It was very painful to know that even after the formation of Kerala Vellala Maha Sabha some Vellalars were still trying to become the part of Nair community. There was a misconception in some non-Nair communities that Kovilakkaars were actually Nairs and some of them were made to perform Bhoogarbha Yagna and were declared as Royals. When non-Nairs heard about it, an awful lot of them started to declare that they belong to Nair community. Some Kerala Vellalars were some of those people who wanted to become the part of Nair community and they thought that it would be easy for them to become Nairs as they are using the Pillai surname for generations. They never tried to know about the Nair community and it's rules. Now I am going to tell you about the differences between Nairs and Vellalars.
Avunculate marriage
Avunculate marriage means uncle-niece marriage or aunt-nephew marriage. Vellalars practice uncle-niece marriage whereas in Nair community it is a sin. Even if Nair community becomes patrilineal in future we Nairs will never change our community rules. In Nair community cross-cousin marriages are allowed at the same first-cousin, second-cousin marriages are considered to be a sin. That is, marrying a person whose mother is sister, cousin sister or distant cousin sister of one's mother or whose father is brother, cousin brother or distant cousin brother of one's father is a sin in Nair community. Nairs who do such a marriage are kicked out of their families.
Tharavādu
Vellalars don't have Tharavādu. Every Kiriyathil-Illathu Nair in this world belongs to a Tharavādu. Today, most of the Nairs are given residential land as ancestral property and only one member is given the Tharavādu. The holder of Tharavādu may later sell it or demolish it to construct a modern house. But even if the Tharavādu is sold or doesn't exist anymore, the Kiriyathil-Illathu Nairs keep the Tharavādu name with them. That is, they write their Tharavādu name with their name and surname. Because, people who belong to same Tharavādus are called Sheshakkār(ശേഷക്കാർ/शेषक्कार्). Sheshakkār are like brothers and sisters, they do not marry each other. A Tharavādu may have different branches but even distant related Sheshakkār don't marry each other, Vellalars don't follow Tharavādu system.
Convertion to another religion
In Nair community if a person converts to another religion, he/she will not be accepted as Nair anymore. But in Vellalar community there is a sub-sect called Christian Pillai. Christian Pillais are those Vellalars who got converted to Christianity. As far as I have seen marriage with non-Hindus is accepted in Vellalar community. Whereas is in Nair community it is forbidden. Kiriyathil-Illathu Nairs are allowed to marry from their own community, from Hindu Royal families and from Genuine Brahmin communities only.
Language
Mother tongue of Nairs is Malayalam. There are Nair families in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, there mother tongue too is Malayalam. Do not think that they are Tamil Nairs. There are no such people called Tamil Nairs. Kanyakumari was the part of Travancore. The mother tongue of Vellalars is Tamil. Kerala Vellalars also speak Malayalam very well. Tamils are proud of their language and culture but as far as I have seen Kerala Vellalars are different from them.
Naga worship
Naga worship is one of the most important part of Kiriyathil-Illathu Nair community. Naga Puja is conducted every year in Kiriyathil-Illathu Nair families. At the same time, Naga worship is not important for Vellalars. They don't seem to have a community deity. I have read about their marriage rituals but I haven't got the details about their yearly pujas yet.
So that were some of the differences between Nairs and Vellalars. The similarity between these two communities is only one thing, the Pillai surname. If more than one community shares same surname that doesn't mean that they are related.
Kovilakakkaars are not Nairs. They have no similarty with Nairs. There is a mention about Shastraka Brahmins in Keralolpaththi(केरलाेल्पत्ति). It is given that Lord Parashuram gave weapons to some Brahmins and ordered them perform Kshatriya duties and this group of people were declared as Shastraka Brahmins.
Avunculate marriage
Avunculate marriage means uncle-niece marriage or aunt-nephew marriage. Vellalars practice uncle-niece marriage whereas in Nair community it is a sin. Even if Nair community becomes patrilineal in future we Nairs will never change our community rules. In Nair community cross-cousin marriages are allowed at the same first-cousin, second-cousin marriages are considered to be a sin. That is, marrying a person whose mother is sister, cousin sister or distant cousin sister of one's mother or whose father is brother, cousin brother or distant cousin brother of one's father is a sin in Nair community. Nairs who do such a marriage are kicked out of their families.
Tharavādu
Vellalars don't have Tharavādu. Every Kiriyathil-Illathu Nair in this world belongs to a Tharavādu. Today, most of the Nairs are given residential land as ancestral property and only one member is given the Tharavādu. The holder of Tharavādu may later sell it or demolish it to construct a modern house. But even if the Tharavādu is sold or doesn't exist anymore, the Kiriyathil-Illathu Nairs keep the Tharavādu name with them. That is, they write their Tharavādu name with their name and surname. Because, people who belong to same Tharavādus are called Sheshakkār(ശേഷക്കാർ/शेषक्कार्). Sheshakkār are like brothers and sisters, they do not marry each other. A Tharavādu may have different branches but even distant related Sheshakkār don't marry each other, Vellalars don't follow Tharavādu system.
Convertion to another religion
In Nair community if a person converts to another religion, he/she will not be accepted as Nair anymore. But in Vellalar community there is a sub-sect called Christian Pillai. Christian Pillais are those Vellalars who got converted to Christianity. As far as I have seen marriage with non-Hindus is accepted in Vellalar community. Whereas is in Nair community it is forbidden. Kiriyathil-Illathu Nairs are allowed to marry from their own community, from Hindu Royal families and from Genuine Brahmin communities only.
Language
Mother tongue of Nairs is Malayalam. There are Nair families in Kanyakumari district of Tamil Nadu, there mother tongue too is Malayalam. Do not think that they are Tamil Nairs. There are no such people called Tamil Nairs. Kanyakumari was the part of Travancore. The mother tongue of Vellalars is Tamil. Kerala Vellalars also speak Malayalam very well. Tamils are proud of their language and culture but as far as I have seen Kerala Vellalars are different from them.
Naga worship
Naga worship is one of the most important part of Kiriyathil-Illathu Nair community. Naga Puja is conducted every year in Kiriyathil-Illathu Nair families. At the same time, Naga worship is not important for Vellalars. They don't seem to have a community deity. I have read about their marriage rituals but I haven't got the details about their yearly pujas yet.
So that were some of the differences between Nairs and Vellalars. The similarity between these two communities is only one thing, the Pillai surname. If more than one community shares same surname that doesn't mean that they are related.
Kovilakakkaars are not Nairs. They have no similarty with Nairs. There is a mention about Shastraka Brahmins in Keralolpaththi(केरलाेल्पत्ति). It is given that Lord Parashuram gave weapons to some Brahmins and ordered them perform Kshatriya duties and this group of people were declared as Shastraka Brahmins.
