The Namboothiris are the Brahmins of Kerala. They adhere to the Advaita philosophy propounded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya and are therefore Smartha's. Indeed, Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself was born into this community. Young Indian brahmachari Brahmin A Brahmin (less often Brahman) is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... List of famous Keralites Districts of Kerala Local Body Election in Kerala Government Websites Government of Kerala Chief Minister of Kerala Kerala Tourism Other Websites Kerala Matrimonials Kerala movies Kerala web directory kerala portal Kerala news Kerala Greetings Kerala Trivia Poorams Pachakam Categories: Articles containing Malayalam text | Kerala | States and... Advaita Vedanta is probably the best known of all Vedanta schools of Hinduism, the others being Dvaita and Vishishtadvaita. ... Adi Shankara (Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) was the most famous Advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism through his non-dualistic philosophy. ... // Introduction The term Smartha refers to those who accept and profess the Advaitha or non-dualistic philosophy propounded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya. ... Adi Shankara (Shri Shankaracharya, Adhi Shankaracharya; the first Shankara in his lineage), reverentially called Bhagavatpada Acharya (the teacher at the feet of Lord) was the most famous Advaita philosopher, who had a profound influence on the growth of Hinduism through his non-dualistic philosophy. ...

According to some traditions that ascribe, controversially, a non-Indian origin to certain higher castes, the Namboodiri's are thought to have migrated from North India, or countries further north, into Kerala during the 7th century AD. According to Namboothiri mythology, Sri Parashuraaman created the land (of Kerala) and bestowed it upon them. However, this myth is actually derived from 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 by the Namboothiris as part of their campaign to establish themselves as the highest caste in Kerala. In the Namboothiri version, Parashuraaman uses his Parashu (Axe), to create new land for the Brahmins. Claiming priestly origin, the Namboothiris established superiority over the "Patters," the Tamil Brahmins, and "Embranthiris," the Thulu Brahmins. The Namboothiris had absolute contempt for the Patters and Embranthiris. Namboothiris considered eating with other Brahmins below their dignity and refused food prepared by the latter. Interestingly though, the Namboothiris made use of their services in the kitchen as well as for running errands. This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... In Hinduism, Parashurama (axe-wielding Rama) is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and a son of Jamadagni. ... The Cheras were one of the three ancient Tamil dynasties who ruled the southern peninsula of India at the beginning of its recorded history. ... A caste system is a rigid system of social stratification, which divides members of a society into different castes. ... In Hinduism, Parashurama (axe-wielding Rama) is the sixth avatar of Vishnu, and a son of Jamadagni. ...

Namboothiris used to practice Aitha or Untouchability. Even other migrant Brahmins like Iyers, Saraswat Brahmins, or Panditas were not allowed in Namboothiri houses. They were, however, allowed to cook food for Namboothiris by entering the kitchen. Aitha or Aitham in Malayalam means descriminaing lower caste people and Untouchability. ... Iyer is the name given to a community of Brahmins (members of the priestly class / caste) of India whose members profess the advaita philosophy propounded by sri Shankaracharya and whose ancestors have had strong ties with the Tamil region,for many centuries. ... The Saraswat Brahmins claim descent from a Brahmin caste mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures as inhabiting the Saraswati River valley, the geographic location of which is not known. ... A pandit or pundit(पन्दित् in Devanagari) is a Hindu Brahmin who has memorized a substantial portion of the Vedas, along with the proper rhythms and melodies for chanting or singing them. ...

The Namboothiri women were called Antherjanam, the literal meaning being "people inside the house." The entire Namboothiri life was patterned to ensure the virginity of the Antherjanam. Their travel was limited to the temples or to the house of their immediate relatives, but that too had to be accompanied by a maidservant.

According to the traditional belief of Marthomite Syrian Christians of Kerala state, they were converted Namboothiris by St.Thomas, who is believed to be landed in 52 AD in Kodungallore, Kerala. In fact, today, many of the gothras of Namboothiris are extinct, while many Marthomite Syrian Christian families have many traditional aspects common with Namboothiris. This subject is the source of great controversy in Kerala. Cranganore (modern day Kodungallur) and known in ancient times as Shinkli, Muchiri (anglicised to Muziris), Muyirikkodu, Muchiripattinam was a famous and prosperous sea-port at the mouth of the Periyar (also known as Choorni Nadi) river in the southern Indian state of Kerala. ...

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. Malayalam (മലയാളം) is the major language of the state of Kerala, in southern India. ... Tamil is a classical language and one of the major languages belonging to the Dravidian language family. ... The Sanskrit language ( संस्कृता वाक्) is one of the earliest attested members of the Indo-European language family and is not only a classical language, but also an official language of India. ...

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). A Brahmin is a member of the Hindu priestly caste. ... A slice of strawberry-rhubarb pie à la mode A pie is a baked dish, with a baked shell usually made of pastry that covers or completely contains a filling of meat, fish, vegetables, fruit, cheeses, creams, chocolate, custards, nuts, or other sweet or savoury ingredient. ...

External links

• Namboothiri Websites Trust
• Youth Namboothiri Group
• Namboothiri's Yahoo! Group