Nairs, Ezhavas, Theeyas

Today morning I saw these two charming girls dressed alike in Pattu Pavada. The Pattu Pavada is the traditional dress worn by young girls before marriage. Pattu means silk. My friend tells me that these girls are from the Ezhava community. Communal feelings run very strong among malayalees even if they claim to be very liberal. The dominant caste group are the Nairs. In my sociology class, I read that Nairs were the warrior class of Kerala. When the men went out to war, the women stayed behind and looked after the property. That is why the Nairs are matrilineal. The Nairs trace the ancestry to to Nepal. The Ezhavas, to Ceylon.The main occupation of this Ezhava community was toddy tapping. Among the Ezhavas is a sub group(caste???) called theeyas. They claim to have come from Kyrgystan.Theeyas were well versed in the science of medicine. And from them originated the dance form "Theyyam".The famous director MN Shyamalan belongs to this community. My source of knowledge is my friend who is a fountainhead of such information.
Dont they look cute in their matching Pattu Pavadas?

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