| Nair Brigade | |
|---|---|
 Flag of Nair brigade | |
| Country | Travancore[1][2] |
| Allegiance | Medieval Kerala (until 1729)[1] Travancore (1729-1947)[1]  India (1947-present)[1] |
| Type | Army |
| Role | Land warfare |
| Part of | Madras Regiment Indian Army (9th Battalion) Madras Regiment Indian Army (16th Battalion)  Indian Armed Forces (1947-present) |
The Nair Brigade was the army of the erstwhile kingdom ofTravancore inIndia.Nairs were awarrior community of the region.[3][4] The personal bodyguard of the kingMarthanda Varma (1706–1758) was also calledThiruvithamkoor Nayar Pattalam (Travancore Nair Army). The Travancore army was officially referred as the Travancore Nair Brigade in 1818.[5][6]
The headquarters of the brigade was inThiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
TheNairs are the majoraristocraticmartial caste ofKerala. Each region is governed or ruled byNair landlords or leaders with titles such asPillai,Kurup,Kaimals, etc. Themilitary setup of Nairs includes Nair soldiers who are encompassed under Nair landlords. There are hundreds of Nair lords in eachkingdom, and these Nair landlords unite in times of emergency or at the request ofRajas orkings. Sometimes, they have more power or influence over the kings.[7][8]
Nair Brigade defeated the Dutch army with the Travancore army in 1741 at theBattle of Colachel and captured the Dutch commander CaptainEustachius De Lannoy.[9][10]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.[11]
The Travancore army was reorganised as the Travancore Nair Brigade in 1818.[12] 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.[13] With the integration of the State into the Indian Union, the Nair Brigade was integrated into theIndian Army as the9th Battalion Madras Regiment (1st Travancore) and the 16th Battalion of the Madras Regiment (2nd Travancore) in 1954.[14]
In the early years, onlyNairs were admitted into this brigade. Later, the unit was expanded and several sub-units were formed. These Non-Nairs act as secondary Travancore soldiers under the control of Rajas or Nairs. The name Nair Brigade remained unchanged, even following the admittance of non-Nairs.[15]
TheBattle of Colachel was fought on 10 August 1741 between the Indian kingdom of Travancore and theDutch East India Company. During the Travancore-Dutch War, King Travancore (1729–1758) forces defeated the Dutch East India Company's forces led by Admiral Eustachius De Lannoy on 10 August 1741. The Dutch never recovered from the defeat and no longer posed a large colonial threat to India. Travancore won the war with the notable military service of the Travancore Nair Brigade at the sea and seashore, whileAnantha Padmanabhan Pillai served as the commander-in-chief of the army on land.[16]
TheBattle for Thrissur took place in Thrissur in 1763 between the forces of the Kingdom of Travancore and theZamorin of Calicut. The Travancore army marched forward under the command ofMartanda Pillai. Upon arriving at Paravur, the Travancore commander, on the advice of General de Lannoy, decided upon a direct attack on Thrissur from two sides. For this purpose, the army was divided into two divisions, one underAyyappan Marthanda Pillai and the other underGeneral de Lannoy. The plan was to launch a converging attack on Thrissur, with the Dalawa marching directly on it while the General was to capture Chetuva and attack it from the north. Thrissur was successfully occupied by Marthanda Pillai's force.[17][18]
TheBattle of Nedumkotta took place between December 1789 and May 1790, and it was one of the reasons for the opening of hostilities in the ThirdAnglo-Mysore War. This battle was fought betweenTipu Sultan of the Kingdom of Mysore and Dharma Raja, Maharaja of Travancore. The Mysore army attacked the fortified line inThrissur district at the Travancore border known as theNedumkotta. TheMysore army was successfully repulsed by the Travancore army under the leadership ofRaja Kesavadas Pillai, Dewan of Travancore.[19]
The Mysorean forces launched a second attack near Nedumkotta. During the second battle in April 1790,Vaikom Padmanabha Pillai played an active role in the defeat of Tipu Sultan at the hands of the Travancore Army. He is also credited with heavily injuring one of Tipu's legs, leaving him lame on one side. After this, Padmanabha Pillai served as a general in the Travancore Maharaja's militia. Following this incident, Tipu Sultan never attempted to cross the borders of Travancore again.[20]
Other notable engagements includeWorld War II,Operation Polo,the Sino-Indian War,the Indo-Pakistan War of 1965,the Indo-Pakistan War of 1971,Operation Rakshak,Operation Parakram, andOperation Pawan in 1987–89, all part of theIndian Army,the British-Indian Army, the9th and 16thMadrasIndian Regiment, and theIPFK.[6][10][21]
When considering the historical and cultural significance of theNairs, theirsocial status,martial experience, leadership qualities, and active involvement in theTravancore Nair Brigade within the British Indian Army and otherIndian regiments, the British Raj census classified Nairs as a "Military caste" or "Martial race" of India. Other groups included in this categorization wereRajputs,Bhumikar Brahmins,Brahmins,Marathas,Pathans,Baloch, etc.[22][23]
The Army of Travancore was very strong during the 1700s. Later, after 1809 with the strengthening ofEnglish 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[24]soldiers without arms and discipline, which was later increased to 1200[25] in number by request of then resident queen of Travencore,Gowri Parvati Bayi[24] in 1819.[8]
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 GeneralV.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 underMajor GeneralV.N. Parameswaran Pillai ofTravancore andLt 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 andMajor GeneralV.N. Parameswaran Pillai was allowed to retire.[26]
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.
| Nair Brigade Rank | Salary In Travancore Rupees (1897) |
|---|---|
| Commanding Officer | 559 - 1017[27] |
| Sergeant Major | 173[27] |
| Subadar-Major | 40[27] |
| Subadar | 24 - 30[27] |
| Jamadar | 12 - 15[27] |
| Havildar-Major | 11[27] |
| Havildar | 9[27] |
| Naigue | 8[27] |
| Sepoy | 6 - 7[27] |
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