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Pillai (Kerala title)
Noble title in Kerala, India / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Pillai, (Malayalam: [piɭːai̯]) meaning Prince,[1] is a title of nobility which can either refer to a ruling chief, members of the nobility, or junior princes of the royal family and was mostly used by the upper-caste Nairs community who were historically ranked as or immediately below the king.[2] The oldest lineages of Pillais include not only Kshatriyas[3] but also brahmins[4] who took up the sword. From the early modern period, the title also came to be bestowed upon Savarna subjects by the Kings for services military or political, most of whom were of Nair origin.[5][6] The Nair Pillai caste is unrelated to other Pillais. It is important not to confuse them with the Vellala Pillai, Chetti Pillai, etc. Some of them also use 'Pillai' surname in some parts of Kerala, they have distinct identities and no relation with Kerala title "Pillai".
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![]() Padmanabhaswamy Temple, centre of the power for the Pillai's of Travancore | |
Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
Kerala | |
Languages | |
Malayalam, Sanskrit | |
Religion | |
Hinduism (Brahmin and Kshatriya) | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Madampi, Jenmi, Rajputs, Malayali Brahmins |