About: Caste system in Kerala

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The caste system in Kerala differed from that found in the rest of India. While the Indian caste system generally divided the four-fold Varna division of the society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, in Kerala, the Malayali Brahmins formed the priestly class, while the Kshatriyas, Samantha Kshatriya and Nairs formed the upper military and ruling classes. Other than the Brahmins, Samanthans and Nairs, all other castes were analogous to Shudras if the Varna system is considered. The women from the military elite and ruling classes such as Nairs, Samantha Kshatriyas and the Ambalavasi communities married men both from their own communities and from the Nambudiri Brahmin households through a marriage ritual called Sambandam. Like the rest of India, the lower castes touching the

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  • The caste system in Kerala differed from that found in the rest of India. While the Indian caste system generally divided the four-fold Varna division of the society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, in Kerala, the Malayali Brahmins formed the priestly class, while the Kshatriyas, Samantha Kshatriya and Nairs formed the upper military and ruling classes. Other than the Brahmins, Samanthans and Nairs, all other castes were analogous to Shudras if the Varna system is considered. The women from the military elite and ruling classes such as Nairs, Samantha Kshatriyas and the Ambalavasi communities married men both from their own communities and from the Nambudiri Brahmin households through a marriage ritual called Sambandam. Like the rest of India, the lower castes touching the upper castes was called "pollution," but only in Kerala did the lower castes pollute not just by touch but also by merely approaching a Brahmin or a Nair. The Kerala caste system was ritualized but it was not the Varna model found elsewhere. In South India, only in Kerala did there appear a warrior lineage called Nairs approximate to the Kshatriya model. (en)
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  • The caste system in Kerala differed from that found in the rest of India. While the Indian caste system generally divided the four-fold Varna division of the society into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras, in Kerala, the Malayali Brahmins formed the priestly class, while the Kshatriyas, Samantha Kshatriya and Nairs formed the upper military and ruling classes. Other than the Brahmins, Samanthans and Nairs, all other castes were analogous to Shudras if the Varna system is considered. The women from the military elite and ruling classes such as Nairs, Samantha Kshatriyas and the Ambalavasi communities married men both from their own communities and from the Nambudiri Brahmin households through a marriage ritual called Sambandam. Like the rest of India, the lower castes touching the (en)
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  • Caste system in Kerala (en)
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