Variar

Variyar (also written as Variar, Varyar, Warriar or Warrier) is a Hindu Ambalavasi caste in Kerala, India.

Etymology

The term Variyar has its origin in the Malayalam word 'Variyam' (Malayalam: വാരിയം /വാര്യം), which refers to a committee or a board. Variyam refers to an office of supervision. Thus variyar is a supervising officer or a member of a supervisory board or committee. The word is commonly used in the plural form as Variar (Varian + -ar) to denote respect. The feminine equivalent of Variar is Varassyar. It is a combination of Variyassi/Variaththi and the plural suffix -ar.

Warrier caste belongs to Ambalavasi community. In the caste hierarchy, Ambalavasi community is positioned next to Brahmin community and above Nair community.

People

Notable people called Variar, Variyar, or Warrier include

• CBC Warrier – Ex-Member of Legislative Assembly (Kerala)
• Ikkanda Warrier (1890–1977) – the first and the last Prime Minister of the state of Cochin, India, beginning in 1948.
• Gopi Warrier – pseudoscientist specialising in Ayurvedic medicine, playwright and poet.
• Jayaraj Warrier – Actor
• Madhu Warrier – actor and producer, brother of Manju Warrier
• Manju Warrier – an Indian actress and dancer in the Malayalam film industry.
• Mridula Warrier – playback singer.
• N. V. Krishna Warrier – an Indian poet, journalist, scholar, academician and political thinker.
• P. K. R. Warrier – a cardiothoracic surgeon, author and social activist.
• P. K. Warrier – Indian Ayurvedic physician.
• Priya Prakash Varrier – Actress and Model
• Rajan Warrier – Infamous missing persons' case
• Rajashree Warrier – Bharata Natyam dancer.
• Ramapurathu Warrier -pioneer of the "Vanchipattu" or Boat-song form of poetry in Malayalam language.
• Sachin Warrier – playback singer and composer in the Malayalam cinema industry.
• Sankarankutty Sandeep Warrier – an Indian first-class cricketer.
• Sankara Variyar – an astronomer-mathematician of the Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics.
• Shashi Warrier – author.
• Shobha Warrier, a journalist
• Unnayi Variyar – poet, writer, scholar, dramatist who lived in Kerala during the later part of the 17th century.

See also

• Ambalavasi