| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| Kerala | |
| Languages | |
| Malayalam | |
| Religion | |
| Hinduism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Illathu Nairs, Kiryathil Nairs, Nambiar, Eradi, Swaroopathil Nair |
Samantan Nair or more commonly 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. The Samantan Nairs are members of the Kiryathil, Illathu and Swaroopathil Nair communities whose ancestors performed various Śrauta rituals (Hiranyagarbha) to achieve a higher status that enabled them to rule over the Brahmins.[1]
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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