Everything about Panicker totally explained
Panicker is an
Indian title or surname used by members of various communities in the state of
Kerala. Members of the
Hindu Nair and
Ezhava castes have this last name, as do some Christians from the
Syrian Catholic and
Syrian Orthodox communities.
Etymology
The word 'Panicker' was derived from the Sanskrit word 'Parinayaka' meaning 'captain of warriors', in the context of the Sanskrit word 'Nayaka' which stood for a 'warrior' or 'leader' which evolved into the surname 'Nair'. It was a title bestowed on
Kalari masters in
Kerala, specially among the
Nairs and
Ezhavas. Sometimes, it was also held by the teachers of a region and
Maarans. In later days, the Maharajah of
Travancore bestowed this title as a reward for merit to those members of the
Hindu and
Christian communities, who excelled in martial endeavours and military exploits. There are a few rare instances of
Nambudiris with this title as in the case of the Chemmunda Panicker.
They are the skillful men who teach this art [Kalarippayattu], and they're called the Panickers: these are the captains in war".— Barbosa
Intonation and Spelling
There are several ways to spell this surname in the
Roman alphabet, but they all represent one spelling in
Malayalam. The second consonant is a retroflex nasal. It is normally represented by a single letter "n": but many British and American clerks automatically double it to "nn", and a few families in Britain and America spell their names that way. The third consonant is usually represented as "kk": this is a convention taken over from
Tamil, as a single consonant between two vowels would normally be voiced, although Malayalam has distinct voiced and unvoiced letters. However "ck" is more in keeping with English convention, and many
Malayalis automatically rewrite other people's names in this fashion when copying documents. The third vowel is usually spelt "a", but an "e" without emphasis also represents this sound in English speech.
Following the current conventions for Romanising Malayalam without diacritic marks, the name would be "Panikkar,". However, Panikker, Panicker, Panickar, Paniker, Panikar, Panniker, Pannikar and possibly other variants are to be found.
Reference
- Travancore State Manual Volume II by V. Nagam Aiya (published 1906)
- Castes and Tribes of Southern India by Edgar Thurston
Further Information
Get more info on 'Panicker'.
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