Samantan
Samantan (meaning "equal to" or "deemed to be"), was a generic term applied to dignify a group of sub-clans among the ruling elites and feudal lords of the Nair community in Kerala.[1]
Regions with significant populations | |
---|---|
Kerala | |
Languages | |
Malayalam , Sanskrit | |
Religion | |
Hinduism | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Illathu Nairs, Kiryathil Nairs, Nambiar, Eradi, Swaroopathil Nair |
Robin Jeffrey, an anthropologist, described the Samantans as, "A matrilineal caste ranking between Nayars and Kshatriyas" [2]
References
- Mencher, Joan (1963). "The Nayars of South Malabar". Cornell University Press.
- Jeffrey, Robin (1976). The Decline of Nayar Dominance: Society and Politics in Travancore, 1847–1908. Sussex University Press. ISBN 0-85621-054-4.
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