Panikkar caste is surname of many people in southern India. Panikkar caste meaning is Panikkar, meaning teacher or worker, has been recorded, in the Malayalam country, as a title of barbers, Kammalan, Maran, Nayar, Panan, and Paraiyan. In former times, the name was applied, in Malabar, to fencing-masters, as the following quotations show
1518. And there are very skilful men who teach this art (fencing), and they are called PanicarsBarbosa.
1553. And when the Naire comes to the age of 7 years, he is obliged to go to the fencing-school, the master of which (whom they call Panical) they regard as a father, on account of the instruction he gives themBarros.
1583. The maisters which teach them be graduates in the weapons which they teach, and they be called in their language PanycaesCastaneda.
A class of people called Panikkan are settled in the Madura and Tinnevelly districts. Some of them are barbers to Shanans. Others have taken to weaving as a profession, and will not intermarry with those who are employed as barbers. The Panikkans are, Mr. Francis writes,42 weavers, agriculturists, and traders. They employ Brahmans as priests, but these are apparently not received on terms of equality by other Brahmans. The Panikkans now frequently call themselves Illam Vellalas, and change their title in deeds and official papers from Panikkan to Pillai. They are also taking to wearing the sacred thread and giving up eating meat. The caste is divided into three vagais or endogamous classes, namely, Mital, Pattanam, and Malayalam, and [55]each of these again has five partly exogamous septs or illams (families), namely, Muttillam, Toranattillam, Pallikkillam, Manjanattillam, and Soliya-illam. It is stated that the Mital and Pattanam sections will eat together though they do not intermarry, but that the Malayalam section can neither dine with nor marry into the other two. They are reported to have an elaborate system of caste government, under which eleven villages form a gadistalam (or stage), and send representatives to its council to settle caste matters; and eleven gadistalams form a nadu (or country), and send representatives to a chief council, which decides questions which are beyond the competence of the gadistalams. The occurrence of Malayam as the name of a sub-division, and of the Malayalam word illam as that of the exogamous septs, would seem to indicate that the Panikkans are immigrants from the westward into the Tamil country.
Panikkar caste is one of the many castes subcastes of India.
India has thousands of castes and subcastes, they are in existence and practice since the Vedic times. They were created to solve the problem of division of labor. Panikkar caste name could indicate the type of work people belonging to the Panikkar caste do or did in earlier times. Many last names in India indicate the place the person originally belongs to. All castes sub castes are primarily divided into 4 categories:
1.Brahmins – The learned or priestly class
2.Khastriyas – The warrior class or those with governing functions
3.Vaishyas – The trader, agriculturalists or cattle rearers class
4.Shudra – The class that serves other three categories
Panikkar caste belongs to one of the above 4 categories. Indian caste system is the best system to solve the problem of division of labor. In earlier times there was no rigidity in caste system. Indian caste system is still the best solution for the problem of division of labor, the only change that is needed as per changed times is that rather than having a vertical hierarchical system with Brahmins on top and Shudras at bottom, it would be good to have a horizontal socialist system with Brahmins, Khastriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras all at same level.
The caste system of India is in ruins at present. It is also cause of bloody quarrels in certain parts of the rural India. People of backward castes have reservations in government jobs, this facility is widely misused in India. Many of the backward caste people have become rich and still use the facility for their benefit. Many in India believe reservation in jobs should be given on the basis of poverty rather than caste because there are many poors in upper castes as well.
Many criticize the Indian caste system because of bad material condition of lower castes but if they observe in an unbiased way they would find that there are many in upper castes with bad material conditions. The problem lies in power not in castes, power can corrupt anyone be it from upper caste or lower caste.
All cultures, all countries, all religions have caste system in one form or the other. Christians have different churches depending on the region or language or skin color of people. Muslims have a priestly class that tries to control everything. Arab Muslims before the oil boom were so much divided among tribes that if you drank water from a well of a different tribe you could be shot dead. Tribal divisions still exists among Muslims. You can also see the caste system in a different form in your corporate companies. I had seen different food and drinking facilities for people at different levels.
Panikkar caste is also known as Panikkar Gotra.
Caste situation is quiet different in urban India, people in urban areas especially youngsters don?t bother about castes. Inter caste, inter religious, inter lingual marriages are quiet common in urban India. Inter caste, inter religious and inter lingual marriages in rural areas attract severe criticism and many times people are expelled from community for not marrying as per religious and caste rules.