Mannadiyar

Mannadiar is a title used by members of the nair caste . Mannadiyars being kshatriya ruled parts of Palakkad. The Mannadiyar caste speaks Malayalam alone as its mother tongue. A majority of Mannadiars are land owners, agriculture being their traditional occupation, ranging from farmers to large feudal landlords (jenmis). Also, some of them are engaged in retail and wholesale trading businesses in Palakkad. The house (tharavad) of Nair Mannadiars is called "Mannattam" like Illams for Namboothiris.The Tharakan (Hindu caste) Mannadiyar and Nair Mannadiyars belong to the general category.

Etymology

Mannadiar is an honorific title possessed by ancient landlords. The word is rooted from Mun or Maṇṇú (earth) and Nēṭiyavar or uṭayōr (lords, Jenmi or earners) clubbed to form Mannadiars.[1]

History

Mannadiyar is a title, which the Angarath and Vadaseri families of Kerala have . Mannadiyars are Hindus who follow a mixture of Shaivism and Vaishnavism. The palm leaf manuscripts in the possession of Mannadiyars, relate to several Malayalam works of poets from Kerala. Mannadiyars regularly read the Adhyatma Ramayana during the Ramayana masam in Kerala.

Religion

The serpent is also worshipped by Mannadiar families (mostly in Valluvanad areas) as a guardian of the clan. The worship of snakes, [2] is so prevalent in the area that one anthropologist notes: "In no part of the world is snake worship more general than in Kerala."[3] Serpent groves (Pāmpin Kāvú) were found in the southwestern corner of Many of the Mannadiar Tharavad compound and Sarpa Pooja will be performed once a year by the family members.

Traditions and customs

The Traditions of the Mannadiyars are similar to that of other subdivisions of the Nair caste in Kerala and have unique traditions that are found only in Kerala.

See also

References
  1. "Census of India, 1961, Volume 7" P. 20
  2. K. Balachandran Nayar (1974). In quest of Kerala. Accent Publications. p. 85. Retrieved 3 June 2011. The Dravidian people of Kerala were serpent worshippers.
  3. L. A. Krishna Iyer (1968). Social history of Kerala. Book Centre Publications. p. 104. Retrieved 3 June 2011.
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