Variar
Encyclopedia
Warrier is a South India
n, Hindu
caste of the Ambalavasi
(temple-personnel) community from Kerala
, India
. They are engaged to assist the Namboodiri priests in temple-related chores, primarily catering to the floral requirements and daily maintenance of the temple. Variars form an intermediate between Dwija and Sudra
and are categorized as antarala jati. They are considered higher than the royal family castewise and are second-highest in caste-rankings.
Variars were well known to be the Sanskrit scholars and hence they had the responsibility of teaching Sanskrit in Royal families/ Ruling families(Varma - The Malayalee Rajas)
Variars are vegetarians and shun meat, eggs, fish as well as spicy/pungent foods such as onions and garlic.
According to Jati-nirnaya, variyars were originally brahmins, who were degraded during the Treta-yuga, and they belong to the group of ambalavasis called bharatabhattaraka. A bhattaraka
was a Jain head of monastery, and it is possible that as with the pisharody
s, the Jain-Buddhist traditions in kerala which were squashed after Adi-Shankaracharya and the Bhakti movement, left a respectable group of monastery administrators, who were inducted into temples to help the priest in his activities.
Another account is given in Kerala Mahatmya
"A young Brahman girl was married to an
aged man. Not confident in unaided human effort, under
circumstances such as hers, she devoted a portion of her
time daily to preparing flower garlands for the deity of
the nearest temple, and conceived. But the Brahman
welcomed the little stranger by getting the mother thrown
out of caste. Her garlands could no longer be accepted,
but, nothing daunted, she worked as usual, and made a
mental offering of the garlands she prepared, which,
through an unseen agency, became visible on the person
of the deity. Though the people were struck with shame
at their unkind treatment of the innocent girl, they were
not prepared to take her back. The Variyan caste was
accordingly constituted, and her child was brought up by
�the Azhvanchery Thamprakkal
, and accommodated in the
padippura or out-house at the entrance gate. "
s worked in Vaishnavite temples. Managing the temple and providing materials required for "nivedyam," preparing garlands for decorating the deity, cleaning vessels used for the preparation of "nivadyam" and "Puja", daily maintenance of the temple premises, etc., were responsibilities of the Variyar's family.
In addition to Kazhakam (temple activities), Variars are also well-versed in Sanskrit
. Many of the court tutors of sanskrit were variars, and they were given the title "asan" or teacher. The Variars of Kottakkal
(Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varier's Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal) were (and continue to be) authorities on ayurveda
.
After the Namboothiries' capture of landed properties through a bloodless coup or cultural revolution called "Bhramaswam", "Janmaswam" and "Kaanam" (claiming that the whole land was gifted to them by Parasurama and that they are the original owners of the entire land in Kerala), the Variar was made as "kazhakakkaran", or temple assistant. However, through close association with the Namboothiries, Variars became proficient in Sanskrit, as well as, through the knowledge of Sanskrit, astrology
and Ashtanga Hridaya (Ayurveda).
.
Variyar marriages were traditionally in the form of Kudivaippu, similar to Sarvaswadhanam. For widows, when the first husband dies, clothes may be received from another Variyar, or a Brahman, whose wife the woman becomes.
is Kailasa Gotra, which adheres to the Maha-Namah-Shivaya mantra
. Since they are of Kailasa Gotra, they are considered to belong to the Shaivaite community, although names like Krishna Variar are not uncommon amongst the Variars.
There is a mythological legend which suggests that Lord Shiva
, who was in the Ardhanarieswara form, took two ribs, one of his side and the other of Parasakthi's side, and created a warrier couple, to support the priest and manage the temple activities.
s.
A female heir is usually preferred than a male due to the matrilineal nature of the variar caste in the continuation of the family name as well as property inheritance.
The inheritance lineage was, in fact, created by the Namboodiries, to ensure that children of their male members on Variyar or other such community ladies in Kerala, do not have any right on the Namboodiri father's family property. Traditionally, only the eldest member of a Namboodiri family used to have an official marital relationship. All the younger male members used to have a socially-approved wife-and-husband relationship through a system called "sammmantham", or "sambandham
" and were called "Sammanthakkaran".
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
n, Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
caste of the Ambalavasi
Ambalavasi
Ambalavasi is a generic name for a collection of castes among Hindus in Kerala who render temple services.-Etymology:The term Ambalavasi is derived from two Malayalam words, being Ambalam and Vasi...
(temple-personnel) community from Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. They are engaged to assist the Namboodiri priests in temple-related chores, primarily catering to the floral requirements and daily maintenance of the temple. Variars form an intermediate between Dwija and Sudra
Shudra
Shudra is the fourth Varna, as prescribed in the Purusha Sukta of the Rig veda, which constitutes society into four varnas or Chaturvarna. The other three varnas are Brahmans - priests, Kshatriya - those with governing functions, Vaishya - agriculturalists, cattle rearers and traders...
and are categorized as antarala jati. They are considered higher than the royal family castewise and are second-highest in caste-rankings.
Variars were well known to be the Sanskrit scholars and hence they had the responsibility of teaching Sanskrit in Royal families/ Ruling families(Varma - The Malayalee Rajas)
Variars are vegetarians and shun meat, eggs, fish as well as spicy/pungent foods such as onions and garlic.
Origin
There is a range of theories of the origin of a separate caste of variars. Some of the theories are mythological, while the others give more down-to-earth explanations.According to Jati-nirnaya, variyars were originally brahmins, who were degraded during the Treta-yuga, and they belong to the group of ambalavasis called bharatabhattaraka. A bhattaraka
Bhattaraka
A Bhaṭṭāraka is the head of traditional Jain institutions. They are responsible for training of scholars, maintenance of libraries, managing the endowments, presiding over the installation ceremonies and running of Jain institutions....
was a Jain head of monastery, and it is possible that as with the pisharody
Pisharody
Pisharody is a sub-caste of the Pushpaka Brahmin caste in Kerala. As Vaishnavite Brahmins, Pisharodys were traditionally caretakers of Hindu temples, with temple related jobs and hence clubbed under Ambalavasis...
s, the Jain-Buddhist traditions in kerala which were squashed after Adi-Shankaracharya and the Bhakti movement, left a respectable group of monastery administrators, who were inducted into temples to help the priest in his activities.
Another account is given in Kerala Mahatmya
"A young Brahman girl was married to an
aged man. Not confident in unaided human effort, under
circumstances such as hers, she devoted a portion of her
time daily to preparing flower garlands for the deity of
the nearest temple, and conceived. But the Brahman
welcomed the little stranger by getting the mother thrown
out of caste. Her garlands could no longer be accepted,
but, nothing daunted, she worked as usual, and made a
mental offering of the garlands she prepared, which,
through an unseen agency, became visible on the person
of the deity. Though the people were struck with shame
at their unkind treatment of the innocent girl, they were
not prepared to take her back. The Variyan caste was
accordingly constituted, and her child was brought up by
�the Azhvanchery Thamprakkal
Azhvanchery Thamprakkal
The Azhvanchery Thamprakkal or Azhvanchery Samrat is the title of the senior most male member of the Brahmin feudal lords of Azhvanchery Mana, located in Athavanad, present day Malappuram district, Kerala state, South India...
, and accommodated in the
padippura or out-house at the entrance gate. "
Occupation
The primary duty of Variars was to assist the namboodiri in priestly activities, outside the inner shrine. Traditionally, variars worked in Shiva temples, while their counterparts the PisharodyPisharody
Pisharody is a sub-caste of the Pushpaka Brahmin caste in Kerala. As Vaishnavite Brahmins, Pisharodys were traditionally caretakers of Hindu temples, with temple related jobs and hence clubbed under Ambalavasis...
s worked in Vaishnavite temples. Managing the temple and providing materials required for "nivedyam," preparing garlands for decorating the deity, cleaning vessels used for the preparation of "nivadyam" and "Puja", daily maintenance of the temple premises, etc., were responsibilities of the Variyar's family.
In addition to Kazhakam (temple activities), Variars are also well-versed in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
. Many of the court tutors of sanskrit were variars, and they were given the title "asan" or teacher. The Variars of Kottakkal
Kottakkal
Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...
(Vaidyaratnam P. S. Varier's Arya Vaidya Sala, Kottakkal) were (and continue to be) authorities on ayurveda
Ayurveda
Ayurveda or ayurvedic medicine is a system of traditional medicine native to India and a form of alternative medicine. In Sanskrit, words , meaning "longevity", and , meaning "knowledge" or "science". The earliest literature on Indian medical practice appeared during the Vedic period in India,...
.
After the Namboothiries' capture of landed properties through a bloodless coup or cultural revolution called "Bhramaswam", "Janmaswam" and "Kaanam" (claiming that the whole land was gifted to them by Parasurama and that they are the original owners of the entire land in Kerala), the Variar was made as "kazhakakkaran", or temple assistant. However, through close association with the Namboothiries, Variars became proficient in Sanskrit, as well as, through the knowledge of Sanskrit, astrology
Astrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
and Ashtanga Hridaya (Ayurveda).
Lifestyle
Most of the ceremonies observed by Malayali Brahmans are also performed by the Variyars, the vratas and upanayana being among those which are omitted. An important ceremony in their lives is Shivadiksha which is observed between the twelfth and sixteenth years, important for a variar to enter grihasthaGrihastha
Grihasthya refers to the second phase of an individual's life in the Vedic ashram system. It is often called 'the householders life' revolving as it does around the duties of maintaining a household and leading a family-centred life.-Usage:...
.
Variyar marriages were traditionally in the form of Kudivaippu, similar to Sarvaswadhanam. For widows, when the first husband dies, clothes may be received from another Variyar, or a Brahman, whose wife the woman becomes.
Gotra
Their gotraGotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
is Kailasa Gotra, which adheres to the Maha-Namah-Shivaya mantra
Mantra
A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation"...
. Since they are of Kailasa Gotra, they are considered to belong to the Shaivaite community, although names like Krishna Variar are not uncommon amongst the Variars.
There is a mythological legend which suggests that Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, who was in the Ardhanarieswara form, took two ribs, one of his side and the other of Parasakthi's side, and created a warrier couple, to support the priest and manage the temple activities.
Inheritance
The inheritance of Variars is a long, matrilineal pattern, as they trace their maternal ancestry to Goddess Parvati. In this respect, the Payyannur Gramam of Nambuthiris also follow a similar pattern of inheritance as also the NairNair
Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...
s.
A female heir is usually preferred than a male due to the matrilineal nature of the variar caste in the continuation of the family name as well as property inheritance.
The inheritance lineage was, in fact, created by the Namboodiries, to ensure that children of their male members on Variyar or other such community ladies in Kerala, do not have any right on the Namboodiri father's family property. Traditionally, only the eldest member of a Namboodiri family used to have an official marital relationship. All the younger male members used to have a socially-approved wife-and-husband relationship through a system called "sammmantham", or "sambandham
Sambandham
Sambandham was a form of marital system primarily followed by the Nairs in what is the present-day Indian state of Kerala. This system of marriage was followed by the matriarchal castes of Kerala, though today the custom has ceased to exist...
" and were called "Sammanthakkaran".
Prominent Variars
- T. V. Eachara WarrierT. V. Eachara WarrierProfessor T.V. Eachara Warrier, was a Human rights activist in the state of Kerala, India.He became famous for his legal struggle against the Indian National Congress-led government of Kerala during the Emergency, in an attempt to get to the facts about the disappearance of his son Rajan.After the...
- was a Human rights activist in the state of Kerala, India. - E. Ikkanda Warrier - Prime Minister of Cochin
- Vaidyaratnam P.S.Warrier-Founder of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya sala
- Padmabhushan Dr P K Warrier- Chief Physician of Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala
- Dr P K R Warrier- Eminent Cardio Thorasic Surgeon in India
- Sashi Warrier - Famous Author and Economist
- Rao Bahadur Dr P K Warrier - First Indian Surgeon General of British India
- M R Raghava Warrier - Famous Historian
- Shivaji - Noted Malayalam film actor
- Shankar Variyar - Mathematician
- N. V. Krishna WarrierN. V. Krishna WarrierN. V. Krishna Warrier was an Indian poet, newspaper editor and scholar.Warrier was well-versed in different languages. During the Quit India Movement, he published a daily called Swathanthra Bharatham . He was the editor of Mathrubhumi for a long time. Warrier was the founder director of Kerala...
- Author and Poet - Unnayi WarrierUnnayi WarrierUnnayi Variyar Unnayi Variyar Unnayi Variyar (also, Variar/Warrier/Warriar was a poet, writer, scholar, dramatist who lived in Kerala, India during the later part of the 17th century.He gave immense contributions to the art of Kathakali the classical dance-drama form of Kerala...
- Renowned writer - Kalamandalam Sankara WarrierKalamandalam Sankara WarrierKalamandalam Sankara Warrier is an acclaimed Indian percussionist of the Kerala ethnic drum called maddalam, and has specialised in its playing for the dance-drama of Kathakali.-Personal life:...
- Famous Kathakali Maddalam Artist - Unni WarrierUnni WarrierUnni Warrier is the co-founder, and former president, chairman, and CEO of CyberMedia, a public company providing automatic service and support software for the PC.-Biography:...
- Co-founder, and former president, chairman, and CEO of CyberMedia - Ramapurathu WarrierRamapurathu WarrierRamapurathu Warrier is considered to be the pioneer of the "Vanchipattu" or Boatsong form of poetry in Malayalam language.He was born in Ramapuram, near Palai, in Meenachil Taluk, Kottayam District, Kerala. He was a courtier of two successive Kings of Travancore, viz...
- Poet, author of Kuchelavrutham vanchippattu - Padmasree Warrior - CTO of Cisco Systems
- P.B Warrier - Former CEO, BVQI, South Asia