Nair - Religion

Religion

Panikkar, writing in 1918, describes the religious practices of Nairs as being "an extraordinary mixture of Hindu and Dravidian cults." and that the community was at that time "as a whole, a people almost without a religion". Of those who were devout Hindus, he notes that " ... although they have been Hinduised in form and have belonged to the Hindu fold, their primitive beliefs have survived to a great extent ... still maintain with undiminished vigour their spirit-worship, black-magic, and demoniacal ceremonies ...".

Despite being influenced by the Aryan traditions, remnants of the Nāga customs can still be found amongst the Nairs, such as serpent worship. Sacred forests, where naga devatas (serpent gods) are worshipped can be found in many Nair tharavads. These sacred forests are known as sarpa kavu ("abode of the Snake God"). Shrines where offerings are made to serpents, chitrakudam (nagakotta) are "an indispensable adjunct" to every Nayar house. The worship of serpents was significant to the entire tharavad since, as Gough says, they "... could inflict or avert sickness in general but were especially believed to be responsible for the fertility or barrenness of tharavad women". She considers it possible that they were viewed as phallic symbols.

There had been Hindu–Muslim clashes during the medieval period, notably the Captivity of Nairs at Seringapatam, where thousands of Nairs were slaughtered by Muslims under Tipu Sultan. Many more became refugees and fled to South Kerala. The defeat of the Nairs in Seringapatam resulted in the destruction of Hinduism in Southern Mysore region. However the Nairs of Travancore, with the help of the English East India Company were able to defeat the Muslim forces in 1792 at the Third Anglo-Mysore War. A second conflict which happened during 1920s, known as the Moplah Riots culminated in the killing of close to 30,000 Nairs. by Muslims and resulted in near complete exodus of Hindus from Malabar.