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Kartha
Kartha or Karthavu, meaning "Lord" in the Malayalam language, is an aristocratic Nair title which traditionally meant, "One who does." It was conferred by the kings of Kerala to powerful Nair families, and as such, they enjoyed Raja (regional kings) or Naduvazhi (feudal chieftains and landlords) status. Kartha chieftains were also bestowed with extraordinary rights and authorities by the erstwhile kings and they held a special status within the royal court. They used these privileges to own vast acres of land (Jenmi). History has it that some members of the Kartha community also used to work as Supreme Commanders in the royal armies of the king, while other Kartha families were renowned for their expertise in traditional Ayurveda medicine. Most Kartha families have their ancestral tutelary deity as the Hindu Goddess Bhadrakali, or the Goddess Durga. A few families also consider their ancestral deity as Vettakkorumakan, a Hindu entity worshiped in parts of North Kerala. Social R ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kiryathil Nair
Kiryathil Nair or Kiriyath Nair is a martial nobility caste belonging to the Kshatriya varṇa, which forms one of the highest-ranking subcastes of the Nair community along with the Samantha Kshatriyas with whom they share a close history. They constituted the ruling elites (''Naduvazhi'') and feudal aristocrats ('' Jenmimar'') in the regions of Malabar and Cochin in present-day Kerala, India, and have traditionally lived in ancestral homes known as ''Tharavads''. As the pinnacle of the Nair hierarchy, the Samanthan and Kiryathil Nairs were second only to the Namboodiri Brahmins in the social status system of Kerala, and outranked even the priestly Ambalavasis. In medieval Kerala, all of the kings belonged to extensions of the Samanthan and Kiryathil Nair castes, including the Zamorins of Calicut who were from the Eradi subgroup of the Samantan Nair subcaste, the Kollengode and Sekharivarma Rajas of Palakkad who were from the Samantan Menon subcaste, the kings of Travancore ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Naduvazhi
Naduvazhi ( IAST:''nātuvāḻi''; ) refers to feudal elites, ruling chieftains and descendants of royal kingdoms in various regions that are now administrative parts of Kerala, India. They constituted the aristocratic class within the Hindu caste system and were either kings themselves or nobility in the service of the kings of Kerala. Function Prior to the British reorganisation of the area now known as Kerala, it was divided into around ten feudal states. Each of these was governed by a ''rajah'' (king) and was subdivided into organisational units known as ''nads''. In turn, the ''nads'' were divided into ''dēsams'', which anthropologist Kathleen Gough considers to be villages. However, the early 20th-century historian Kavalam Panikkar states that the ''dēsams'' were themselves divided into ''amsas'', and that these were the villages. He believes that generally only the ''amsas'' survived the reorganisation. The person who governed the ''nad'' was known as the ''naduvazhi'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madampi (Nair Title)
Madampi ''(equivalent to Lord in English)'' is an aristocratic title given to the uppermost subdivisions of Nairs in Kerala, by the Maharajahs of Travancore and Cochin. Usually, it was given in addition to the Pillai title. Madampis served as ''Jenmis'' or landlords during the pre-independence era. Their power was severely reduced after the Communist government passed the Land Reforms Ordinance. The title Madampi was also used in Cochin, to denote the 71 Nayar chiefs who ruled under the Maharajah of Cochin. A few Nambuthiri landlord families, most notable of whom being those in Vanjipuzha and Makilanjeri, were also given the Madampi title. In Cochin, the Madampis had their own armies, but seldom numbered more than 100. Their power was only a little bit higher than that of the ''Desavazhis''. Madampis supplied chieftains along with soldiers in times of war to the King.Kerala district gazetteers, Volume 10 By A. Sreedhara Menon p.108 This title is equivalent to others such as Eshman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vettakkorumakan
Vettakkoru Makan () is a Hindu deity worshipped in parts of Malabar District, Northern Kerala. This deity is alternately referred as Kiratha-Sunu (son of Kirata) in Sanskrit.Religion, art and culture, S. Venkitasubramonia Iyer, College Book House, 1977Temples of Kaṇṇoor̳ District, S. Jayashanker, India. Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala, Controller of Publications, 2001 Vettakkorumakan is believed to be the son of Lord Shiva by his consort Parvathi, born when he assumed the form of a Kirata (hunter) to deliver a weapon known as Pashupathasthra to Arjuna. He is mostly and exclusively worshipped in Malabar (Northern Kerala), Malabar region of Kerala. The most famous temple of this deity is the Kurumbranad, Balussery-Kotta Vettakkorumakan temple about 25 km from Kozhikode, Calicut. This was once the fort of the Rajas of Kurumbranad. Other prominent temples are at Ramanthali, Nileshwar, Kottakkal, Nilambur, Karaparamba and various places in Kannur district and Kasargod ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was designated a "Classical Language of India" in 2013. Malayalam has official language status in Kerala, and Puducherry ( Mahé), and is also the primary spoken language of Lakshadweep, and is spoken by 34 million people in India. Malayalam is also spoken by linguistic minorities in the neighbouring states; with significant number of speakers in the Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada districts of Karnataka, and Kanyakumari, district of Tamil Nadu. It is also spoken by the Malayali Diaspora worldwide, especially in the Persian Gulf countries, due to large populations of Malayali expatriates there. There are significant population in each cities in India including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune etc. The origin of Malayalam remains a matter of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samanta Kshatriya
The Samantha Kshatriya are a community of Nair ruling elites and feudal land owners who have historically lived in the Kingdom of Cochin and Kingdom of Travancore in Kerala, India. They share most of their history, traditions, culture and customs with the Kiryathil Nair subcaste, with the latter being eligible to be ritually promoted to the status of Samanthan by means of elaborate Śrauta ceremonies such as ''Hiranyagarbha''. Despite their nomenclature suggesting that they are a part of the Kshatriya class in the Hindu ritual ranking system known as varna, that system has never existed in South India. Anthropologist Christopher Fuller suggests that such claims are vanity and that, "most unbiased observers ... have concluded that the Kshatriya and Samanthan subdivisions should be treated merely as super-eminent Nair subdivisions". The notable exception to that scholarly consensus is the sociologist Louis Dumont Louis Charles Jean Dumont (11 August 1911 – 19 November ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nayanar (Nair Subcaste)
Nayanar (meaning "the Nayar") is an honorific title used by sub-castes of the Nair community from North Kerala, India. It can be used by Nair families but also a generic term to refer to a Nair Position in society The Nayanars were ''Samanthans'', ''Kiryathils'' , illathu nairs and ''Naduvazhi'' (chiefs of chiefdoms and aristocrats) and ''Jenmimar'' (landed gentry).1. Organized Struggles of Malabar Peasantry, 1934-1940 Prakash Karat Social Scientist, Vol. 5, No. 8 (Mar., 1977), pp. 3-17 See also *Pillai (Kerala title) *Mannadiyar *Madampi ''Madampi'' () is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language family drama film written and directed by B. Unnikrishnan. It stars Mohanlal, Siddique, Ajmal Ameer, Kavya Madhavan, Mallika Kapoor, and K. P. A. C. Lalitha. The film was released on 4 July 200 ... References {{reflist Indian surnames Nair ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pillai (Kerala Title)
Pillai, meaning ''Prince'', is a title of nobility which can either refer to a ruling chief, members of the nobility, or junior princes of the royal family historically ranked immediately below the king. The oldest lineages of Pillais include not only Kshatriyas but also brahmins who took up the sword. From the early modern period, the title also came to be bestowed upon Savarna subjects by the King of Travancore for services military or political, most of whom were of Nair origin. Etymology and Origin of the title According to epigraphic records, it is an ancient title that goes back to the Sangam Era, given to junior members of the royal family. Originally a title meaning "royal child", it came to be given to administrators of temples; often holding large estates on behalf of the latter.Mark de Lannoy,Kulasekhara Perumals of Travancore, Page 202 Early English records also address these hereditary ruling chiefs as the princes of Kerala ranking below the monarch. The most w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mannadiar
Mannadiar (or Mannadiyar) kshathriya Nair caste Palakkad region of Kerala. A majority of Mannadiars are land owners, agriculture being their traditional occupation, ranging from farmers to large feudal landlords (jenmis). They had relocated from Tamil Nadu and had been given land by the then king of Palakkad. Also, some of them are engaged in retail and wholesale trading businesses in Palakkad. They trace their origin from the Kongu Vellalars who were moved to the Chera country when the Chera prince married a princess of the Chola Dynasty. The house (tharavad) of Mannadiars is called "Mannattu" like Illams for Namboothiris. Etymology Mannadiar is an honorific title possessed by ancient landlords. The word is rooted from ''Mun'' or ''Maṇṇú'' (earth) and ''Nēṭiyavar'' or ' (lords, Jenmi or earners) clubbed to form Mannadiars. [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eshmanan
Eshmanan (corruption of Yajamaana Sanskrit ''leader'') is a term used in Kerala (south India) to refer to a feudal landlord.{{citation needed, date=April 2019 The term means "lord" in Old Malayalam and referred to Chemb azhi nambi or (Chengazhi nambiar) Nambiar (Nair subcaste), Nambiars and other Samanthan Nair and Kiryathil Nair, Kiriyathil Nair caste members who occupied the position of rulers and chieftains. Some of the Nambiar landlords, such as Chengazhi Nambiar (Chengazinad Eshmanan) Kalliat Eshmanan and Koodali Eshmanan were among the largest landowners in pre-independence Kerala. Other terms for a Nayar feudal landlord, included Nayanar (Nair subcaste). See also *Mannadiar *Madampi (Nair title), Madampi *Pillai (Kerala title), Pillai *Nayanar (Nair subcaste) External links [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caste System In Kerala
The caste system in Kerala differed from that found in the rest of India. While the Indian caste system generally divided the four-fold ''Varna'' division of the society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, in Kerala, the Malayali Brahmins formed the priestly class, while the Kshatriyas, Samantha Kshatriya and Nairs formed the upper military and ruling classes. Other than the Brahmins, Samanthans and Nairs, all other castes were analogous to Shudras if the ''Varna'' system is considered. The women from the military elite and ruling classes such as Nairs, Samantha Kshatriyas and the Ambalavasi communities married men both from their own communities and from the Nambudiri Brahmin households through a marriage ritual called Sambandam. Like the rest of India, the lower castes touching the upper castes was called "pollution," but only in Kerala did the lower castes pollute not just by touch but also by merely approaching a Brahmin or a Nair. The Kerala caste system was ritual ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in Tamil Nadu after Chennai and Coimbatore and the 44th most populated city in India. Located on the banks of River Vaigai, Madurai has been a major settlement for two millennia and has a documented history of more than 2500 years. It is often referred to as "Thoonga Nagaram", meaning "the city that never sleeps". Madurai is closely associated with the Tamil language. The third Tamil Sangam, a major congregation of Tamil scholars said to have been held in the city. The recorded history of the city goes back to the 3rd century BCE, being mentioned by Megasthenes, the Greek ambassador to the Maurya empire, and Kautilya, a minister of the Mauryan emperor Chandragupta Maurya. Signs of human settlements and Roman trade links dating back to 3 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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