Tirumalpād or Thirumalpād is a Hindu

Kshatriya Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the co ...

title used in North and Central

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South C ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

.E. Thurston. Castes and tribes of South India Volume 7Madras Census report 1891 The title is used independently by certain sections of Samanthan Nairs and Samanta Kshatriya as well as by some

Namboothiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal e ...

clans. Sāmantha Thirumalpād is investituted with a sacred thread and observes customs and manners exactly similar to other Samantan Nairs. In contrast, the Samanta Kshatriya Thirumalpāds wear the sacred thread, performing vedic rites.

Distinction

The Thirumulpāds of the Samanta Kshatriya stock are further divided into two classes (Sripurogamas who are the attendants at the Raja's palace) and the Audvāhikas (who perform wedding ceremony for certain castes). Both these, however, are identical people, though varying in their traditional occupations. Their females are called Nambashtadiri. They are mostly found in

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Kerala, the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part ...

. Thirumulpād of the Sāmantha stock include clans of the Karnamulpād of

Manjeri Manjeri () is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is the fourth-most populous municipality in state. It is situated southeast to Karipur International Airport and northeast to Malappuram, the district he ...

and Thirumulpād of

Nilambur Nilambur is a major town, a municipality and a Taluk in the Malappuram district of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River. This place is also known as 'Teak ...

. The ladies belonging to this caste are known as Kolpad or Koilamma. They are mostly found in and around South Malabar. Most important of the

clans who use this title in South Malabar are the second to fifth line of successors to the

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited ...

's throne. The second and third line of successors, known as Ernād Ilamkur Nambiyāthiri Thirumulpād and Ernād Moonnāmkur Nambiyāthiri Thirumulpād are located in the Principality of

Ernād Eranad also known as Ernad refers to the erstwhile province in the midland area of Malabar, consisting of Malappuram and nearby regions such as Anakkayam, Manjeri, Kondotty, Nilambur, etc. Currently Eranad Taluk is a Taluk in Malappuram distr ...

, while Itattoornad Nambiyathiri Thirumulpād and Nediyiruppu Moottaratti Thirumulpād are located further south. All these clans belong to the Eradi subdivision of

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histo ...

. Malabar Manual By William Logan p.167

References

{{reflist Social groups of Kerala Indian surnames Indian castes Kerala society Nair

Distinction

See also

References