Editing Nair (section)

=== Decline of dominance ===
In 1729, Marthanda Varma became the Raja of Venad and inherited a state facing war and refractory Nair chiefs. Varma curtailed the power of the Nair chiefs and introduced Tamil Brahmins to form a core component of his administration.{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | pp=4-5}} Under Marthanda Varma's reign, the Travancore Nair Infantry (also known as the ''Nair Pattalam'') distinguished themselves in battle against the Dutch at the [[Battle of Colachel]] (1741).<ref name="Sharma1990">{{cite book|author=Gautam Sharma|title=Valour and sacrifice: famous regiments of the Indian Army|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLrTzZd0j1kC&pg=PA59|access-date=3 June 2011|date=1 December 1990|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-140-0|pages=59–}}</ref> The Nair army was re-organized in the European style and had transformed from a feudal-based force into a standing army. Though this army was still made up of Nairs, this had checked the power of local chiefs and was the first limit on Nair dominance.{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | pp=4-5}}

There had been Hindu–Muslim clashes during the medieval period, notably when Muslim armies from [[Mysore]] invaded and [[Mysore invasion of Kerala|gained control of northern Kerala]] in 1766. The Nairs of Kottayam and Kadathanad led the resistance, and the Nairs managed to defeat all Mysorean garrisons except for those in Palakkad.{{sfn | Menon | 2011 | p=158}} Shortly afterwards, Haider Ali died and his son [[Tipu Sultan|Tipu]] had become Sultan. The Nairs of Calicut and South Malabar had recaptured Calicut and defeated an army sent by Tipu to break the siege. This had caused the Sultan himself to intervene in 1789 during which many Hindus, especially Nairs, [[Captivity of Nairs at Seringapatam|were kept captive or killed]] by Muslims under [[Tipu Sultan]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Sarasvati's Children: A History of the Mangalorean Christians|last=Prabhu|first=Alan Machado|year=1999|publisher=I.J.A. Publications|page=250|isbn=978-81-86778-25-8|ref=mac}}</ref>{{sfn | Menon | 2011 | ps=158-161}} Many Nairs had fled to the protection of Travancore, while others engaged in guerilla warfare.{{sfn | Menon | 2011 | ps=158-161}} However the Nairs of Travancore were able to defeat the Muslim forces in 1792 at the [[Third Anglo-Mysore War]]. After this, the [[East India Company]] established its pre-eminence throughout the entire Kerala region.<ref name="Eggenberger1985">{{cite book|first=David |last=Eggenberger|title=An encyclopedia of battles: accounts of over 1,560 battles from 1479&nbsp;B.C. to the present|url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofba00egge|url-access=registration |access-date=6 June 2011|date=1 September 1985|publisher=Courier Dover Publications|isbn=978-0-486-24913-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofba00egge/page/392 392]–}}</ref>
[[File:Members of a Nair brigade.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|left|Members of the Travancore Nair Brigade, drawn in 1855. The Nair brigade was the remnant of the Travancore Nair army after the takeover of the British.<ref name="Ramachandran2008" /><ref name="Administration of Travancore" />]]
The British imposed the next limitation on Nair dominance. After signing the treaty of subsidiary alliance with Travancore in 1795, British residents were sent to the Travancore administration; the interference from the British had caused two rebellions in 1804 and 1809, the latter of which was to have lasting repercussions. [[Velu Thampi Dalawa|Velu Thampi]], the Nair dewan of Travancore, led a [[Travancore rebellion|revolt in 1809]] to remove British influence from the Travancore [[Sarkar (administrative division)|sarkar]].{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | p=5}} After a few months, the rebellion was defeated and Velu Thampi had committed suicide.{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | p=6}} Afterwards, the Nairs were disbanded and disarmed. Up to this time the Nairs had been historically a military community, who along with the [[Nambudiri Brahmins]] owned most of the land in the region; after it, they turned increasingly to administrative service.<ref name="Nossiter1982pp27-28">[[#Nossiter1982|Nossiter (1982)]] pp. 27–28</ref><ref name="Raj1974">{{cite book|author=G. Ramachandra Raj|title=Functions and dysfunctions of social conflict|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zu7ZAAAAMAAJ|access-date=2 June 2011|year=1974|publisher=Popular Prakashan|page=18}}</ref> By this time there were nine small Nair kingdoms and several chiefdoms which were loosely affiliated to them; the British amalgamated seven of those kingdoms (Calicut, Kadattunad, Kolattunad, Kottayam, Kurumbranad, Palghat and Walluvanad) to form [[Malabar District]], while Cochin and Travancore were left as native states under the control of their own rulers but with advice from the British.{{sfnp|Gough|1961|p=304|ps=}}  Velu Thampi's rebellion had made the British wary of Nair leaders, and the Travancore sarkar was mainly under control of British residents although the rest of the administration had been handled for the most part by non-Malayali Brahmins and Nairs.{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | pp=6-8}}

The Travancore army became the [[Nair Brigade|Travancore Nair Brigade]] in 1818–1819.<ref name="Administration of Travancore">{{cite web| publisher=Government of Kerala| work=REPORT OF THE ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS COMMITTEE 1958| url=http://www.localgovkerala.net/lsgd-links/Committee/1Adminrpt1958.asp?intId=1| title=Army of Travancore| access-date=19 February 2007| url-status=usurped| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061216022421/http://www.localgovkerala.net/lsgd-links/Committee/1Adminrpt1958.asp?intID=1| archive-date=16 December 2006| df=dmy-all}}</ref> The Nair unit, 1st Battalion of HH Rani's Troops, was likewise incorporated into this brigade, but the Brigade served only in a police capacity until the withdrawal of the East India Company troops in 1836. In 1901, the unit was relieved of its police duties and placed under a British officer.<ref name="Ramachandran2008">{{cite book|author=D. P. Ramachandran|title=Empire's First Soldiers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Q7EiZmcMPMC&pg=PA284|access-date=6 June 2011|date=October 2008|publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=978-0-9796174-7-8|pages=284–}}</ref> In 1935, the Travancore Nair Regiment and the Maharaja's bodyguard were fused and renamed the Travancore State Force, as part of the [[Indian State Forces]] system.<ref name="Ramachandran2008" />

The changes in the economy and the legal system from the late 1800s had ruined many Nair tharavads. Nair leaders noted the decay of their community and struggled to deal with issues regarding widespread infighting, disunity, and feuds. This was in contrast with other communities who were quick to unite for caste interests.{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | pp=177-181}}{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | p=234}}{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994| p=267}}  By 1908, the Nairs had not completely lost their dominance; they still held the most land, and had still held a majority of the government posts despite competition from low-castes and Christians. The dominance that Nairs historically held from their ritual status had come under opposition. The land that the Nairs historically had held was gradually lost, for there was a massive rate of wealth transfer to Christians and avarna Hindus.{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | pp=xviii-xix}}{{sfn | Jeffrey | 1994 | p=267}} Christian missionaries also found interest in the dissolution of the tharavads as they saw this as an opportunity to convert the Nairs.{{sfn| Jeffrey | 1994 | ps=193}}

In 1914, the [[Nair Service Society]] (NSS) was founded by [[Mannathu Padmanabha Pillai]]. Growing up in poverty and witnessing widespread domestic disarray and land alienation amongst the Nairs had facilitated Padmanabhan to create the NSS. The organization aimed  to respond to these issues by creating educational institutions, welfare programs, and to replace cumbersome customs such as the matrilineal system.<ref name="Nossiter1982p28" />{{sfn | Jeffrey | 2016 | ps=102-104}}

Subsequent to Indian independence from British rule, the regions of Travancore, Malabar District and Cochin became the present-day state of Kerala. It is with regard to the Nairs living in the former areas of Cochin and South Malabar, which are sometimes jointly referred to as Central Kerala, that there is the most information; that available for North Malabar is the most scant.<ref name="Fuller1975p284" /> Two former Travancore State Army divisions, the 1st Travancore Nayar Infantry and the 2nd Travancore Nayar Infantry were converted into 9th and 16th Battalions of Madras Regiment respectively after the independence.<ref name="Sharma1990" />  The Nayar Army from Cochin was incorporated into the 17th Battalion.<ref name="Sharma1990p59">{{cite book |title=Valour and sacrifice: famous regiments of the Indian Army |first=Gautam |last=Sharma |publisher=Allied Publishers |year=1990 |page=59 |isbn=978-81-7023-140-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLrTzZd0j1kC&pg=PA59 |access-date=4 May 2011}}</ref>