Mezhathol Agnihothri is a figure in the

folklore of Kerala The culture of Kerala has developed over the past millennia, influences from other parts of India and abroad.

who is credited for supposedly reviving the ancient Shrauta traditions in Kerala,

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 so ...

, in around the mid-first millennium CE. At that time,

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

and

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current ...

had eroded the ancient Vedic religion and culture of India. Mezhathol rejuvenated the ancient customs by performing 99 ''yagas''. The Shrauta traditions still remain intact in Kerala today, maintained by the rigidly orthodox

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 el ...

Brahmins.

Yagas

Mezhathol Agnihothri began gathering interest in the yaga culture and proceeded to perform 99 yagas, one after the other. However only seven of the original 32

Graamams (Villages) agreed to assist Mezhathol, and today only these Graamams (

Taliparamba Taliparamba (also known as Perinchelloor and Lakshmipuram) is a Municipalities of Kerala, Municipality in Taliparamba taluk of Kannur district, Kerala, India. The municipal town spreads over an area of and is inhabited by 44,247 number ...

Alathur Alathur is a town, taluk and gram panchayat in Palakkad District, Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Alathur Taluk and is situated about 24 km from the district headquarters Palakkad through National Highway 544.Ga ...

, Karikkad, Panniyur,

Sukapuram Sukapuram (formerly Chokiram) is a village in Ponnani taluk, Malappuram district of Kerala. It is located near Edappal, on the plains south of the Bharathappuzha. The village is one of the earliest Brahmin settlements ("Sukapuram grama") in Ke ...

, Peruvanam and

Irinjalakkuda Irinjalakuda is a municipal town in Thrissur district, Kerala, India. It is the headquarters of Irinjalakuda Revenue Division and Mukundapuram Taluk. After Thrissur, this town has most number of administrative, law-enforcement and judicial o ...

) have the right to perform Yaagam. 17 Nambudiri experts are required to perform yagas, and they come from Kalakandathur Griham, Maathur Griham, Kulukkamillaavur Griham, Chemmangad Griham, Pazhoor Griham, Muringoth Griham and

Vella Griham Vella is a village and a former municipality in the district of Surselva in the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland. The municipalities of Cumbel, Degen, Lumbrein, Morissen, Suraua, Vignogn, Vella, and Vrin merged on 1 January 2013 into the ne ...

. It is believed that if a person performs 100 yagas, that person has the same status of

Indran Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> Ind ...

. After Mezhathol performed 99 yagas,

, worried that he may lose his power, requested Mezhathol not to perform the 100th yaga. Mezhathol declined, explaining that he was not performing the yagas for personal gain, but to retain the culture of yagas amongst

Brahmins 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 o ...

. At this,

gave Mezhathol and his seven associates the same status as himself.

''Aadhyan'' Nambudiri

The assistance of 8 Nambudiri families (''Griham'') was recognised by Mezhathol Agnihotri and he classed these 8 families as the '' Ashtagrihathil Aadhyanmaar'' (

Eight Elite Families 8 is a number, numeral, and glyph. 8 or eight may also refer to: Years * AD 8, the eighth year of the AD era * 8 BC, the eighth year before the AD era Art * The Eight (Ashcan School), a group of twentieth century painters associated with the A ...

). Members of these families are known as ''Aadhyan'' Nambudiris (" Aadhyan" literally means "the first one" in Malayalam). Aadhyans adopted the title of " Nambudiripad" to show their superior status. However in the subsequent centuries, several non-Aadhyan families (known as Aasyan Nambudiris) have also adopted the title of "Nambudiripad" in imitation of Aadhyan Nambudiris.

References

{{reflist

External links

Science set to give a date for famed folklore
Hindu revivalists

Yagas

''Aadhyan'' Nambudiri

See also

References

External links