Nair Brigade

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{{Short description|Army of the Kingdom of Travancore}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2017}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2017}}
{{infobox national military
|country =[[Travancore]]
|name =Travancore Nair Brigade
|native_name =
|image =Nair Brigade flag.png
|caption =Flag of Nair brigade
|image2 =
|caption2 =
|founded =
|current_form = Integrated into the [[Indian Army]] as the [[9th Battalion Madras Regiment]] and the 16th Battalion of the [[Madras Regiment]] in 1954.
|disbanded =
|branches ={{bulletedlist|Infantry units|State Forces Artillery|Travancore Training Centre|Sudarsan Guards|State Forces Band}}
|headquarters =[[Thiruvananthapuram]]
|flying_hours =

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[[File:Tvm legmuseum.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Headquarters of the Nair Brigade of [[Travancore]]. The building is now the Legislative Museum of [[Kerala]]]]
'''The Nair Brigade''' was the army of the erstwhile kingdom of [[Travancore]] in [[India]]. [[Nair]]s were a warrior community of the region. The personal bodyguard of the king [[Marthanda Varma]] (1706–1758) was also called ''Thiruvithamkoor Nair Pattalam'' (Travancore Nair Army). The Travancore army was officially referred as the Travancore Nair Brigade in 1818.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sharma|first=Gautam|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xLrTzZd0j1kC&pg=PA59|title=Valour and Sacrifice: Famous Regiments of the Indian Army|date=1990|publisher=Allied Publishers|isbn=978-81-7023-140-0|language=en}}</ref>

In the early years, only Nairs were admitted into this brigade. Later, the unit was expanded and several sub-units were formed. The name Nair Brigade remained unchanged, even following the admittance of non-Nairs.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Jeffrey|first=Robin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fFFnAAAACAAJ|title=The Decline of Nayar Dominance: Society and Politics in Travancore, 1847-1908|date=1976|publisher=Chatto and Windus for Sussex University Press|isbn=978-0-85621-054-9|pages=3|language=en}}</ref> The headquarters of the brigade was in [[Thiruvananthapuram]] (Trivandrum).

==History==
[[File:Members of a Nair brigade.jpg|thumb|Members of a Nair brigade]]
The army of Travancore was modernised by Marthanda Varma, who is known as "the maker of modern Travancore".The first Commander in Chief of his army was Kumaraswamy Pillai,<ref name=":0">''Travancore State Manual'' [https://archive.org/details/TRAVANCORESTATEMANUAL pdf Digital book]</ref> who was a veteran soldier. Thanu Pillai, brother of then Dalawa Arumukham Pillai was made the Lieutenant Commander. He defeated the Dutch army with the Travancore army in 1741 at the [[Battle of Colachel]] and captured the Dutch commander Captain [[Eustachius De Lannoy]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name="9th Madras Regiment">
{{cite web
|publisher = The journal of India's Armed Forces
|work = Sainik Samachar
|url = http://mod.nic.in/samachar/april15-04/body.html#l1
|title = 9 Madras : A Tale of 'Terrors'
|access-date = 2007-04-20
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160312081154/http://mod.nic.in/samachar/april15-04/body.html#l1
|archive-date = 12 March 2016
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
Marthanda Varma agreed to spare the Dutch captain's life on the condition that he joined his army and trained his soldiers on modern lines.<ref name="9th Madras Regiment Colachal Battle">
{{cite web
|publisher = The journal of India's Armed Forces
|work = Sainik Samachar
|url = http://mod.nic.in/samachar/april15-04/body.html#l1
|title = Battle of Colachal
|access-date = 2007-04-20
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160312081154/http://mod.nic.in/samachar/april15-04/body.html#l1
|archive-date = 12 March 2016
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>

The Travancore army was reorganised as the Travancore Nair Brigade in 1818.<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 = 2007-02-19
|url-status = dead
|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 Travancore Army was considered a part of the Indian State Forces from 1935. The units were known as the First, Second and Third Travancore infantry. The State Forces consisted of infantry units, the State Forces Artillery, the Travancore Training Centre, the Sudarsan Guards and the State Forces Band.<ref name="Administration of Travancore - Army">
{{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 Units of Travancore
|access-date = 2007-02-19
|url-status = dead
|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> With the integration of the State into the Indian Union, the Nair Brigade was integrated into the [[Indian Army]] as the [[9th Battalion Madras Regiment]] (1st Travancore) and the 16th Battalion of the Madras Regiment (2nd Travancore) in 1954.<ref name="Travancore State Forces">{{cite web
|publisher = Government of India
|work = Military Heritage
|url = https://indianarmy.nic.in/
|title = Army of Travancore
|access-date = 2020-03-27
|url-status = dead
|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200413124927/https://indianarmy.nic.in/Site/FormTemplete/frmTempSimple.aspx?MnId=0Shq7wwoytm5UmTfNYDhxQ%3D%3D&ParentID=X8ZXdizSqjhXDuSfL0C75Q%3D%3Dlinks%2FCommittee%2F1Adminrpt1958.asp%3FintID%3D1
|archive-date = 26 June 2017
|df = dmy-all
}}</ref>

== Strength ==
The Army of Travancore was very strong during the 1700s. Later, after 1809 with the strengthening of [[English East India Company]], and with Travancore signing a treaty handing over defense to the Company's army, the Nair Brigade headcount was reduced to 700 {{Sfn|Madras (Presidency)|1898|p=2, 3 (Preface)}}soldiers without arms and discipline, which was later increased to 1200{{Sfn|Madras (Presidency)|1898|p=3 (Preface)}} in number by request of then resident queen of Travencore, [[Gowri Parvati Bayi]]{{Sfn|Madras (Presidency)|1898|p=2,3 (Preface)}} in 1819. <ref name=":0" />

The total strength of Travancore Nair Army in 1945 was 4,082 men, of which 84 were officers and 132 were JCOs. A part of this force (those within medical categorization 'A') were absorbed into the Indian Army (Travancore - Cochin unified forces), while the remaining forces were disbanded. After the unification of Travancore and Cochin forces, Trivandrum was declared as the headquarters of the unified command. [[Major General]] [[V.N. Parameswaran Pillai]], the GOC of the Travancore Nair army, became the commandant of the unified forces. The unified force was divided into five infantry battalions (Travancore - I, II, III and IV, Cochin I). The unification took place under [[Major General]] [[V.N. Parameswaran Pillai]] of [[Travancore]] and [[Lt Col]] G.S. Subbiah of Cochin on 20 May 1949. Finally the forces unified Travancore-Cochin forces were either disbanded or absorbed into the Indian Army and [[Major General]] [[V.N. Parameswaran Pillai]] was allowed to retire.<ref name="Sadasivan2005">{{cite book|author=S. N. Sadasivan|title=Political and administrative integration of princely states|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kWptYbzpXE8C&pg=PA76|access-date=7 June 2011|year=2005|publisher=Mittal Publications|isbn=978-81-7099-968-3|pages=76–}}</ref>

The first group of State Forces of Cochin Kingdom was also called as the Nair Brigade in 1940. The Brigade's name was changed in 1945 to Cochin State Forces by Kerala Varma and allowed non-Nairs also to be admitted into his army. Following the integration of Travancore Army with the Indian Forces, the Pazhavangadi Ganapathi Temple in Thiruvananthapuram which the Brigade maintained and owned was likewise transferred to the Indian Army.

== Ranks of the Nair Brigade ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Nair Brigade Rank !! Salary In Travancore Rupees (1897)
|-
|'''Commanding Officer'''||559 - 1017<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/nayarbrigadeoftr00madr/page/n3/mode/2up|title=The Nayar Brigade of Travancore|publisher=The Superintendent Government Press, Madras|year=1898|pages=16}}</ref>
|-
|'''Sergeant Major'''|| 173<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Subadar-Major'''|| 40<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Subadar'''|| 24 - 30<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Jamadar'''||12 - 15<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Havildar-Major'''
|11<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Havildar'''|| 9<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Naigue'''|| 8<ref name=":2" />
|-
|'''Sepoy''' || 6 - 7<ref name=":2" />
|}

==See also==
* [[History of Thiruvananthapuram]]
* [[Battle of Colachel]]
*[[Battle of the Nedumkotta|Battle of Nedumkottta]]
* [[9th Battalion Madras Regiment]]
*[[Pazhavangadi Ganapathy Temple]]
*[[Carnatic Brigade]]

==References==
<references/>
[https://archive.org/details/TRAVANCORESTATEMANUAL pdf Digital book]

[[Category:Kingdom of Travancore]]
[[Category:Military history of India]]
[[Category:Military units and formations of the princely states of India]]
[[Category:Nair]]

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Nair Brigade