Swaroopathil Nair's or Charna Nair's were one of the sub-castes belonging to the Nair community in Kerala. They were warriors of Samanta Kshatriya Royal Households known as Swaroopams. This sub-caste is found only in Travancore. In Malabar, two related subcastes, Akathu Charna Nair's & Purathu Charna Nair's are treated as equivalent to Swaroopathil Nair's in caste hierarchy.
Demographic & Sub Division :
According to the 1891 Census, Swaroopathil Nair's composed around 9.2% of the total Nair population, while Akathu Cherna & Purathu Cherna Nairs accounted for 3.3% and 11.1% respectively.
The highest of Swaroopathil Nair's were those included in the Paroor Swaroopam, who being originally Illathu Nair's have their purificatory rites performed by Maarans. It is believed that the Paroor Swaroopakkar once belonged to the Illam subdivision & were attached to the Karāttetattu Nampoothiri. After the fall of the Namboothiri, these Nāyars attached themselves to the Paroor Swaroopam, which succeeded the Namboothiri. The Ponnara Nair's, a smaller subsection among the Nairs of Chirayinkeezh (associated with the Sharkara temple) is usually grouped together with Swaroopakkar. Ponnara Nair's some times officiate as temple priests and therefore holds a higher position in caste system compared to the other subdivisions.
Paricha Menon's, a sub-division of Purattu Charna Nayar constituted the bulk of Zamorin's elite armed units. They form one of the top most divisions of Menon after the Menon Panicker subdivision of Kiryathil Nair.
Other notable subdivisions of Swaroopakkār in Travancore includes the Kaippizha, Pattāzhi and the Vempanāt clans.
