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Kiryathil
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 Travanc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samantan
Samantan Nair or more commonly Samantan (meaning "equal to" or "deemed to be"), was a generic term applied to dignify a group of sub-clans among the ruling elites and feudal lords of the Nair community in Kerala. The Samantan Nairs are members of the Kiryathil, Illathu and Swaroopathil Nair communities whose ancestors performed various Śrauta rituals ''(Hiranyagarbha)'' to achieve a higher status that enabled them to rule over the Brahmins. Robin Jeffrey, an anthropologist, described the Samantans as, "A matrilineal caste ranking between Nayars and Kshatriyas Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the c ...." Dissent Some Samantans have objected to their grouping with the Nairs, claiming that Samantans are a different caste from the Nairs. One of them, Nilambur Thachara Ko ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nair
The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom historically bore the name 'Nair'. Fuller (1975) p. 309 These people lived, and continue to live, in the area which is now the Indian state of Kerala. Their internal caste behaviours and systems are markedly different between the people in the northern and southern sections of the area, although there is not very much reliable information on those inhabiting the north. Fuller (1975) p. 284 Historically, Nairs lived in large family units called ''tharavads'' that housed descendants of one common female ancestor. These family units along with their unusual marriage customs, which are no longer practiced, have been much studied. Although the detail varied from one region to the next, the main points of interest to researchers of Nair marriage custo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samantha 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] |
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] |
Kaimal
Kaimal is an aristocratic title that was historically used by various chiefs from the Nair caste during the feudal period of what is now the Indian state of Kerala. It was the title awarded to notable Samanthan and Kiryathil Nair families, and as such, the Kaimals were one of the highest caste of Hindus in Kerala and South India in general. Various families have used the title, including the Kaimals of Koratti, Angi and Koddachery. Portuguese ascendancy The Fifth Portuguese India Armada under Afonso de Albuquerque arrived in 1503, just in time to save the King of Cochin from the Zamorin of Calicut. The Portuguese then turned their attention to the chieftains who had fought against the Cochin army, and committed atrocities wherein they killed local inhabitants in large numbers and also indiscriminately burnt down towns and villages. The Portuguese and the king subsequently entered into a treaty with the Anchi Kaimals whereby they accepted the overlordship of the Cochin throne. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jenmi
Jenmi is the term used to refer to the landed aristocracy of Kerala. They formed the landowning nobility as well as the landed gentry of the region during Medieval times, and the majority of the estates and feudal properties were owned by this community. They predominantly belonged to the Nambudiri (Brahmin priests) and Nair (kings, lords and soldiers) castes, and it was not unusual for an aristocratic family to own up to of land. The Maharajas of Cochin and Travancore, as wells as many other rulers such as those of Punjar in Travancore, were well known for their numerous feudal estates. Temples like the Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Trivandrum (controlled by the Maharaja of Travancore), the Koodalmanikyam Temple (controlled by the Thachudaya Kaimal) and the Guruvayoor Temple of M. R. Ry. were built on lands owned by these feudal aristocrats. The Zamorins of Calicut were also Jenmis in their own right, owning at least 60,000 to 90,000 acres of estate lands. Today, however, there a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Canara, and Thiruvithamkoor. Spread over , Kerala is the 21st largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33 million inhabitants as per the 2011 census, Kerala is the 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state. The Chera dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala. The Ay kingdom in the deep south and the Ezhimala kingdom in the north formed the other kingdoms in the early years of the Common Era (CE). The region had been a prominent spic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia. Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago., "Y-Chromosome and Mt-DNA data support the colonization of South Asia by modern humans originating in Africa. ... Coalescence dates for most non-European populations average to between 73–55 ka.", "Modern human beings—''Homo sapiens''—originated in Africa. Then, int ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nagavanshi
Nagavanshi ( IAST: Nāgavaṃśī) refers to any of the several Indian Kshatriya dynasties or ruling groups claiming descent from the mythical Nāgas. Along with Suryavanshi, Chandravanshi and Agnivanshi, the Nagavanshi clans form a part of the Kshatriya class in the Varna system of India. The notable members of this class include: * Nagvanshis of Chotanagpur, who ruled in Chota Nagpur, Jharkhand * Nagas of Padmavati, who ruled in Madhya Pradesh * Nagas of Vidisha, who ruled in Madhya Pradesh * Nagas of Vindhyatabi, ancient dynasty of Odisha * Nagas of Kalahandi, who ruled in Kalahandi, Odisha * Chindaka Naga, who ruled in Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and whose kingdom was called Chakrakot; also known as Chhindaka Nagas or Nagvanshis or Barsur * Alupas, ancient dynasty of Karnataka * Bunts, who ruled coastal Karnataka * Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named ca ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Varna (Hinduism)
''Varṇa'' ( sa, वर्ण, varṇa), in the context of Hinduism, refers to a social class within a hierarchical caste system in India, caste system. The ideology is epitomized in texts like ''Manusmriti'', which describes and ranks four varnas, and prescribes their occupations, requirements and duties, or ''Dharma''. *Brahmins: Vedas, Vedic scholars, priests or teachers. *Kshatriyas: Rulers, administrators or warriors. *Vaishyas: Agriculturalists, farmers or merchants. *Shudras: Artisan, Artisans, laborers or servants. Communities which belong to one of the four varnas or classes are called savarna Hindus. The Dalits and tribes, tribals who do not belong to any varna were called avarna. This quadruple division is a form of social stratification, quite different from the more nuanced system ''Jātis'' which correspond to the European term caste system in India, "caste". The varna system is discussed in Hindu texts, and understood as idealised human callings. The concept i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tharavad
Tharavad () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic families in Kerala, which usually served as the common house for the joint family system practiced in the state. The German linguist Hermann Gundert, in his Malayalam—English dictionary published in 1872, defines a ''tharavad'' as, "An ancestral residence of land-owners and kings", and also as, "A house, chiefly of noblemen". Contemporary usage of the word is now more generic to all social classes. By extension, the word refers not just to the family's house but to the extended family that shares that house. In the Nair Tharavads, the head of the family was known as Karnavar and the inheritance was matrilineal. In the Namboothiri Tharavads, the inheritance was patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's line ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nambudiri
The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal elite, owning a large portion of the land in the region of Malabar until the Kerala Land Reforms starting in 1957, and intermarrying with the Nair monarchs and aristocracy through sambandham. They have historically been distinguished by rare practices such as the adherence to Śrauta ritualism, the Pūrva-Mīmāṁsā school of Hindu philosophy, and orthodox tradition, as well as many idiosyncratic customs unique among Brahmins, including primogeniture. Cyriac Pullapilly mentions that the dominating influence of the Nambudiris was to be found in all matters: religion, politics, society, economics and culture of Kerala. History Origin Nambudiri mythology associates their immigration to Kerala from the banks of Narmada, Krishna, Kaveri r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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