Naduvazhi

'The ruler of the land') were feudatory Nair princes who ruled over microstates that are now administrative parts of Kerala, India.

It was an inherited role, originally bestowed by a king, and of a lower ritual rank than the royal lineages.

In these instances, although they were obeisant to the rajah they held a higher ritual rank than the Zamorin as a consequence of their longer history of government; they also had more power than the vassal chiefs.

Historians, including Robin Jeffry, Faucett and Samuel Mateer, are of the opinion that as with all other Kings of Malabar (Kerala), the Cochin Raja and Venadu Swarupam was also of Nair origin.

Mateer states: "There seems reason to believe that the whole of the kings of Malabar also, notwithstanding the pretensions set up for them of late by their dependents, belong to the same great body, and are homogeneous with the mass of the people called Nairs.