page_title: Nair
section_title: Arts
hierarchical_section_title: Nair / Culture / Arts
caption_attribution_description: English: Portrait of Mahaprabha Thampuratti of Mavelikkara, Raja Ravi Varma's daughter holding her son Marthanda Varma. A dog at the foot of the woman looks out. She is standing on a carpet. There is a chair with red fabric draped over it behind the woman. There is a bed in the background.മലയാളം: മാതൃകയാക്കിയിരിക്കുന്നത് സ്വന്തം പുത്രിയായ മഹാപ്രഭ തമ്പുരാട്ടിയെ ആണ്, മൂത്ത മകനായ മാർത്താണ്ഡ വർമ്മയാണ് മഹാപ്രഭ തമ്പുരാട്ടിയുടെ കൈയ്യിൽ. 1893-ൽ രചിച്ച ചിത്രം
context_page_description: The Nair, also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom historically bore the name 'Nair'. These people lived, and continue to live, in the area which is now the Indian state of Kerala. Their internal caste behaviours and systems are markedly different between the people in the northern and southern sections of the area, although there is not very much reliable information on those inhabiting the north.
  Historically, Nairs lived in large family units called tharavads that housed descendants of one common female ancestor. These family units along with their unusual marriage customs, which are no longer practiced, have been much studied. Although the detail varied from one region to the next, the main points of interest to researchers of Nair marriage customs were the existence of two particular rituals—the pre-pubertal thalikettu kalyanam and the later sambandam—and the practice of polygamy in some areas. Some Nair women also practiced hypergamy with Nambudiri Brahmins from the Malabar region.
context_section_description: Historically most Nairs were literate in Malayalam, and many in Sanskrit. The explanation for this literacy was attributed to the general needs of administration, as many Nairs served as scribes and bailiffs for the royal courts. Many Nairs had become prominent philosophers and poets, and from the 16th century and onwards the Nairs contributed increasingly to literature and drama. Nairs from the lowest subsections of the community had also partaken in these artistic traditions. By the 19th century, novels written by Nairs had dealt with themes of social change. These themes would primarily relate to the rise of the nuclear family in replacement of the old matrilineal system.  Novels such as, for example, Indulekha by O.C Menon had themes which dealt with societal constraints on romantic love, while C.V Raman Pillai's Marthanda Varma had dealt with themes relating to the Nair military past. 
  Kathakali is a dance-drama which portrays scenes from Sanskrit epics or stories. The dance drama was historically performed exclusively by Nairs  and had always traditionally been associated with them; Nair rulers and chiefs had patronized the art, the first Ramanattam plays were written by a Nair from a ruling family, and Kathakali had foundations in Nair military training and religious customs. The first Kathakali actors were most likely Nair soldiers who performed the dance-drama part-time, influenced by the techniques of Kalaripayattu. As Kathakali developed as an art form, the need for specialization and detail grew. Those  who had become masters of the art would pass their traditions on to their families. These families were the source of the next generations of Kathakali students, and it was often the nephew of the master that would be chosen as the disciple.
caption: There Comes Papa (1893) by Raja Ravi Varma depicts a Nair woman[53][54] in the traditional mundum neryathum.[55][56] The painting has also been noted by several critics due its symbolism of the decline of Nair matrilinity.[57][58][59]
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