Information AboutNamboothiri |
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The Namboothiris ( of Kerala . They adhere to the Advaita philosophy propounded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya and are Smartha's . Indeed, Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself was born into this community (though he disowned them). In Malayalam , the word '''Namboothiri''' is derived from '''Nambu''' meaning sacred or trustworthy, and '''thiri''' meaning Light. The Namboothiris' own mythology holds that Sri Parashuraaman created the land (of Kerala) and bestowed it upon them. Parasurama Myth also exits amongst Brahmins of coastal regions of Karnataka , Konkan and Gujarat . Hence it has to be seen as a myth not exlusive to Namboothiris and Kerala alone. However, this myth also exist in an old Chera lore about King Velkezu Kuttavan. According to this myth, the king flings his spear into the sea to claim land from it. This lore was modified later in Malayalam language by the Namboothiris as part of their campaign to establish themselves in Kerala. In the Namboothiri version, Parashuraaman uses his ''Parashu'' (Axe), to create new land for the Brahmins. Hindu s of Kerala mostly follow Smartha tradition of worship but Shaivism and Vaishnavism are also present to a minor extent. Namboothiris are traditionally accompanied by Nair s, a warrior caste of Kerala. Earlier days Nair men used to protect Namboothiris. Nair and other upper caste women are allowed to have alliances with Namboothiris and the children born are considered as Nairs as Nair caste adheres to women supremacy. The Namboodiris are assisted in their temple duties by the caste called Ambalavasi s who are the caste between them and the Sudra Nairs. They include Variar , Marayar , Pisharedy etc. Namboodiris used to have marital alliances with these matriarchal Ambalavasis also. The Namboothiri women are called Antherjanam, the literal meaning being "people inside the house." Only the eldest son of the Namboothiri could marry namboothiri girl and other younger ones marry girls from Kshatriya caste till recently. The travel of Namboothiri girls were limited to the temples or to the house of their immediate relatives, but that too had to be accompanied by a maidservant. The Namboothiris were considered to be the most orthodox brahmins of India till recently with the exeception of the Tamil Iyengars and iyers.Tamil brahmins follow Vedic mantra for ritual and worship which is different from the Tantric tradition followed in the Kerala Temples by Namboothiris. However, Namboothiris made use of their services in the administration of the Veda padhasalas (schools), establishment of Yajur Vedic school and some domestic services. ''Namboothiris'' used to practice Aitha or untouchability. Not only lower castes, even higher castes were not allowed inside Namboothiri houses. Migrant Brahmins like Iyers , Saraswat Brahmins and Kshatriya s (Nambiars, Varmas, Unnithans) are also considered lower in status because of their non-priestly occupations in Kerala. Thus the Namboothiris had a strong sense of superiority over other castes, highlighting their position as the highest order of Brahmin s in India. The Namboothiris played a major role in precipitating the emergence of Malayalam as a language distinct from Tamil . This is indicated by the fact that the Malayalam language has significant Sanskrit influence. The Namboothiris are acknowledged as being among the foremost vedic scholars of India. In fact, among all the various Brahmin groups in India , it is only in the vedic chanting of the Namboothiris that one can find a relic of the PIE (Proto-Indo-European) language (in the form of some specific raised accent). This ancient oral tradition of Vedic chanting is getting extinct after merging of the erstwhile Princely ruled states of Cochin and Travancore to the Indian Union in A.D. 1947. The Hindu Marriage Act and the influence of Communism during the start of this century made drastic effects on this otherwise orthodox community. Determined steps were made to give more rights to women, and to desist the men folk from having alliances (which were not even marriages) with members from other slightly lower castes. The Land Reforms Act, also caused a heavy blow on this community (along with other castes like Nairs ) as agricultural land was taken away from them. Today you find members of this community in all walks of life, all across the world - right from the priest at a nearby temple, to a software engineer or an accountant in the Middle East, Europe or in the United States. EXTERNAL LINKS
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