Kaniyar

Kathleen Gough has recorded that the caste believes that they descended from a degraded section of the Tamil Brahmins and that they ascribed their "rudimentary" knowledge of Sanskrit, medicine and astrology to those origins.[2]The Tradition as to the orgin of the Kanisan casto make them the offspring of a union between a Thiyyar women and brahmin astrologer.[3]

Gough says that the caste in many ways played the role of

pseudo-Brahmans in relation to the lower castes ... Their lore was, of course, a much simplified version of Brahman lore. Through them, however, some of the elements of Sanskrit religious belief and practices were filtered to lower caste people who could not attend high-caste temples or receive Brahmanical services ... [They] served as media for the Sankritisation of the lower castes ...[2]

It was the Kaniyars who decorate the elaborate costumes.[4] of the dance conducted at various temples in central Travancore. They were also famous in the field of ayurveda treatment (Traditional Indian medical stream) across Kerala. Kaniyar panickers are famous with astrology even now in Northern Kerala.

The Kaniyar were also once teachers, primarily in village schools.[2] The arrival of the British in the area saw the demise of traditional teaching, with Sanskrit teaching being deprecated in favor of its English counterpart, disruption due to various wars and also a discouragement of the village schools in general. The standard of literacy declined greatly for nearly a century and began to improve once more with the advent of state aid for (principally English-based) education at the end of the 19th century.[5]

Aside from general teaching,they also taught fencing to the Izhava and Thiyyar caste.[2] Kalari Panicker and Gurukkal are other names used for the northern group because of their involvement with these schools. They asserted that because of this they were superior to the Asan members of the caste, who were primarily to be found in southern Travancore.[2]

The word " Kani" is a Tamil-Malayalam translation of Sanskrit verbal noun "Gani" (Ganaka), denoting astrological work. The traditional astrologers were generally addressed as "Aasaan" (from the Sanskrit word Acharya ) or "Arivor" (Tamil), even before the period of Sangahm age, in virtue of their preceptorship in society. So the people pronounced it in the fused form of those two words as Kaniyaan or Kanisan .

Kaniyan (Ganaka) were honoured with another title Panikker (Panicker ), in view of their assigned role as preceptors to martial art (Kalari). Hence, they were known by the name Kaniyar Panikker or Kannisan Paniker in addition to the honorable title Aasaan .

Their (Niranam poets ) caste of origin, as Kannisan(Ganaka ) is found to be attested in many existing evidences. which is explicitly written in the preface verses of the astrological treatise " Hora phala Ratnaavali" . Which is one of the favorite books for the astrologers from the Kanisan community.

Plenty of words from a private language, which was then prevalent among the Kaniyan (Ganaka) community of that region, can be seen without much difficulty, in their poetic works. This secret language was a special mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam, and it had been found to be in use, for the purpose of intra group communication.

Different lineages (Buddhist, Jain and Vaishnavite ) had been ascribed to sangahm age kaniyan community. However majority of ancient Kanisan (Kaniyan) people were of shaivite worshippers . Kannassa panickers were also ardent devotees of Lord Shiva. Their works are seen to be devoted to Thrikkapaleeswaram Shiva temple .

Even though it is immaterial discussing about the caste and creed of great poets, creative intellectuals, luminaries and pioneers. It is pertinent to ascertain the validity of the legacy of such gifted great persons, particularly from the historical perspective .

***Kaniyan(Ganaka)caste was the traditional astrologer caste of Kerala. They were pre -medievally, known for their scholarship in Sanskrit, Astrology -Astronomy, Mathematics and Literature. Historians differ on their opinion about the origins of Kaniyan(Ganaka) . While few considers them to be of Jain descendency, still others relates them with the old traditional preceptorship of Buddhism. They were the teachers of eligible Non-Brahmin pupil for initiating them in to the world of letters .Through their ezhuthu kalari or ezhuthupalli they had been instrumental in filtering the Sanskrit lores to people.Kaniyan acharayns were also known by the name Ezhuthu assan or Achans (Buddhist teachers).

Even while a period, when all communities, other than Brahmin and their close knit temple service related people, were denied of the rights to learn Sanskrit, it was only the Kaniyan community could traditionally enjoy the privilege for learning and knowing Sanskrit lores, through their hereditary system of pedagogy. So,in older days the Kaniyar people were the media for sanskritizing the non-Brahmin people, and it was through them, the ancient kavyas, stories in great epics and purana had been passed to the common mass.

• Niranam Poets – Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar, and Rama Panikkar Authoers of Kannassa Ramayanam.