Chekavar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chekava, chekavar, chevaka, etc., are different forms of a Sanskrit word meaning warrior in local dialect Malayalam. This was also a surname of a type of grouping found only in India under the name Thiyya and Ezhava.
Chekavas were the largest group of warriors in ancient Kerala and were predominantly pagans with a lineage to Hindu culture. They worshipped pitrukkal and other deities like Muthappan, Ayyan, Ayyappan, etc. With the advent of Buddhism, the majority of Chekavas became Buddhists.
These men were skilled assassins in the deadly art of war and were actively seen in Mamankams held at various places in Kerala, and in particular at the famous Mamankam at Thirunavaya in the Valluvanad taluk of ancient Kerala.
It is said that the last of the great Chera kings, the Cheraman Perumal himself, was a Thiyya. When the king left for a western kingdom, some say for Mecca, he gave his sword to the Chekavas and exhorted them to rule by killing and by death.
Chekavas are thought to have come originally from Tulunadu or the present day south Kanara region of Karnataka where the Malayali Billavas or Tulu Thiyyas are a power to reckon with. Kottackal Kanaran, the founder of the renowned CVN Kalari Sangh, was himself a Chekava.
In Central Travancore, there are families such as Punnasseril in Veloor whose roots are closely associated with these clans. Komalezhathu Chekavas of the Allappey districts were fierce warriors of most of the central Kerala kingdoms before the emergence of Travancore as a powerful kingdom.
