Samantan Nair, also known as Samanthan Nair or just Samantan[1] (meaning "equal to" or "deemed to be"), was a generic term applied to dignify a group of sub-clans among the ruling elites (Naduvazhi) and feudal lords (Jenmimar) of the Nair community in Kerala.[2][3]
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Kerala | |
| Languages | |
| Malayalam, Sanskrit | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Illathu Nairs, Kiryathil Nairs, Nambiar, Eradi, Samantha Kshatriya, Swaroopathil Nair |
Robin Jeffrey, an anthropologist, described the Samantans as, "A matrilineal caste ranking between Nairs and Kshatriyas" [4]
References
edit- ^ Gough, Kathleen (1954). "The Traditional Kinship System of the Nayars of Malabar". Social Science Research Council Summer Seminar on Kinship, Harvard University. Harvard University Press. OL 15134143M.
- ^ Mencher, Joan (1963). "The Nayars of South Malabar". Cornell University Press.
- ^ Narayanan, Muttayil Govindamenon Sankara (January 1996). Perumāḷs of Kerala: Brahmin Oligarchy and Ritual Monarchy : Political and Social Conditions of Kerala Under the Cēra Perumāḷs of Makōtai (c. AD 800-AD 1124). Current Books Thrissur. ISBN 8193368320.
- ^ Jeffrey, Robin (1976). The Decline of Nayar Dominance: Society and Politics in Travancore, 1847–1908. Sussex University Press. ISBN 0-85621-054-4.