Nairs is an indigenous Hindu caste, which is anthropologically defined as named category of castes rather than being a single caste. They form a considerable swordsmen and military caste from the west coast of India.
Pandithar is a Hindu community that has roots in Madurai region of Tamil Nadu. According to the oral accounts of the community, they were traditionally practitioners of indigenous medicine, who were invited by the King to settle in Kochi.
Saraswat Non-Brahmins is a Konkani speaking Hindu community from Goa. Saraswat traditionally were Temple artists. The women in the community were not allowed to get married and were forced to dedicate their lives to the temple.
In Kochi, they are a small community who have migrated from various parts of India in the recent past. Marwari Brahmins in Kochi, like other Marawari speaking communities are a traders and entrepreneurs.
Chetti is a surname is a common surname used by mercantile agricultural and land owning Hindu castes in South India. Chettiyars in Kochi is a Tamil speaking Hindu community who are mostly petty traders.
Ezhava is one of the biggest castes in Kerala. The name has historically used to refer to people who were involved in a variety of jobs. They were considered belonging to the lowermost strata of the Hindu caste system.
Tamil Brahmin community is believed to have migrated from Thirunelveli in Tamil Nadu to Kochi approximately three centuries back. Despite being a class of priests, it was trade and business that brought them into Kochi.
Aggarwal is community of Hindu traders that during the course of history has migrated to various parts of the world mostly in search of business opportunities. In Kochi they are mostly into trading of spices, grains and rubber. They are a multi lingual.
Tulu Brahmins migrated from Tulu speaking regions of South India which include regions in Kasargode district of Kerala and Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts of Karnataka. There are approximately 20 Tulu Brahmin family in the area.
Chakkliyars (Sakkliyars) is a Dalit community of manual scavengers that migrated to Kochi during the 20th century from areas bordering Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. There are about 90 families in Rameshwaram Colony near Fort Kochi.
Kannadigas is a small community that migrated to Kochi from the Kasargode district of Kerala. Most of them has the surname Hegde, which literally mean chieftain of the fort, suggesting that their predecessors belonged to a warrior clan.
It is a Telugu speaking community belonging to Hindu Vaishya caste that migrated to Kochi for the trade of buffalo milk and milk products. Their migration began some 150 years back, predominantly from the Pollachi region in Tamil Nadu.
