Nair Clan is the most archaic warrior clan among all communities over the world. Substantiating this, Nair Clan hold and respect the “mother of all martial arts” Kalarippayattu as Nair Family property. Nair Clan has originated and brought up their culture since the unknown archaic periods in the tropical region of Indian Subcontinent (Kerala western ghats - Sahyadri). The word “Nair” itself has evolved from the word “Nakar.” Naka is ancient malayalam word for Serpent. The clan who worshipped Naka was referred as Nakar and later by time it evolved as Nair in local languages.
By getting more familiar to ‘practices, rituals, and clan traditions’ the Nair Clan gives unique picture more of a huge single family with very ancient heritage. Nair being a modern community, they still care to follow the clan traditions which can be deemed as their identity.
By extensive studies, it brought light to below mentioned three universal traditions of Nair Clan which stand unique to Nair Families irrespective of their current region.
Serpent worship is the prime tradition of Nair Family. Serpent (Naga) is the Kuladevata (clan diety) of Nair Clan. Serpent worship is observed in history as a globally practiced worship system evolved in the archaic or ancient pre-vedic era; and it is truth that Nair is the only organized clan who preserve and profess Serpent Worship in the present era. In Kerala, every Nair Tharavadu had Serpent grove (Sarpakavu) in it. Historians have pointed specifically that “no part of the world has Serpent Worship practiced so intensely as it is in Kerala.
Kalarippayattu is the ancient martial art which is known as “mother of all martial arts.” The binding between Kalarippayattu and Nair Clan is weaved in to micro levels of Nair Joint families. Nair Joint families were known as fusion of Matrilineal Family organization + Sarppakkavu (clan diety) + Family Kalari school + Family diety. In many of foreign visitors’ travelogues, speciality of Nair Clan as warriors and Kalari related rituals are profusely described. The close connection with ancient martial art is undeniable identity to Nair Clan, the most ancient Warrior Clan. Also, more than 70 percent of temples in Kerala were Nair family temples/kalaris which were taken over by the state government after the Independence of India.
Matrilineage is a family system which traces family descendance through Mother and womens’ line. Almost all historians and anthropologists believe that early human kinship was matrilineal everywhere. Here also Nair Clan being known as Matrilineal society points towards the ancientness of the clan. Nair clan is well-known for the respectful attitude towards their womenfolk. This speciality of Nair Clan have been studied by many historians and researchers.
Eminent author “Edith Jemima Simcox” has given a quote in her book named “Primitive Cilvizations or – Outlines of History of Ownership in Archaic Communities (p484, vol 1) which reads as:
“Plato may have borrowed the family law of his ‘Republic’ from that of the Nairs, who also bear a considerable resemblance to his class of guardians; and the undoubted resemblance between Cretan or Spartan and Malayali usage makes it almost certain that Plato had in his mind a phase of Cretan custom developed in a direction approaching more or less closely to that of Malabar.”