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Pushpaka Brahmin
Pushpaka Brahmin is a generic term that refers to a group of certain Hindu Brahmin castes in Kerala. The term ''Pushpaka'' applies primarily to a caste known itself as Pushpaka (or Pushpakan Unni) in South Kerala (Travancore). Pushpakas were assigned the job of tending flowers and making garlands in the Hindu temples. They were also given rights to teach sacred texts and Sanskrit language in the Pathasalas associated with Hindu temples. Nambeesans in Central and North Kerala are often referred to as Pushpakas owing to their cultural similarity with Pushpakas in South Kerala. In addition to these two castes, the term ''Pushpaka Brahmin'', in a wider sense, applies to certain other Ambalavasi castes like Theeyatt Unnis, Kurukkals, Puppallis, Pilappallis, Nambidis and Daivampadi Daivampadi (also written as Thaivampadi, Theyyampadi or Theyyambadi) is a Hindu caste in Kerala. They form a part of the Ambalavasi community. This caste is also known as ''Brahmani'' or ''Brahmani-Daivam ...
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Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for people living in the Indian subcontinent. The term ''"Hindu"'' traces back to Old Persian which derived these names from the Sanskrit name ''Sindhu'' (सिन्धु ), referring to the river Indus. The Greek cognates of the same terms are "''Indus''" (for the river) and "''India''" (for the land of the river). The term "''Hindu''" also implied a geographic, ethnic or cultural identifier for people living in the Indian subcontinent around or beyond the Sindhu (Indus) River. By the 16th century CE, the term began to refer to residents of the subcontinent who were not Turkic or Muslims. Hindoo is an archaic spelling variant, whose use today is considered derogatory. The historical development of Hindu self-identity within the local In ...
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Brahmin
Brahmin (; sa, ब्राह्मण, brāhmaṇa) is a varna as well as a caste within Hindu society. The Brahmins are designated as the priestly class as they serve as priests (purohit, pandit, or pujari) and religious teachers (guru or acharya). The other three varnas are the Kshatriya, Vaishya and Shudra. The traditional occupation of Brahmins is that of priesthood at the Hindu temples or at socio-religious ceremonies, and rite of passage rituals such as solemnising a wedding with hymns and prayers.James Lochtefeld (2002), Brahmin, The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing, , page 125 Traditionally, the Brahmins are accorded the highest ritual status of the four social classes. Their livelihood is prescribed to be one of strict austerity and voluntary poverty ("A Brahmin should acquire what just suffices for the time, what he earns he should spend all that the same day"). In practice, Indian texts suggest that some Brahmins historicall ...
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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 ...
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Pushpaka
Pushpaka is a caste of Hindu Brahmins of Kerala. In Malayalam language, this caste is also referred to as Pushpakan, Pushpakar, Pushpaka Unni or Pushpakan Unni. They are a part of the Ambalavasi community in Kerala. They carry out the various activities of the temple like teaching of sacred texts, assisting in pooja, garland making, lamp bearing, blowing Sankha (conch shell) during puja etc., and sometimes they perform actual priestly activities also. The male members of this caste generally use the surname Unni with their name. Apart from the prevalent practice of using the title "Unni" as surname, Pushpakas also commonly use other surnames, such as Nambi and Sarma. Pushpakas are also classified based on their gotra, or patrilineal descent, and the Veda that they follow. Pushpaka women are known as Pushpakathi. Pushpaka men are addressed by their surname ''Unni'' or ''Nambi'', while pushpaka women are addressed as ''Atheramma''. Pushpaka house is known as ''Matham'' ( ml ...
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Nambeesan
Nambeesan (also written as Nambisan, Nambissan, Nambiyassan or Nampeesan) is a Pushpaka Brahmin caste of 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 ..., India. Brahmanippattu The women of the Nambeesan caste, known as Brahmani Ammas, are entitled to perform Brahmanippattu, a type of domestic devotional offering performed usually in connection with marriages. See also * Pushpaka Unni References {{reflist Malayali Brahmins Indian surnames ...
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Ambalavasi
Ambalavasi, more properly Ampalavasi, ( ml, അമ്പലവാസി; IAST: Ampalavāsi; ) is the generic name for a group of castes among Hindus in Kerala, India, who have traditionally rendered temple services. Castes The Ambalavasis are broadly divided into two groups, being those who wear the sacred thread and those who do not. Sacred thread wearers Pushpaka Brahmins * Pushpaka (Pushpakan Unni) * Nambeesan * Theeyatt Unni * Kurukkal * Puppalli * Plappalli (Pilappalli) * Nambidi * Daivampadi or Brahmani Others * Chakyar, * Nambiar * Atikal (also written as Adikal) Threadless Ambalavasis *Pisharody * Marar * Varyar *Pothuval, The feminine names of threadless ''ambalavasi'' castes are formed by adding the suffix ''-syar'' to the masculine names as Pisharadi-Pisharasyar, Marar-Marasyar, Variar-Varasyar, Poduval-Poduvalsyar. Temple services Though all Ampalavāsis have to do service in temples, they have sufficiently distinct functions to perform. Pushpakans and Namb ...
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Theeyatt Unni
Theeyattunni (also written as Theeyatt Unni) or Theeyadi Unni is a caste of Hindu Brahmins of Kerala, India. They are a part of the Pushpaka Brahmins and Ambalavasi community in Kerala. Theeyattunnis are traditionally the performers of an ancient art form called Theeyatt. Theeyattunnis have the right for Tantric Poojas and other privileges enjoyed by the Nambudiri caste. See also *Pushpakan Unni *List of Ambalavasis A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ... References {{Reflist * ''Tiyyatunnikal'' by S Damodaran Unni Malayali Brahmins ...
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Kurukkal
The Kurukkal are a caste in Kerala, India. Originally a patrilineal community of Travancore whose traditional function was that of temple owners, they became matrilineal towards the end of the 18th century under the influence of the dominant Nambudiri Brahmin caste. From that time on, Kurukkal women had hypergamous marriages with Nambudiri men and Kurukkal men struck similar relationships with women from the matrilineal Maran caste. The community's position in the Hindu ritual ranking system known as varna is disputed. They generally claim to be Iyer Iyers (also spelt as Ayyar, Aiyar, Ayer, or Aiyer) are an ethnoreligious community of Tamil-speaking Brahmin, Hindu Brahmins. Most Iyers are followers of the ''Advaita Vedanta, Advaita'' philosophy propounded by Adi Shankara and adhere to the ... Brahmins . References Social groups of Kerala Liturgical castes {{India-ethno-stub ...
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Puppalli
Ambalavasi, more properly Ampalavasi, ( ml, അമ്പലവാസി; IAST: Ampalavāsi; ) is the generic name for a group of Caste system in India, castes among Hindus in Kerala, India, who have traditionally rendered temple services. Castes The Ambalavasis are broadly divided into two groups, being those who wear the sacred thread and those who do not. Sacred thread wearers Pushpaka Brahmins * Pushpaka (Pushpakan Unni) * Nambeesan * Theeyattunni, Theeyatt Unni * Kurukkal * Puppalli * Plappalli (caste), Plappalli (Pilappalli) * Nambidi * Daivampadi or Brahmani Others * Chakyar, * Nambiar (Ambalavasi/Mizhavu), Nambiar * Atikal (also written as Adikal) Threadless Ambalavasis *Pisharody *Marar (Caste), Marar *Variar, Varyar *Pothuval, The feminine names of threadless ''ambalavasi'' castes are formed by adding the suffix ''-syar'' to the masculine names as Pisharadi-Pisharasyar, Marar-Marasyar, Variar-Varasyar, Poduval-Poduvalsyar. Temple services Though all Ampalavāsis ...
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Nambidi
Nambidi is a caste of Kerala, India. The form a part of the Brahmin community. They are considered to be Malayali Brahmins and to have originated when a section of the Nambudiris was degraded. They also have the same rights and rituals of nambudiri's. The nambidi ladies are usually called Mandals / Atholammas used to wear the cheruthalis and are similar to Antharjanams (Namboothiri Ladies). The nambidi's also had great economic and Societic importance and have the same grade of Nambudiris in the Society. They have no right to do Poojas in temples. Nambidis are divided into two: the ones who wear the sacred thread and perform the Upanayanam and the ones who do not. The former are Nambudiris who were degraded to the Brahmins status since their ancestors had committed a heinous act by murdering a ruler of Kerala. On their return the other Nambudiris welcomed them but they refused to seat themselves with the other Brahmins owing to the sin they committed and instead sat on the step ...
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Daivampadi
Daivampadi (also written as Thaivampadi, Theyyampadi or Theyyambadi) is a Hindu caste in Kerala. They form a part of the Ambalavasi community. This caste is also known as ''Brahmani'' or ''Brahmani-Daivampadi''. They perform the ''Kalamezhuthum Pattum'' ritual in temples. See also * Ambalavasi Ambalavasi, more properly Ampalavasi, ( ml, അമ്പലവാസി; IAST: Ampalavāsi; ) is the generic name for a group of castes among Hindus in Kerala, India, who have traditionally rendered temple services. Castes The Ambalavasis are b ... Social groups of Kerala {{Kerala-stub ...
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Pushpaka Thali
Pushpaka is a caste of Hindu Brahmins of Kerala. In Malayalam language, this caste is also referred to as Pushpakan, Pushpakar, Pushpaka Unni or Pushpakan Unni. They are a part of the Ambalavasi community in Kerala. They carry out the various activities of the temple like teaching of sacred texts, assisting in pooja, garland making, lamp bearing, blowing Sankha (conch shell) during puja etc., and sometimes they perform actual priestly activities also. The male members of this caste generally use the surname Unni with their name. Apart from the prevalent practice of using the title "Unni" as surname, Pushpakas also commonly use other surnames, such as Nambi and Sarma. Pushpakas are also classified based on their gotra, or patrilineal descent, and the Veda that they follow. Pushpaka women are known as Pushpakathi. Pushpaka men are addressed by their surname ''Unni'' or ''Nambi'', while pushpaka women are addressed as ''Atheramma''. Pushpaka house is known as ''Matham'' ( ml, ...
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