who are true men. 
O Nagas, who crush the villains. 
O Nagas, who are adorned with flowers. 
O Nagas, who are best in Siddhi and Mukti.
O Nagas, who are brave archers. 
O Nagas, who are honoured and whose army is like a flood.
O Nagas, who easily remove barriers."  
The Nagas were called Nāgara in ancient Malabar. It is assumed that it was during the third century B. C. the Buddhism came to Kerala. The language of Buddhism is Prakrit (प्राकृत्). In Prakrit, the word for Nāgara is Nāyara. So, when Kerala became a Buddhist region the word Nāgara got replaced with Nāyara. I was surprised when I read on the internet that Armenia was known as Nairi in ancient times and the people of Nairi used to worship particular stone sculptures which they called Vishapakar. Vishapakar means serpent-stones. This made me think that perhaps Nagavanshis might have lived in Armenia for some considerable time. An Armenian king is described as being so strong that he could "seize two bulls by horns, and break them off with his bare hands." Another king taken prisoner by the Byzantines was thrown to the beast in the arena of Constantinople. He overpowered the bear and lion that attacked him. In reward, he was pardoned and released. 
The martial art practiced by Nairs was Kalaripayattu. It was taught to their ancestors by Shree Parashurama, who is a warrior sage and one of the Holy Chiranjeevis (those who are blessed by God to live till the end of the Kaliyuga) according to Hinduism. Shree Parasurama, in his fight with Kshatriyas, was assisted by Nāgas. This martial art got passed from one generation to another and hence it became one of the traditions of the Nair community. The Nair warriors used Kalaripayattu only to protect and defend, never as aggressive combat or for evil purposes. In some of their ceremonies including weddings the Nairs used to perform sword play. 
The Kalari system of Kerala is based on the concept of awakening of Kundalini, or the Serpent power and it was zealously maintained. The original Nairs were ardent serpent-worshippers from ancient times. The warlike propensity of Nairs was attested by the employment of implements of war in their household ceremonies, by their isolated mode of living in the midst of fenced gardens and by establishment to each Thara or field of a Kalari where in the gymnasium section their youth were taught to accustom themselves to the use of arms. Nair ballads are too abound with stories of martial achievement of the Nair warriors. 
The Nairs were always greedy after the prey. They were all bred to the war, even from the seventh year of age, when they used to anoint their limbs with certain ointments to render the nerves pliable, which made them very active and nimble, and the best wrestlers in the world. They were not only well acquainted with the use of bows and arrows, but also with musquets and great cannon. They made their own gun-barrels, gun-powder and matches. Being very nimble they often turned their backs, but soon returned to the charge, when they find the little opportunity of having an advantage against their enemies. On the hilts of their swords they wore certain pieces of metal, which made a noise as they moved, served them for a certain Musick: They were very dexterous in defending their bodies with their shields, and consequently were better at handy blows. Among the Nairs those who called themselves Amok, were the worst, being a company of desperadoes, who engaged themselves and their families by oaths to revenge such Injuries as are done them. 
The power of the Kings of Kerala was generally esteemed by the number of the Nairs under their jurisdiction. If any of their Kings got murdered, they used to sacrifice all to revenge his death. One can find the mention about Nairs in the scriptures of the time of King Rama Varma Kulasekhara (1020 - 1102) of the second Chera dynasty. When the Chera empire was attacked by Cholas the Nairs fought forming suicide squads or Chavers against the invading force. The Naduvazhi was the military chief and it was his duty to be present at the" battle field with his fighting men whenever requisitioned by the Princes. The Nairs formed a huge militia, and, till regular standing armies were organised, were entrusted with the protection of the land. While not fighting, they engaged themselves in agricultural and other occupations. The Thara was the Nair territorial unit of organisation for civil purposes, and was governed by representatives of the caste, who were styled Karanavars or elders.
Though a military race, the lives of the Nairs, from start to finish, seem to be invested by religion. From birth to death, every act and rite of theirs is touched by it. When they settled down and began to till and toil for livelihood. When the necessity for common shrines for the community, settled in different centres, was felt, these were established, and were called Kāvu. A Kāvu is a sacred place that consists of a small platform which will be maximum two or three feet high with a deity or some deities installed on it and this platform is surrounded by a lot of trees and plants which makes this place look like a forest. There are even now 108 Durgālayas in Malabar. They are Kāvus dedicated to Goddess Durga. They have a history behind them. Durgālaya means The Abode of Goddess Durga or The Temple of Goddess Durga. In the verses taken from Malayalam scriptures, mentioned above, it is given that the Nāgas were given 108 units of land by Lord Varuna of Rigveda. I think the Nāgas had built Temples for Goddess Durga in each unit of the land and those Temples are known as sacred 108 Durgālayas today. 
The position of the Nairs in spiritual matters is evidenced by the prominent part they played in the establishment and management of Temples. If the chronicles of the Temples of Kerala are ransacked, it will be found that many of them were either owned or managed by the Nairs. In a Sanskrit work called Kerala Kshiti Ratna Mala (meaning: A garland of gems of the land of Kerala) the author says “Some of them (the Nairs) are superior warriors even amongst warriors. All the Gods take to them" (verse 115). 





Reference: Four Wishes: Selected Writings of Sri Chatambi Swamikal By S.Jagathsimhan Nair, Sri Chatambi Swamikal,  Folklore of Kerala by Shri. Kavalaṃ Narayaṇappanikkar, Racial Synthesis in Hindu Culture By S.V. Viswanatha, History of the Tamils: From the Earliest Times to 600 A.D. By P. T. Srinivasa Iyengar, Mapping Place Names of India By Anu Kapur, The Penguin Food Guide to India. Author: Charmaine O' Brien, Aliens and the Multi-Paradox of Reality by Peter J Miele, A True and Exact Description of The Most Celebrated Coast of The Malabar and Coramandel, As Also of The Isle of Ceylon by Philip Baldeus, Social Change in Malabar by Shri. M. S. A. Rao, Manual of the Administration of the Madras Presidency, in Illustration of the Records of Government & the Yearly Administration Reports, Volume 2 by E. Keys, The Eastern Anthropologist, Volumes 12-13, Some Aspects of Nayar Life by Shri. K. M. Panikkar, Performing Arts of Kerala - Page 129 by Sushri. Mallika Sarabhai, Malabar and Anjengo Vol 1, Armenia Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore by Irina Petrosian and David Underwood, Culture and Political History of Kashmir, Volume 1 by Shri. P. M. K. Bamzai. 

Fabricating stories to subjugate a community

I respect all the communities in the world. But it seems like some people are trying to bring my community under their control and it's very distressing. When I was writing on a new topic, I noticed that I had received some comments on one of my previous blogs titled 'Kaniyars were not the preceptors of Kalaripayattu'. Those people claimed that they belong to a caste called "Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker" and their ancestors were the preceptors of Nairs, etc. They were trying hard to convince me that what they were saying is true. But there is no genuine evidence for what they said. Until recent years, this caste was known as the sub-caste of Kaniyar community but now some members of this caste are saying that they are a different caste and are not related to Kaniyar community. I deleted all their comments and disabled comments for the blog. I never wanted to write a post like this. Because the disturbance from some members of some non-Brahmin communities has become unbearable, I decided to write it. Few months ago, I noticed that an article called 'Kalaripayattu (stick fighting)' is posted on Wikipedia and details about weapons were exactly the way I have written on the post with title Kalaripayattu. It seemed like someone had copied them from my blog. I felt very sad but I ignored it. I always write posts by referring books. Some posts I have written based on the rituals and traditions of my family. I never write on blog anything created in my imagination. 
Few days ago I saw that someone has written on the internet, "Nesamani is a famous freedom fighter but why the caste name Nair got so famous and became known to all." I don't know what problem this person has with the fame of Nair community. The Nair community is famous from centuries. The European travelers of ancient India have noted about all the castes of Malabar in their books. The most famous among the Malabari castes were, Brahmin, because of their Satvik and pious lifestyle, Kshatriya, because they were royalty, Kiriyathil Nairs, because they were courtiers, and Illathu Nairs, because they were wealthy enterpreneurs. The men of Hindu royal familes too were experts in martial arts. From one of the videos about Kung-fu on YouTube I came to know that Kung-fu was actually brought to China by a Prince from southern India whose name was Shri. Jayavarman. In my opinion, the Cochin Royal Family are the descendants of Prince Janamejaya, the great grandson of Prince Arjuna of Kuru kingdom and Princess Subhadra of Dwāraka kingdom. Once I read on the internet that they are Chandravashi Kshatriyas and the other name Cochin Royal Family is Kuru Swaroopam. King Kuru was a Chandravanshi Kshatriya and the ruler of Kuru Kingdom. Pandavas and Kauravas were his descendants. The martial art teacher of Pandavas and Kauravas was Guru Dronacharya, who belonged to the Brahmin community and was the descendant of Maharshi Angirasa. Guru Dronacharya had learned martial arts from Lord Parashurama. The Guruvayur Shree Krishna Temple actually belonged to the Cochin Royal Family. At that time the name of the Temple was Kuruvayur. There is a belief that Prince Janamejaya had visited this Temple and prayed to Lord Krishna to forgive the sins of Sarpasatra. Later, a war happened between the King of Cochin Royal Family and the King of Samoothiri Royal Family (Zamorin Royal Family). The King of Samoothiri Royal Family captured a large area of Cochin kingdom which included Guruvayur and hence the King of Samoothiri Royal Family got authority over the Shree Krishna Temple of Guruvayur. 
Duarte Barbosa in his book, A Description of the coasts of East Africa and Malabar in the Beginning of the Sixteenth Century, has mentioned in the section about Nairs as follows, "In these fencing there is much agility and science. And there are very skillful men who teach this art, and they are called Panicars. These are captains in war. These Nairs when enlist to live with the King bind themselves and promise to die for him." Panicars mentioned in the section about Nairs are Nair-Panickers and not other Panickers. Kurup means teacher and it was a title given to the teachers of Kalaris or martial art schools. When a Nair man became an expert on Kalarippayattu, he was given the title Panicker which means master and was appointed as the head of the soldiers in the kings' armies. But if he was appointed as the teacher in Kalaris, he was given the title Kurup. Kurup, Panicker, Pillai, Thampi were the titles given to men of Illathu Nair caste. Today these titles are used by the members of all castes of Hindu and Christian communities. 
The caste called Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker is found in Kerala and Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts of Tamil Nadu. Some members of this community who are born and raised in Kerala speak Tamil very well like native speakers. They claim that it was their ancestors who taught Kalaripayattu to the ancestors of all other castes in Kerala. They say that Kurup and Panicker are their castes and not titles given by the kings. The people of this caste used to call the martial art of Kerala 'Kalari', which is incorrect. Kalari means institution and the name of the martial art is Kalaripayattu.  
In Keralolpaththi it is mentioned that Nairs are Nāgavanshis who came from a kingdom called Ahichchathra. But there is no information about the history of Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker caste. I think the members of this caste too don't know about their ancestry. In the scriptures of Sangam era Nāka (Nāga) are mentioned as a martial tribe who were serpent worshippers and whose mother tongue was not Tamil. Whereas there is no mention about a martial tribe called Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker in these scriptures. 
There is a Malayalam movie song based on the communist way of thinking. The song is called "Parashuraman mazhu erinju nediyathalla (meaning: Lord Parashurama didn't obtain by throwing axe)." According to Hindu beliefs, Kerala was formed when Lord Parashurama threw axe in the sea and the sea went backwards till the point just after where the axe fell. 
I think the members of Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker caste have a false belief that once their ancestors had a good position in society and it is because of the ancestors of Nairs their ancestors lost their position. They may argue that the kings and the Brahmins suppressed their ancestors because they never allowed their women to have Sambandhams with them. My answer for this argument is as follows,
1) Sambandham was like a normal marriage. The only difference was Thaali or Mangalsutra was not tied in Sambandham. Upper caste Nair women were not polyandrous. In Mahabharata there is a mention about a sage called Shree Āstika whose father was Brahmin and mother belonged to Nāgavansha. In one of my previous posts, Nāgavanshis of Kanchipuram, I have shared some information given in the scriptures of Sangam era which says that the kings and princes of those era used to marry Nāgavanshi women. So the hypergamous marriage existed in Nair community from ancient times but it was not polyandrous. The caste of the children born from hypergamous marriages were decided according to the caste hierarchy. I personally believe that the kings and the Brahmins never married women of other non-Royal and non-Brahmin castes because their ancestries had no relation with the ancestries of those castes. 
2) There are proofs for Ramayana and Mahabharata. Also, in these scriptures there is a mention about a warrior tribe called Nāga. At the same time, there is no mention about a community called Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker. 
3) If their ancestor were great warriors, why there is no mention about them and a caste called Kalari kurup/Kalari panicker in the ballads of Kerala? They also claim that their ancestors had good knowledge of astrology and medicine. If that is true, which are the books based on astrology and medicine written by their ancestors? In which language their ancestors wrote the astrological calendars if their ancestors knew to read and write?
The oldest civilization in this world is Harappan civilization or Sindhu-Saraswati civilization. The Mantras of Rigveda are written in the walls of the houses of Harappan civilization. Vedas were written by the ancestors of Brahmins. Rigveda is the oldest religious text in the world. In ancient times Astrology was the profession of Brahmins only. Brahmins are the descendants of Maharishis. Some of the oldest books based on astrology were written by Maharishi Bhrigu and Maharishi Parashara. Similarly, some of the oldest books based on medicine are Sushrutasamhita and Charakasamhita. Dhanurveda, the Veda about martial arts, was written by Maharishi Vashishṭha. The Maharishis were very religious, they had very pious lifestyle and because they chanted Mantras daily and worshiped God with strong devotion through rituals like Pooja,Yagna and Homa, they developed sixth sense using which they learned about astronomy, astrology, medicine, martial arts and various other types of sciences. There is no information about from where the ancestors of Kalari kurups and Kalari panickers learned astrology, medicine and martial arts. Shri. L. Anantha Krishna Iyer has mentioned in his book, in the section about this caste that "Some curious old weapons of war covered with rust were seen by me in their schools, but they would not part with them (തുരുമ്പുകൊണ്ട് പൊതിഞ്ഞ ചില പഴയ യുദ്ധായുധങ്ങൾ അവരുടെ കളരികളിൽ ഞാൻ കണ്ടു, പക്ഷെ അവർ പങ്കെടുക്കുമ്പോൾ അത് ഉപയോഗിക്കാറില്ല)." The rusted weapons might be the ones abandoned by Kshatriyas and Nairs. It is very impolite or disrespectful to keep rusted weapons in Kalaris because in Kalaris the Goddess and other Deities are installed and only after bowing to them with folded hands the practice is begun. Kalari is not a place only for practicing martial arts. The worship of Goddess and other Deities are also performed in Kalaris.
Some words are common in more than one language but they have different meanings. For example, in Tulu language the word Nāyar means plough. Similarly, In Tamil the word Kaḷari (களரி) means gallery and Panikkar (பணிக்கர்) means worker. So, in Tamil the name Kalari Panicker could mean gallery worker. The name Kalari kurup might be later adopted by some members of this caste to raise their social status, the way Kadupattans did. Kadupattan was a caste of salt-workers. Later they changed their caste name to Ezhuthachan to raise their social status. But no one had any objection in Kadupattans changing the name of their caste. They were treated like normal people and they never had to face any problem from the society. 
Nairs have only one caste organisation, and that is Nair Seva Samajam or Nair Service society (NSS). Today many organisations have been made using the name of Nair caste. For example, Samastha Nair Samajam. As far as I have seen, many members of this organisation are non-Nairs of Tamil and Telugu origin. There are many non-Nairs in NSS too. One user on YouTube once told me that some members of NSS are secretly following Christianity. 
Some Non-Brahmin castes have a misconception that their caste is related to Nair. At the same time, some other non-Brahmin castes are creating fabricated stories and are trying to establish that those fabricated stories are true. These story-inventors have mainly targeted three communities in Kerala, the Brahmins, the Kshatriyas (castes of Royal families) and the Nāgarahs/Illathu Nairs. The most painful and unforgivable thing is that some of these story-inventors are trying to have marital relations with members of these three communities by deception. 
Shri. Chirakkal T. Sreedharan Nair had written a book on Kalaripayattu in which he had mentioned the name of Shri. C. V. Narayanan Nair as "C V Narayanan Nair Gurukkal". This could be the reason why some members of Tamil-Gurukkal community migrated to Kannur (the hometown of Shri. C. V. Narayanan Nair) and began to pretend that they belong to Nair community. Maybe, they had a misconception that Nair community has a sub-caste called Gurukkal. In Kerala the word Gurukkal means teacher. It was used by the students to call their teachers and it is not the name of a caste. The members of Tamil-Gurukkal caste, settled in Kerala, changed their caste name to Nair-Gurukkal. I have seen some of their profiles on the matrimonial websites. But after their misconceptions were cleared no issues with this caste have been reported yet. 
Last year, I think, a person commented on one of my posts and I chatted with him by giving replies. He tried to pretend that he belongs to my community. When I asked him about the details of his family, I felt like he is becoming nervous. Finally, I found that he doesn't belong community and when I asked him why did he lie, he said "I am also a Nair. I don't care what you think about me." How rude! isn't it? Because he knows very well that my community has strict rules. I thought, doesn't he feel shame to look down on his own community and think lowly of his ancestors.
Subdivisions are not there only in Hindu community. For example in the Muslim community, there are subdivisions like Sunni, Shia, Salafi, etc. Similarly, in the Christian community there are subdivisions like Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, etc. I think most of the castes of the Hindu community were migrants who were not Hindus before and this could be the reason why in ancient times the members of migrant communities were not allowed to enter Hindu Temples. The indigenous castes of India have a great respect for their their ancestry, rituals and traditions and because of that most of the members of indigenous castes marry according to their caste rules only. 
I have seen some people writing nonsense about Nair community on the internet. When I see such cooked up contents, I think what the writers of these items are trying to prove. If you don't know about a community, you should not write about it. For example, if someone asks me about the rituals of Brahmin community, I would frankly say that I don't know. Because only those who are born and raised in Brahmin community can tell correctly about its rituals. Have you ever seen in my blogs the matters of other castes written with a lot of interest? Also, I have never invented stories about other castes in my life. I have a lot of books based on the history of Kerala and I refer those books to write posts. The Internet is like a blessing from God. Today it is one of the most needed thing in a person's life. Writing genuine contents will help a lot of people around the world to gain more knowledge.

Was Nagavanshi Nair one of the polyandrous communities of ancient India?

Polyandry was absent in the Sangam Era. But later it became popular among many non-Brahmin communities of southern India. There is no clear evidence about how and when polyandry became popular among these communities. I am not at all interested in writing about the personal matters of other castes. But because some people claimed without any proofs that my own caste was too polyandrous in ancient times, I decided refer the books based on the history of Kerala and and write a blog about this topic. There are mixed opinions about polyandry of Nair community. It might be because Nair is a group of castes. Today, there is a new misconception that Sambandham was a polyandrous marriage. 
Some people, especially those who are staunch communists, argue that in ancient Kerala upper castes used to suppress the lower castes and that is why each and every person in those days had to take his/her traditional occupation for living. It was not so. In 'The Suma oriental of Tome Pires' it is mentioned that, "In Malabar a son cannot be more important than his father, the son has to follow his father's profession." Also, in those days the lifestyles of upper castes and lower castes were entirely different. For example, drinking alcohol was regarded as an anti-social matter among the upper castes. 

In 'De aarde en hare bewoners, volgens de nieuwste ontdekkingen: een werk ter bevordering der kennis van landen en volken en van derzelver voortbrengsels en handel, Volume 16', written by Eberhardt August Wilhelm von Zimmermann in Dutch, published in the year 1824, it is stated that, 
"De kinderen, welke uit deze veelmannerij voortkomen, erven met elkander gemeenschappelijk  van alle mannen der moeder. Volgens sommige berigten, bepaalt zich deze veelmannerij der Malabaren niet tot de Caste der krijgslieden alleen, maar daar de Nairen insgelijks verscheidene lagere Casten, b. v. landbouwers, goudsmeden, en andere handwerkers hebben, strekt zich deze lagere klasfen uit. PENNANT beweert zelfs, dat de Nairen, de klasfe der krijgslieden namelijk, ieder der eene vrouw hebben. Hoe dit zij, deze Polyandrie strekt zich zeker niet verre uit." 
Translation: The children, who come from this many times, inherit together from all the mother's men. According to some people, this malice of the Malabars is not confined to the Caste of warriors alone, but since the Nairs likewise several lower Castes, b. v. farmers, goldsmiths, and other craftsmen, extends these lower grades. PENNANT even claims that the Nairs, the class of warriors, each have a wife. Whatever this is, this polyandry certainly does not extend far."
In 'Handbuch der neuefien Erdbefcheeibung', written in German, published in the year 1822, the authors have mentioned that, 
"Die höchfie Klass der Nairen find die Kirif oder Kirum Nairen, woraus ihre Fürsten und häupclinge absiammen, dann folgen die Sudra's, welche die Krieger ausmachen. Bei den 5 niedern klassen herrscht die Geowohnheit, dab eine Frau mehrere Männer nehmen fann, und es giebt Fälle, daß eine Frau 2, 3 und mehrere Bruder zu Männern hat, die aus diefen Ehen entspringenden Kinder erben das ganze Bermögen fämmtlicber Brüder." 
Translation: The highest class of the Nairs are the Kirif or Kirum Nairs, from which their princes and chiefs descend, followed by the Sudra, which make up the warriors. In the 5 lower classes there is the prevalence that a woman fancies several men, and there are cases in which a woman has 2, 3, and several brothers as men, and the children who spring from these marriages inherit all the wealth of brothers.
Pyrard de Laval, who was is Malabar in 1607, gives a fuller and more accurate account. He says, however, that, the "Nairs may have one wife at the time," which is not correct, while a woman may have three husbands at once, "but a Nair woman of Brahmin race may have one only," which shows a certain confusion between the customs of the Nairs and the Nambudiri Brahmins.

Kerala was once a Buddhist region. Prakrit was the language of early Buddhism. Nāyara is the Prakrit word for Nāgara. The Mahabodhi Temple is situated in the banks of river Lilajan. This river is also known as Nairanjana which means 'the sea of snakes'. Some people claim that the word Nair actually came from the word Nāyaka, which means leader, but there is no proof for it. 
In the pre-independence era, Nagavanshi Nairs or Kiriyathil and Illathu Nairs were known as 'Uyarnna Nayarmar' (उयर्न्न नायरमार, meaning: upper caste Nairs). Rest of the sub-castes were known as lower castes Nairs. These lower caste Nairs were migrants from the neighbouring presidencies and later assimilated to the original Nair community. Today they are called Non-Nagavanshi Nairs. Inter-marriage and inter-dinining was forbidden between and Nagavanshi Nairs and Non-Nagavanshi Nairs. Because the Nagavanshi Nairs never accepted Non-Nagavanshi Nairs as the members of their community. Even today, though all the castes socialize with each other inter-caste marriages are very rare. Because religious Hindus marry according to their caste rules only.
Nagavanshi Nair was once such a blessed community that all the families belonging to this community were very rich and wealthy. Men of this caste were known for their martial arts skills and in 4th century B.C. the fame of this caste reached Europe through the writings of Megasthenes. Both 'Kiriyam' and 'Illam' means house. Nagavanshi Nairs were cleanly and respectable people, residing in their own houses, on the banks of rice fields which they owned, and cultivated by the aid of the low caste labourers. Nagavanshi Nairs were careful to pay much respect to the aged relatives. Nephews never sat down in the presence of their uncles. When meeting Brahmins, they used to adore them by folding both hands and the Brahmins in return conferred their blessings by holding left hand to chest and closing the fingers. In 'Asiatic Journal, Volume 25', published in the year 1828, the author has stated that "Nair is a civilized and even polished caste of people." 
Some historians are of the opinion that all Nair families used to practice non-fraternal polyandry in ancient times and one of the reasons for the non-fraternal polyandry may be connected with the military profession of the Nairs. There is no connection between military profession and polyandry. Nairs are Hindu by religion. There are lots of good advises for women in Hinduism. One of them is to remain pure and chaste until marriage and to sincerely love the husband after marriage. No Hindu law book supports polyandry. According to the information given by the historians, most of the polyandrous communities in ancient India were non-warrior communities. In none of the Hindu scriptures it is mentioned that Nagavanshis used to practice polyandry. 
Nair Ballads and poetry contain many passages where polyandry is spoken as of a barbarous and unknown custom. The northern ballads, which is known as Vadakkanpattukal (वडक्कन्पाटुकळ्) in Malayalam, provide numerous instances of polygamous alliances. One of the famous Nair warrior Shri.Thacholi Othenan Kurup had several wives, the most prominent of them being Smt. Chathothu Cheeru, Smt. Karuthenidam Kunhikanni and Smt. Koomundamatam Kunhitheyi.
Dance (for women) and polyandry, both were forbidden in Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes. In the Census of the 1960s, members of Tamil Padam caste (which belongs to the Maravar community of Tamil Nadu) reported their caste as Kiriyathil Nair. Women of Tamil Padam caste were Devadasis and they used to work as dancers in Temples and Palaces before independence. As they began to pretend that they are Kiriyathil Nairs, people who knew very little about Nair community began to believe the Nagavanshi Nair women of previous generations were Devadasis. I have a huge respect for worship dances and devotional songs of Hinduism. But it is true that in Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes dance was forbidden for women. Only Kaikottikkali, which is performed on the day of Onam and Thiruvathira, was allowed for them. And they performed it in front of their family members only. Some Non-Nair castes later divided their caste into Kiriyam and Illam sub-divisions, which created another misconception that these castes are related to Nair community.
Edgar Thurston in his book 'Castes and Tribes of Southern India', published in the year 1909, has stated as follows, "I have not known an admitted instance of polyandry amongst the Nairs of Malabar at the present day, but there is no doubt that, if it does not exist now (and I think it does here and there), it certainly did not long ago." About his travels in Kerala, Swami Vivekanada said on July 15, 1895 at the Thousand Island Park: "In Malabar, although of course polyandry does not obtain there, women lead in everything. Exceptional cleanliness is apparent everywhere and there is the greatest impetus to learning. When I myself was in that country, I met many women who spoke good Sanskrit, while in the rest of India not one in a million can speak it. Mastery elevates and servitude debases. Malabar has never been conquered either by Portuguese, or by Mussalamans."
Shri. K. M. Panikkar had argued that Travancore Nair women were never polyandrous. Those non-polyandrous Nair women were Illathu Nair women. I don't know exactly how many castes in Kerala practiced polyandry in ancient times as I know very little about other castes. But I am 100% sure that polyandry never existed in Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes. The Kings and Princes of Hindu Royal families of Kerala used to marry the women from Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes. After marriage, women of these castes were allowed to stay in the palaces.  
Except the Nambuthiri or Malayali Brahmin, the Nagavanshi Nairs had no other priestly, spiritual or religious instructor. Kettukalyanam or mock marriage was a ritual conducted for Nair girls below the age of ten. This ritual was conducted so that the Nair girl can add the word 'Amma' with her name. That is, after Kettukalyanam or mock-marriage ritual, a Nair girl was allowed to add 'Amma' as a suffix with her name. Sambandham was the principal Malayalam word for marriage as Vivaham is in Sanskrit. Its synonyms are Pudamuri and Vasthradaanam. In Nair Sambandhams, the bridegroom was a man of a real Brahmin caste or a Hindu Royal Familiy or a man of an equal or a higher Nair caste. But if the bridegroom is a Brahmin, he can't eat with his Shudra wife and therefore he was unable to join in the wedding feast (Sadya). Divorces were almost unheard of, or were extremely rare. In most cases the Sambandham lasted for life. Re-marriage was allowed in Nagavanshi Nair community but polyandry was strictly forbidden. According to the Mahabharata, Princess Ulupi was the widowed daughter of the Nagavanshi King Kauravya. She was given in marriage by her father to the Prince Arjuna. 
Nair women were never engaged as laborers. They had no role in the collection of fuel. They had to fetch water for their family. They were solely responsible for the entire domestic chores, including cooking and serving food, rearing children etc. A Nair woman offending against the law of their sect (caste) was sold to Moors and Christians if the King knows it before her male relatives. If the male relatives knew it before the King, they shut her up and killed her with a dagger or spear, saying that, if they do not do so, they would remain greatly dishonoured. And the King used to hold this to be well done." 

When I searched about polyandry in other castes, I got some details from some books based on the history of Kerala. Before reading that, you should keep in mind that all these details are of the period before the reformation of Kerala which were made by the Hindu spiritual leaders. In 19th century, Thiyyas and Ezhavas were known as "Teer, Teyar, Tiar, Eeyoover and Juver."  They were a caste of toddy-tappers. The women of this caste were polyandous and admitted all comers. In those days they were treated as unclean and were compelled to move from the road when a person of upper caste approached. In Malabar Marriage Commision of 1894, it is stated that, "In early days of British rule the Tiyan women incurred no social disgrace by consorting with Europeans." 
The marriage ties of the Pulaya and Paraya caste in the pre-independence era are described as loose. In these castes, divorce was common, remarriage of widows was permitted, both polyandry and polygyny existed. The Panan caste is known for its striking devil dances and they followed fraternal polyandry.
The artisan castes used to practice fraternal polyandry. Kammalan is one the artisan caste of southern India. When one of the authors of the book 'New Scientist', published in the 1962, asked some Kammalars that why they followed polyandry, he got the same reply which he received from the Toda community. They said, "If there is only one wife there are no quarrels in which women of the drag the men." But Shri. A. Ayyappan in his book 'The personality of Kerala' has written that, "I have come across instances of friction between Ezhava brothers having a common wife and used them as an argument against Russel's view that human sexual jealousy can be fully controlled." Soundikolpatti' is a book written by some Ezhavas of south Malabar in puranic Indian style. This book says about seven brothers who were polyandrous and are the ancestors of Ezhavas. 
Kaniyar was a caste of fortune tellers and umbrella makers. Later it became a caste of astrologers. In ancient times, Panans, Velans and the Kaniyans used to practice magic, probably an inheritance of their ancestors, but astrology was the profession of Brahmins only. Perhaps, after social reformation Kaniyars may have learned astrology from the Brahmins. Kaniyar too was once a polyandrous caste. In the Cochin Castes and Tribes, written by Shri. L. Anantha Krishna Iyer, published in the year 1909, it is stated that, "Among the Kaniyans as well as the Panikkans polyandry largely prevails. The Kaniyans explain their custom of practising polyandry by saying that their caste-men are very poor, and cannot afford the expenses of the large families that there might be, if the brothers married different women and had separate families. The brothers cannot afford to live together for a long time, for they very often go from place to place to earn their livelihood by astrology. Each brother is at home only for few days in each month. If several of them happen to be at home together for a weeks, each in turn associates with the woman in accordance with the directions given by their mother." 



 
Reference: Swami Vivekananda in India: A Corrective Biography by Shri. Rajagopal Chattopadhyaya, Matrilineal Kinship edited by David Murray Schnieder, Kathleen Gough, Native life in Travancore by Samuel Mateer, Conflict and Culture: Sociological Essays by Shri. Thulaseedharan, Hindu-Muslim Relations in North Malabar, 1498-1947 by Theodore P. C. Gabriel, Social and Physical Anthropology of the Nayadis of Malabar by Shri. A. Ayyappan, Iravas and Culture Change by Shri. A. Ayyappan,  Book: Maharashtra, Part 3. Author: B. V. Bhanu, Cyclopedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia, Volume 2 by Edward Balfour, Malabar Marriage Commision 1894, 'Culture, Creation, and Procreation: Concepts of Kinship in South Asian Practice' written by Monica Bock and Aparna Rao, Asian Folklore Studies, Volumes 34-36, India: an anthropological perspective by Stephen A. Tyler,  Studies in Traditional Kerala Society by K. Thulaseedharan, Census of India, 1931, The Development of Democracy in India by K. Rajeswara Row, 1924, Buddhism in Indian Literature by Narendra Kumar Dash, Age of the Nandas and Mauryas edited by Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta Sastri.