False Assumptions About Nair Community

First of all, I request all the hackers not to hack this website and make changes in the posts. Some screenshots and details might be disturbing and I apologise for it. But, I haven't written anything created in my imagination. I have not included any baseless information in this post. The details about the communities mentioned in this post are taken from the books which I used for reference. I have also added the screenshots of the pages of those books as proofs. I was a little upset while writing this post because I like to write posts which makes both me and the readers happy and this post is not of that kind. I was impelled to write to this post because of the problems I faced for being a Nair woman. 

I have been noticing for many years that some wealthy and powerful anti-social people are fabricating stories about the female ancestors of Nairs. That their female ancestors were characterless women. They are also influencing the immoral women of other communities to use Nair surnames. I don't know what the agenda behind it is. 
Nair was a matrilineal community. If a family is matrilineal that doesn't mean that women of that family are characterless and hypersexual. There are thousands of good advises and do's and don'ts in the scriptures of Non-Abrahamic religions. I don't know which Nair sub-castes were matriarchial. Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes were matrilineal and patriarchial. Families were ruled by Karanavars, that is, eldest male members. But I have seen some matriarchal families in which women were and are very decent and respectful towards men. 

Some Hindu-haters taunt the Nairs by saying the incorrect details of the history of the Nair community, like, Sambandham was equal to prostitution, female ancestors of Nairs were libertine and unscrupulous etc. I too have suffered a lot because of being a Hindu and a General Category Nair. So, I decided to read the history books about Kerala and try to know what is written about prostitution and polyandry in these books. I have not included any baseless information in this post. I have written only what I read and in a few paragraphs about Nair community I have added my opinions. I have also added the screenshots of the pages of books which I used for reference as proofs.  

First of all, The rulers of Kerala are as follows. I got this information from the internet.

1. Kerala was known as Udra Keralam at the time of Mahabharata - King of Kerala supported the Pandavas in Kurukshetra war.
2. Venad (Southern Travancore) was once a Naga Kingdom - From Puranas
3. Chola Dynasty - 1C.E. to 13 C.E.
4. Chera Dynasty - 3 B.C.E to 12 C.E. 
5. Chalukya Dynasty- 6th century to 12 century (North Malabar only). 
6. Rashtrakuta Dynasty - 6th century to 10th century (North Malabar only). 

7. Pandya Dynasty - 9th to 13th century. 
8. Vijayanagara Empire - 13th century to 15th century.
9. Portuguese period - 15th century to 16th century.
10. Dutch period - 17th century to 18th century. 
11. French region in Kerala - 1724 to 1785 (In 1741, Mahé de La Bourdonnais retook the town after a period of occupation by the Marathas. In 1761 the British captured Mahe (Mayyazhi), India and the settlement was handed over to the King of Kadathanadu.)
12. Rule of King Hyder Ali and King Tipu Sultan - 1766 to 1792.
13. Maratha Empire - 18th century to 19th century.
14. British rule - 1792 to 1947.

15. Formation of new Kerala - 1961 

15th and 16th Centuries 

In 15th and 16th centuries, Kerala was under Portuguese rule. Duarte Barbosa was one of the Portuguese travelers who visited Kerala at that time. In those days, Kerala was known as Malabar.  Duarte Barbosa's book or travel diary is used by many historians for reference even today. Let's look at what Duarte Barbosa has said about Nair community in his book.  
No one can become Nair if he is not of good lineage. In Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes, that is, in Nagavanshi Nair community too lineage is very important. We are allowed to marry from our own community, from Hindu royal families, and from Genuine Brahmin communities only. Second screenshot says about Kettukalyanam. It was a ritual conducted in Nair community for young girls, below the age of ten, so that they can put "Amma" as a suffix with their names. In Wikipedia I read the article related to Kettukalyanam and it says that the bride and bridegroom used to co-habit for three days after Kettukalyanam. Rubbish! In Duarte Barbosa's book, it is clearly written that the bridegroom used to leave the bride without touching her. 

 

Nairs were nondrinkers. When Nair men were at war they were allowed to touch peasants, and eat and drink with them in their houses. Nair men never entered the room of young girls, never touched or spoke with them. Nair men were allowed to have mistresses from washermen (Veluthedathu) and weaver (Shaliya/Chaliyan) communities. One source of income for Nair men was working under the Kings. Another source of income was business. Nair men used to sell pepper and ginger to the merchants. Women in Kiriyathil and Illathu Nair castes were not allowed to have a job in olden times. Because, our sacred scriptures say that women should always be protected by men. Men of our community didn't like the women of their families travelling daily, working hard to earn money, and interacting with strangers. So, women were made to remain inside the house all the time. Women were taught all the household work right from their childhood. They were given very little education like how to read and write Malayalam, counting objects, and lower level addition and multiplication. 

 

   

Nair women entered the town only once in a year and that too with her male relatives. It's proof that Nair women were not allowed to travel without their male relatives. If any Nair woman went against the law of her caste and if the King knew about it he used to command her to be taken or sold out of the kingdom to Moors (Muslims) or Chrisitians. If her male relatives came to know about it before the King, then her male relatives would kill her with dagger and spear wounds. 

 

The next screenshot says about polyandry. It says that if the unmarried Nair woman of marriageable age was pretty three or four Nair men agreed to be her husband. Here Duarte Barbosa has not mentioned which Nair sub-castes practiced polyandry. I think he didn't knew that there many castes inside Nair community. In sixteenth century, Hindu Kings of Kerala married only the Nair women of good lineage. They had separate palaces for their wives. Because, The King belong to Kshatriya Varna and Nairs were included in Shudra Varna. In Southern Travancore, these palaces, which were made for the wives of Kings, are called Ammachiveedu. The King had the right to divorce his wife if she caused him some discontent.

Polyandry was practiced in different parts of South Asia but it is not at all equal to prostitution or sex-selling. Even today there are men who are married to more than one woman. They are not male prostitutes. They are their wives' husband and guardian. Similarly, If a woman is married to more than one man she is not a harlot. She is their consort, helpmate, and a homemaker. In the pre-independence era, there were many financially backward communities in Kerala that practiced fraternal polyandry. But it is not recorded in the history books that women of these communities had loose morals.

The next screenshot says that Nair women only got the food to eat by means of their bodies. In the end of the paragraph a footnote's number is given. If you check the footnote, you can see that the first sentence itself says, "This legalized disorder appears to be exaggerated." This screenshot also says that there was a belief in the Nair community that woman who dies virgin will not go to paradise. This is an incorrect detail. There was no such belief in the Nair community. It was mandatory for Nair women to get married and have children to save the family from extinction because the Nair community was matrilineal. The following screenshot says Nair children remained with their mother at the expense of their mother and the brothers of their mother. This screenshot also says that In those days Nairs didn't know their fathers. I don't know about other sub-castes. But Kiriyathil and Illathu castes were and are monoandrous like Brahmin community. In these two castes children knew who their father was. 

  

Nair community was matrilineal mainly because most of the Nair men were warriors. If a Nair woman became widow or if a married Nair woman's husband was at war she remained safely in her own house with her mother, maternal aunts, maternal uncles, sisters, children and sisters' children . So, in Nair families, it was a woman's maternal uncles', brothers', and sons' responsibility to take care of her even if her husband is alive. Similarly, In her husband's family, his mother, sisters, daughters, and nieces were taken care of by him, his maternal uncles, his brothers, his maternal cousin brothers, and his sister's sons. 

Now, lets look at what Duarte Barbosa has written about the Thiyya community. Thiyya is an independent community of Toddy-tappers in Malabar. They are known as Ezhava in Travancore. Chovvan/Chekon/Chegon is the warrior section of this community. 

Duarte Barbosa has written in his book that respectable people never touched the Thiyyas. Some of the Thiyyas used to learn the use of arms and fought in wars when it was necessary. The wives of the Thiyyas gave themselves to the natives of the country, the Moors (Muslims), and all kinds of foreigners with the knowledge of their husbands and it was their husbands who gave them the opportunity to do these things. Sometimes, two brothers had one wife. That is, they used practice fraternal polyandry. In 16th century, only the Thiyya commnuity made wine/toddy and sold it. 

 

Now lets look at what Duarte Barbosa has written about the Mukkuva community. Mukkuva is the community of fishermen in Kerala. Duarte Barbosa has written that the Mukkuvars were thieves and shameless and their wives slept with whom they like without their thinking ill of it. 

17th and 18th centuries 
In 17th and 18th centuries, Kerala was under Dutch rule. François Pyrard de Laval was one of the Dutch travelers who visited Kerala at that time. At that time too, Kerala was known as Malabar. Let's look at what François Pyrard de Laval has written about Nair community.
He has written that Nair women may have three husbands at a time but the Nair women of Brameny (Brahmin) race may have only one. He has mentioned Brahmin or Brahmanan as Brameny because he didn't knew Malayalam. The Nairs of Brahmin race are none other than Kiriyathil and Illathu Nairs. Kiriyathil Nairs were known as Vellayma in Kochi region. Some people mistake them as Vellalar, a Non-Malayali community. Later, the Vellayma Nairs got assimilated into Kiriyathil Nair caste. Similarly, Illathu Nairs are known as Shudra Nairs in Souther Malabar. Shudra Nairs are Illathu Nairs who once immigrated from Travancore to Southern Malabar. Every Kiriyathil Nair and Illathu Nair family has Nambuthiri family name and facial resemblance with the members of the Nambuthiri family with which they connected. Rest of the Nair castes are Swaroopathil, Charna, Pallichan, Vattekad/Chekkala, Idechery, Vilakkithala, and Veluthedathu etc. and they are NOT of Brahmin race. 

Now let's look at what François Pyrard de Laval has written about the Thiyya/Ezhava community and Mukkuva community. 
He has written, "And there are none other concubines or public girls but the wives and daughters of these Moucois (Mukkuva), Tiua (Thiyya), or the artisan class; for the other only to those of their own caste. The Moucois women lack not beauty, and some are fairer than the other women; their mothers prostitute them for money at the earliest age they can." 

 

Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan's reign period
Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan ruled Kerala from 1766 to 1792. When I searched about it on the internet, I found that some writers have written in their book that Tipu Sultan had said in his letters, while he was ruling Kerala, that Nair women used to roam bare chested and Nair women were polyandrous. I wanted to make sure what they have written in their books is whether true or false. I searched for the translation of Tipu Sultan's letters. I got the translations of a letter and the law made by Tipu Sultan from two books: "The Sword of Tipu Sultan" by Shri. B. S. Gidwani and "Marathas Sikhs and Southern Sultans of India" by Dr. Shimran Khan. Below are the screenshots of the translations of the letters. 

First screenshot is the translation of a letter written in the year 1785. Tipu Sultan has written that women of Malabar (Kerala) didn't cover their chest. Note, Tipu Sultan has written "women of Malabar" and not "Nair women". It was because in those days there was a belief, a superstitious belief, in Kerala that men and women who cover their chest have bad character or loose morals.
                                                              
The second screenshot shows the translation of the law made by Tipu Sultan for the people of Kerala. In this law, he has ordered that the women of Malabar (Kerala) should not practice polyandry anymore. Note, in this letter too Tipu Sultan has written "women of Malabar" and not "Nair women". In those days, people of financially backward communities practiced fraternal polyandry because they didn't have enough money to conduct marriage more than once. That is what I read in one of the Census Reports. So, in financially backward communities, while marrying off a woman, her parents used to wed her with the eldest son of a family of their own caste and after the wedding her husband's family used to declare her as the common wife of all the brothers.                        

British Rule

The British ruled Kerala from 18th century to 20th century. Their rule began after the death of Tipu Sultan and their rule ended on August 15, 1947. Kerala was the part of Madras Presidency in British India. When I was searching about Keralite communities, explanations given in two books caught my attention. 
The first one is from The Cyclopedia of India by Surg. Gen. Edward Balfour published in the year 1885. He has written about Nair community that, "It is only in the Taluks of Nidunganad, Kuttanad, Chowghat, and some parts of Vettunad, and a few adjoining spots in Vettunad alone, that a woman the Nair is kept at same time, by two or three different men, who are, though, never brothers." He hasn't mentioned the sub-caste of these Nairs. Here is the screenshot. 
     

Now let's see what Surg. Balfour has written about the Thiyya community. He has written, "Many of the Teeyer also of that part of the country do, in some measure, follow the custom of Nair; but the Teeyette (Teeyer woman) of the remaining Teeyer their are notorious harlots." Here is te screenshot.
               

The second one is from Nayars of Malabar by F. Fawcett published in the year 1901. In this book, it is given that Rev. S. Mateer had said to Mr. Fawcett, "I have not known an admitted instance of polyandry amongst Nayars of Malabar (Kerala) at 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." Here are the screenshots of what Rev. S. Mateer said. 

 

Post Independence Era

After independence, India became a democratic country. All the communities began to get modern education. Most of the educated Indians began to prefer jobs with good salaries rather than doing the traditional occupation of their community. 
There is a book called Social Mobility in Kerala written by Filipo Osella and Caroline Osella. It was published in the year 2000. The screenshot is a part of page no: 70 of that book. It shows what a 60 year old Ezhava person with the name Karthikeyan said while sharing one of his life experiences. I don't know if what is written in this screenshot is true or not but I was startled when I read this.

So, it is clear that, Nair community never practiced prostitution. Some Nair sub-castes were polyandrous because, as I said before, in those days financially backward communities and castes didn't have enough money to conduct marriage more than once.

I don't know how true some details which I have added about the Non-Nair communities in this post are. I don't know what to say about them because I don't belong to any of these communities. I am not a person born and raised in any of these communities. I don't know about their cultures. So, I cannot write any opinion about it.