Kerala the Land | Malabar in Kerala | Origins of Kerala People | Race Mixing | Munda Race and Kerala People  | Cheramans | Parayas | Panans | Velans | Nayars or Nairs | Christians | Muslims | Jews

Panans are described as devil dancers. They make umbrellas with the leaves of the Palmyra tree. Their women used to serve as midwives. They are the descendants of Malayans, the hill tribe, and they go about at the time of harvest from house to house to exorcise evil spirits from the bodies of children. They are known for the melodious music. The Panan and his wife Patti, visit the village houses at mid night and sing 'tuyilunarttu pattu' (awakening song) to the accompaniment of a percussion instrument called Maddalam. The Patti joins him in singing and keeps the beats with a bell metal vessel and with a knife. Shiva and Parvathi are their favourite gods who are said to have bestowed boons on their predecessors to earn their lively hood by adopting music as their profession. They receive gift like paddy, coconut, salt, oil, cloth from the village houses.

Velans are also devil dancers. In the northern districts, Peruvannam and Mannan also belong to the same profession. The Vannans, Velars and Malayars of Cannanore district were the original dancers of 'Theyyam' or 'Kaliyattam', which is a highly ritualistic dance with its rare and grotesque make-up and costume, lively foot work, gymnastic fervour and ritualistic vitality. 'Teyyam' represents a glorious period of folk life in Kerala and the souls of the dead heroes of the land and the gods and goddesses are supposed to come in our midst through the medium of the possessed dancers and converse with us on matters of even, contemporary significance.

The Malayans or the people of Mala (mountain) were the early Teyyam dancers. The tribal communities that were the custodians of the art of dancing were known by different names like Mavelon, Velan, Koppalan. Some of them belong to the Tulu country of the present South Karnataka which once formed the contiguous area belonging to the same cultural heritage.

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Ezhavas form a major community known as Chovas. In the northern districts Tiyyas also come under this community. They are found all over Kerala basically as a cultivating class. Traditionally they are connected with growing and tapping of coconut trees. The term Chovan is believed generally as a corruption of Sevaka or servant. Ezhavas belong to the working class and they were treated as untouchables. Ezhavas are now a fast improving, gaining strength economically, culturally and politically.

Nayars or Nairs

Nayars are said to be a Dravidian community who were the military gentry of the land. The most influential territorial unit in the Dravidian set up of administration was a tara which means a ground, a village or a quarter. Nayars include many caste division such as barbers (Velakkittala), washer men (Veluttetattu), oil mongers (Chakkala) temple dependants (Marars), Kiriyam is said to be the highest class. Next is Illakkar who served the Illam or the homes of the Nambootiri Brahmins and then Swapuram who served the Kshatriyas. Nayars were treated as the gentry whose main work was to protect the land both in offence and defence. So they were treated as Kshatriyas. They provide a well-knit national militia for the whole land. This was the famous Kalari system. Kalari was the institution which had kept up the martial spirit of the Nayars. Every organisation and the system of inheritance of Nayars were based on 'Marumakkattayam', a system of matrilineal descent. Ezhavas too followed this system. Women enjoyed social freedom and they were married outside their own community, mostly among Brahmin Nambootiris.

On a broad basis, the accepted caste division of the Hindu community was into four groups the Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Sudras and then the lowest, the out castes. The Malayali Brahmins or Nambootiris and the Tamil Brahmins occupied a very influential position in the caste order, but the Nambootiris always held their supremacy as the purest stock of Hindu hierarchy. Their contributions to Malayalam poetry, drama, astrology, astronomy, medicine and arts are indisputable. There are many Brahmin sub-castes like Ilayatu, Muttatu, Unni, Pisharoti, Nambiti Gurukkal many of whom belong to the Ambalavasi class. A Pisharoti does not wear the sacred thread and so also Warrier. Elayatu is the traditional purohit (priest) of Nayars who conduct the after-death rites for them. They wear the sacred thread and do the puja in the temples, but they are not aristocratic as the Nambootiris. Pushpakas and Warriers are temple employees mainly engaged in making flower garlands for offering to the deity. The Warrier community is famous for their learning in Sanskrit literature. Marans who belong to the community of Nayars, are temple musicians who are main custodians of the Sopana system of music or the music of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple. They are experts in percussion  instruments like Maddalam, Chenda, Edakka. Poduval is another caste of temple musicians

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