There are numerous ceremonies and customs adopted by the Nair caste, which is prominent in the South Indian state of Kerala.
[5] Velakali is a ritualistic martial arts form performed by Nair men in some temples of southern Kerala.
[7] It originated in Ambalappuzha, where Mathoor Panicker, chief of the Chempakasserri army, employed it to boost the martial spirit of the people.
Dancers wear colorful and attractive costumes similar to that of the Nair soldiers of the olden days.
Sambandham was not necessarily a permanent arrangement (unlike Vedic Vivaha of Brahmins and many other castes, where the concept of divorce did not exist), even though in many or most cases it was lifelong.
[9][10] However, his innate weakness, i.e. divorce being permitted, of sambandham that helped maintain the integrity of the matrilineal tharavadu.
Among the Namboodiris only the eldest son was permitted to marry (Veli, or Vedic Vivaha) within his caste (primogeniture) to maintain the integrity of ancestral property.
However, Marxist and feminist anthropologist Kathleen Gough argues that there is little evidence that polyandry was rarely practiced in a few areas before 1800,[11] while famous Kerala historian and anthropologist K. M. Panikkar has stated that "Nairs have no tradition of polyandry" in his 1918 paper about Nairs published by the Royal Anthropological Institute.
This allowed Nambudiri Brahmins to have more influence through close blood relations with the ruling elite and martial castes.
Secondly, Nair families encouraged the sambandham arrangement with Namboothiri men, who were not involved in warfare and provided stable alliances, also increasing their tharavadu and caste status.