Chakkala Nair is one of the lower ranking subcastes of the Nair community among Keralites. They are distributed throughout Kerala. In Travancore, they are known as Chakkalans, while in Malabar and Cochin, they are known as Vattakadans. They were admitted in to the Nair caste quite recently (19th century) and most Nairs do not consider them to be a part of the community.
The traditional occupation of the Chakkala was the production of gingelly or coconut oil.
Caste system
Chakkalans rank below many other lower ranking Nair clans such as Otattu Nair and Kalamkotti Nair, but still rank above a few other subcastes like Asthikkuracchi Nair and Chaliyan Nair.
References
Chakkala Nair Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA