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{{Short description|Warrior title of the Hindu Thiyya community}}
{{pp-extended|small=yes}}
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{{Disputed|date=February 2026}}
{{POV|date=February 2026}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}}
{{sources|date=May 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=September 2019}}
{{About||the film|Chekavar (film)}}
{{About||the film|Chekavar (film)}}
[[Ezhava]], also known as ''Thiyyar'' is a major [[caste]] division in [[Kerala]], a state on the southwestern coast of [[India]]. It is estimated that roughly 25% of [[Keralites]] are from this community. They are also known as ''Chovan'' or ''Chekons''.
[[File:Wedding at ‘Puthooram Veedu’.jpg|thumb|Painting depicting informal childhood marriage ceremony between [[Unniyarcha]] and [[Chandu Chekavar]].]]
'''Chekavar''' (Also known as ''Chekon'' or ''Chevakar'', ''Cekavar'') were the [[warrior]]s belonging to [[Hindu]] [[Tiyyar |Thiyyar]] community in [[Malabar District|Malabar]] of [[Kerala]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7yhHEAAAQBAJ&dq=chegon&pg=PT137|title=Mapping the History of Ayurveda : Culture, Hegemony and the Rhetoric of Diversity|last=P.|first=Girija, K|year=2021|isbn=978-1-000-48139-6}}</ref><ref name="kkkksg"/><ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQ8oAAAAMAAJ&q=k.+k.+n+kurup+tiyya | title=History of the Tellicherry Factory, 1683-1794 | last1=Kurup | first1=K. K. N. | year=1985 }}</ref>
 
==Influence==
[[N. Prabhakaran]] challenges the notion that the Kadathanadan and Chekavar martial traditions have influenced the political violence in [[Kannur]], arguing that the practice of kalaripayattu does not foster violent behaviour or drive the region's history of political killings.<ref>{{cite web |title=വടക്കൻ മനസ്സ്: കണ്ണൂരിലെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ കൊലപാതകങ്ങളുടെ കഥ പറയുമ്പോൾ |url=https://www.mathrubhumi.com/books/excerpts/n-prabhakaran-writes-about-political-murders-in-kannur-district-vadakkan-manasu-book-excerpt-1.9846498 |website=Mathrubhumi |author=N. Prabhakaran |date=2024-05-18 |access-date=2025-06-09 |language=ml}}</ref>


==Etymology==
==Etymology==
''Chekavar'' is derived from the Sanskrit words ''Sevakar'', ''Sevakan'' or ''Sevaka'', which means soldiers in service or soldiers in royal service.<ref name="mathew">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1TuPeXFP0WgC&pg=PA30|title=Communal Road to a Secular Kerala |page=30|first=George |last=Mathew|year=1989 |publisher=Concept Pub.Co, 1989|isbn=81-7022-282-6}}</ref><ref name="smith">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xNAI9F8IBOgC&pg=PA27|title= Religion and Social Conflict in South Asia |page=27|first=Bardwell L. |last=Smith|publisher=BRILL |year=1976|isbn=90-04-04510-4}}</ref> [[Hermann Gundert|Hermann Gundert's]] English-Malayalam Dictionary, defines the term as militiaman and warrior.<ref>{{cite book |title=Malayalam-English Dictionary |first=Herman |last=Gundert |orig-year=1872 |edition=3rd |publisher=Sahythia Pravarthaka Sahakarana Sangham, Kerala |year=2000}}</ref>
''Chekavar'' is derived from the Sanskrit words ''Sevakar'', ''Sevakan'' or ''Sevaka'', which mean soldiers in service or [[soldier]]s  in royal service.<ref name="mathew">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1TuPeXFP0WgC&pg=PA30|title=Communal Road to a Secular Kerala |page=30|first=George |last=Mathew|year=1989 |publisher=Concept Pub.Co, 1989|isbn=81-7022-282-6}}</ref><ref name="smith">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xNAI9F8IBOgC&pg=PA27|title= Religion and Social Conflict in South Asia |page=27|first=Bardwell L. |last=Smith|publisher=BRILL |year=1976|isbn=90-04-04510-4}}</ref>
 
==History==
Jacob Canter Visscher's ''Letters from Malabar'' notes about the employment of [[Nairs]] as soldiers: "They [Nairs] may be justly entitled born soldiers, as by virtue of their descent they must always bear arms." Quoting Visscher in ''Jumbos and Jumping Devils'' (2020), Nisha P. R. stated that "In spite of the fact that [[Thiyyas]] were also supreme practitioners of ''payatt'' and had a unavoidable presence in the militia of the ruler, they were not allowed in the military services".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Jumbos_and_Jumping_Devils/My8DEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PT45&printsec=frontcover|title = Jumbos and Jumping Devils: A Social History of Indian Circus|page=45|isbn = 9780190992071|last1 = Nisha|first1 = P. R.|date = 12 June 2020}}</ref>


According to George Mathew, "In the south and in some parts of central [[Travancore]] the community was known as ''Ezhava'', ''Chovan'' or ''Chekavan''."<ref name="mathew"/>
[[Hendrik van Rheede]], former governor of [[Dutch Malabar]], in his memorandum of 1677 notes about the existence of a fencing training: "[...] the tree-climbers, otherwise called ''silgos'', who are also bound to war and arms. These people usually serve to teach the ''nayros'' in the fencing school; further their occupation is to tap the coconut tree [...]".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Hendrik_Adriaan_Van_Reed_Tot_Drakestein/rIZHDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA50&printsec=frontcover|title = Hendrik Adriaan van Reed Tot Drakestein 1636-1691 and Hortus, Malabaricus|page=50|isbn = 9781351441070|last1 = Heniger|first1 = J.|year = 2017}}</ref>


==Origin==
According to Indudharan Menon, "The songs of the Vatakkan pattu (northern ballads) are about a clan of martial Chekavars who were [[Ezhava|Tiyyas]] and masters of the martial arts".<ref name="rjy">{{cite book|last=Indudhara Menon|year=2018|title=Hereditary Physicians of Kerala: Traditional Medicine and Ayurveda in Modern India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xouADwAAQBAJ&dq=chekavar+Tiyya&pg=PT77|publisher=Taylor & Francis, 2018|isbn=9780429663123}}</ref> According to David Levinson and [[Karen Christensen]], "Kalarippayattu was traditionally practiced primarily by [[Nayars]], Kerala's martial caste, as well as by a special sub-caste among Kerala's [[Brahmans]], the Yatra Brahmans; lower-caste practitioners known as chekavar drawn from among special families of Tiyyas; Muslims (especially [[Sufis]] in northern Kerala); and Christians".<ref>{{cite book|first1=David|last1=Levinson|first2=Karen|last2=Christensen|year=1996|title=Encyclopedia of World sport:from Ancient times to the present vol.3|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TMoUAQAAIAAJ&q=Tiyyas|publisher=ABC|page=615|isbn=9780874368192}}</ref>
[[Hero stone]]s found in [[Kerala]] depict ''Chekavar'' engaged in combat, often on behalf of a lord. On these hero stones, ''Chekavar'' are generally depicted by an image of an armed man along with a Shiva [[Linga]].{{cn|date=May 2021}} Hero stones were traditionally erected during the [[Sangam period]] to commemorate men who had fallen in battle or cattle raids.<ref name="chekaSang01">{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=py50jfBsv_kC&q=cevakan&pg=PA113 |title=Women's Lives, Women's Rituals in the Hindu Tradition |chapter=Domesticity and Difference/Women and Men: Religious Life in Medieval Tamil Nadu |page=113|first=Leslie C. |last=Orr |editor-first=Tracy |editor-last=Pintchman|publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007|isbn=978-0-19-517706-0|access-date=2008-12-13}}</ref>


Military exploits of the ''Ezhavas'' are recorded in folk songs such as the ''[[Vadakkan Pattukal|Vadukkan Pattukal]]''.<ref name="smith"/>
According to historian [[A. Sreedhara Menon]], the [[Vadakkan Pattukal]] were composed in the 17th or 18th century. The stories centres around two main families, one belonging to the Thiyyas and the other to the Nairs. Heroes such as [[Aromal Chekavar]], [[Unniyarcha]], and Aromalunni belongs to the former. The events are set in the medieval principalities of [[Kolathunadu]], [[Kadathanadu]] and [[Kingdom of Kottayam|Kottayam]]. Menon further notes that Aromal is "said to be an immigrant from Ezhathunad ([[Sri Lanka]])".<ref name="kkkksg">{{Cite book|last=Menon|first=A. Sreedhara|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wnAjqjhc1VcC|title=Kerala History and its Makers|publisher=DC Books|date=4 March 2011|isbn=978-81-264-3782-5|pages=82–86|access-date=10 October 2021}}</ref>


==See also==
==Notable people==
*[[Aromal Chekaver]]
*[[Aromal Chekavar]]
*[[Chandu Chekaver]]
*[[Unniyarcha]]
*[[Chandu Chekavar]]
*[[Kuroolli Chekon]]
*[[Kathivanoor Veeran]]<ref>{{cite book|last=K. k. N Kurup|year=1989|title=Samooham Charithram Samskaram|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tqVEAQAAIAAJ&q=%E0%B4%9A%E0%B5%87%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B5%E0%B5%BB|publisher=Poorna Publication |page=73}}</ref>
*[[Kottackkal Kanaran Gurukkal]]<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eCF6AAAAMAAJ&q=karnaran+chekavar|title=Indian Dance: The Ultimate Metaphor|first=Shanta Serbjeet|last=Singh|date=August 23, 2000|publisher=Ravi Kumar|isbn=9781878529657 |via=Google Books|page=243}}</ref>
*[[Arattupuzha Velayudha Panicker]]


==References==
==References==
<references/>
<references/>


[[Category:Ezhava]]
[[Category:Thiyyar warriors]]
[[Category:Indian warriors]]
[[Category:Indian warriors]]
{{Asia-mil-stub}}

Latest revision as of 22:54, 19 February 2026

For the film, see Chekavar (film).
Painting depicting informal childhood marriage ceremony between Unniyarcha and Chandu Chekavar.

Chekavar (Also known as Chekon or Chevakar, Cekavar) were the warriors belonging to Hindu Thiyyar community in Malabar of Kerala.[1][2][3]

Influence[edit | edit source]

N. Prabhakaran challenges the notion that the Kadathanadan and Chekavar martial traditions have influenced the political violence in Kannur, arguing that the practice of kalaripayattu does not foster violent behaviour or drive the region's history of political killings.[4]

Etymology[edit | edit source]

Chekavar is derived from the Sanskrit words Sevakar, Sevakan or Sevaka, which mean soldiers in service or soldiers in royal service.[5][6]

History[edit | edit source]

Jacob Canter Visscher's Letters from Malabar notes about the employment of Nairs as soldiers: "They [Nairs] may be justly entitled born soldiers, as by virtue of their descent they must always bear arms." Quoting Visscher in Jumbos and Jumping Devils (2020), Nisha P. R. stated that "In spite of the fact that Thiyyas were also supreme practitioners of payatt and had a unavoidable presence in the militia of the ruler, they were not allowed in the military services".[7]

Hendrik van Rheede, former governor of Dutch Malabar, in his memorandum of 1677 notes about the existence of a fencing training: "[...] the tree-climbers, otherwise called silgos, who are also bound to war and arms. These people usually serve to teach the nayros in the fencing school; further their occupation is to tap the coconut tree [...]".[8]

According to Indudharan Menon, "The songs of the Vatakkan pattu (northern ballads) are about a clan of martial Chekavars who were Tiyyas and masters of the martial arts".[9] According to David Levinson and Karen Christensen, "Kalarippayattu was traditionally practiced primarily by Nayars, Kerala's martial caste, as well as by a special sub-caste among Kerala's Brahmans, the Yatra Brahmans; lower-caste practitioners known as chekavar drawn from among special families of Tiyyas; Muslims (especially Sufis in northern Kerala); and Christians".[10]

According to historian A. Sreedhara Menon, the Vadakkan Pattukal were composed in the 17th or 18th century. The stories centres around two main families, one belonging to the Thiyyas and the other to the Nairs. Heroes such as Aromal Chekavar, Unniyarcha, and Aromalunni belongs to the former. The events are set in the medieval principalities of Kolathunadu, Kadathanadu and Kottayam. Menon further notes that Aromal is "said to be an immigrant from Ezhathunad (Sri Lanka)".[2]

Notable people[edit | edit source]

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ P., Girija, K (2021). Mapping the History of Ayurveda : Culture, Hegemony and the Rhetoric of Diversity. ISBN 978-1-000-48139-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Menon, A. Sreedhara (4 March 2011). Kerala History and its Makers. DC Books. pp. 82–86. ISBN 978-81-264-3782-5. Retrieved 10 October 2021.
  3. ↑ Kurup, K. K. N. (1985). "History of the Tellicherry Factory, 1683-1794".
  4. ↑ N. Prabhakaran (18 May 2024). "വടക്കൻ മനസ്സ്: കണ്ണൂരിലെ രാഷ്ട്രീയ കൊലപാതകങ്ങളുടെ കഥ പറയുമ്പോൾ". Mathrubhumi (in മലയാളം). Retrieved 9 June 2025.
  5. ↑ Mathew, George (1989). Communal Road to a Secular Kerala. Concept Pub.Co, 1989. p. 30. ISBN 81-7022-282-6.
  6. ↑ Smith, Bardwell L. (1976). Religion and Social Conflict in South Asia. BRILL. p. 27. ISBN 90-04-04510-4.
  7. ↑ Nisha, P. R. (12 June 2020). Jumbos and Jumping Devils: A Social History of Indian Circus. p. 45. ISBN 9780190992071.
  8. ↑ Heniger, J. (2017). Hendrik Adriaan van Reed Tot Drakestein 1636-1691 and Hortus, Malabaricus. p. 50. ISBN 9781351441070.
  9. ↑ Indudhara Menon (2018). Hereditary Physicians of Kerala: Traditional Medicine and Ayurveda in Modern India. Taylor & Francis, 2018. ISBN 9780429663123.
  10. ↑ Levinson, David; Christensen, Karen (1996). Encyclopedia of World sport:from Ancient times to the present vol.3. ABC. p. 615. ISBN 9780874368192.
  11. ↑ K. k. N Kurup (1989). Samooham Charithram Samskaram. Poorna Publication. p. 73.
  12. ↑ Singh, Shanta Serbjeet (23 August 2000). Indian Dance: The Ultimate Metaphor. Ravi Kumar. p. 243. ISBN 9781878529657 – via Google Books.
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