Nambiar (Nair subcaste)

Nambiar

Regions with significant populations
Mostly in North Malabar.
Languages
Malayalam
Religion
Hinduism
Related ethnic groups
Vermas, Kurups, Nayanars,

The Nambiār, also known as Nambiyār, is an Indian caste who were historically the landlord clans in the North Malabar region of Kerala. The Nambiars are in many ways similar to Nair, due to different ethnic origin. In a broader sense, term "Nambiar" is used to cover all those Samanthan Nair clans of North Malabar.

Position in society

Sthānam holders (dignities)

Nambiārs like other Nāyars in north Malabār, until the early twentieth century held a prejudice that they were superior to their counterparts in South Malabar. In earlier days, Nambiār women, like most women of Nāyar clans of north Malabar would not unite herself to Nāyar men of South Malabar, nor to Nāyarr men from central and south Kerala. Therefore such superior-clan Nāyar woman of North Malabār (Nambiār women being no exception), could not pass the hills to the eastward and the Elathur River to the south. It was a taboo and breach of which involved forfeiture of caste.

However in the early twentieth century, wives of government employees (stationed outside north Malabār) began to accompany their husbands and such customs and prejudices died out in due course.

Customs and practices

Nambiārs followed the Marumakkathayam (Matrilineal) system of inheritance with both uxorilocal and virilocal marriages and lived in units called Tharavadus (matrilineal joint-family). General Nair customs and practices like pulikudi, irupethiettu, choroonu, Kāthukuthu, Vidyārambham, Tālikettu, Thirandukalyānam and pudamuri among Nambiārs were practised. Kolathiri Royal family was also Nambiars. As Nambiars were the top-most- Nair clan, they never did marriage alliance with Nambuthiries.

Nambiārs take part in extensive Serpent / (Nāga), Vettakkorumakan and Daivathar worship along with the worship of Shiva, Durga and Vishnu as their clan-deities (Kula Daivam).

See also

• Nair subcastes
• Kalarippayattu
• Jenmi
• Naduvazhi