Illam
Encyclopedia
Illam is a malayalee lineage system used for classification and identification of castes in Kerala
, South India
. The House of Namboothiries (the Brahmins of Kerala) are also called the Brahmaalayam or Mana
. The house is built according to the canons of Vaasthusaasthram, meaning architecture
in Sanskrit
language.
Each Namboothiri male (or unmarried female) is identified by his/her respective paternal family name. A married female adopts her husband's family name. Each family is affiliated to a Gothra and Pravara
. The Gothra name demonstrates the family's traditional style of knowledge acquisition and expertise in ancient theories. Based on the fact that cross-breeding of excellent but different species yields better quality, marriage from a family belonging to the same Gothra was and is still banned for Namboothiris. Each Gothra has several sub-classes known as Pravara. If by mistake, a boy marries a girl of same Gothra, he is not allowed to have sex with her. He has to treat her like he treats his mother.
Common gothra (and their pravara in brackets) among Namboothiris are:
Eight more Gothras also exist among Namboothiris, as branches of the Gothras listed above. They are: Kutsam, Mudgalam, Aamgirasam, Gaargyam, Naidruvam, Saandilyam, Dhaananjayam, and Samkhyaayanam.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, South India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. The House of Namboothiries (the Brahmins of Kerala) are also called the Brahmaalayam or Mana
Mana
Mana is an indigenous Pacific islander concept of an impersonal force or quality that resides in people, animals, and inanimate objects. The word is a cognate in many Oceanic languages, including Melanesian, Polynesian, and Micronesian....
. The house is built according to the canons of Vaasthusaasthram, meaning architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
language.
Each Namboothiri male (or unmarried female) is identified by his/her respective paternal family name. A married female adopts her husband's family name. Each family is affiliated to a Gothra and Pravara
Pravara
Pravara Rural Engineering College , a leading institution in India, is affiliated to the University of Pune, India and is recognized by All India Council for Technical Education, New Delhi . The institute provides simulating academic environment for new technology for the benefit of the society...
. The Gothra name demonstrates the family's traditional style of knowledge acquisition and expertise in ancient theories. Based on the fact that cross-breeding of excellent but different species yields better quality, marriage from a family belonging to the same Gothra was and is still banned for Namboothiris. Each Gothra has several sub-classes known as Pravara. If by mistake, a boy marries a girl of same Gothra, he is not allowed to have sex with her. He has to treat her like he treats his mother.
Common gothra (and their pravara in brackets) among Namboothiris are:
- Bharadwaajam (Amgirasam, Bhaarhaspathyam, Bharadwaajam)
- Kousikam (Viswaamithram, Akhamarshanam, Kousikam)
- Vaatsam (Bhaargavam, Chyavanam, Aapthavaanam, Ourvam, Jaamadagnyam)
- Koundinyam (Vaasishtam, Maithraavarunam, Koundinyam)
- Kaasyapam (Kaasyapam, Aavatsaaram, Naidruvam)
- Vaasishtam (Vaasishtam, Indrapradamam, Aabharaswath)
- Jaamadagnyam (Bhaargavam, Chyavanam, Aapthavaanam, Ourvam, Jaamadagnyam)
- Viswaamithram (Viswaamithram, Devaraatham, Oudalam)
- Gouthamam (Amgirasam, Aayasyam, Gouthamam)
- Athri (Aathreyam, Archanaanasam, Syavaaswam)
Eight more Gothras also exist among Namboothiris, as branches of the Gothras listed above. They are: Kutsam, Mudgalam, Aamgirasam, Gaargyam, Naidruvam, Saandilyam, Dhaananjayam, and Samkhyaayanam.