Tirumalpād or Thirumalpād is a Hindu

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

 Kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

 title used in North and Central Kerala

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....

, India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 . The title is used independently by certain sections of Samanthan Nairs and Samanta Kshatriya as well as by some Namboothiri clans. Sāmantha Thirumalpād is investituted with a sacred thread and observes customs and manners exactly similar to other Samantans like Nedungadi

Nedungadi

is a Samanthan last name, coming from the Indian state of Kerala. They belong to Samanthan section of the Malabar ruling class.Samanthans were the erstwhile rulers of small Nadus under the Chera Dynasty. The name Nedungadi is believed to be derived from the word "Nedunganadu" and the word...

s. 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.

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

Manjeri

Manjeri is a town and municipality in Malappuram District in the state of Kerala, India. It is the commercial capital of Malappuram District and is 28 km from an international airport and 50 km from Kozhikode railway station....

 and Thirumulpād of Nilambur

Nilambur

Nilambur is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River...

. 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 Kshatriya

Kshatriya

*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...

 clans who use this title in South Malabar are the second to fifth line of successors to the Zamorin'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, while Itattoornad Nambiyathiri Thirumulpād and Nediyiruppu Moottaratti Thirumulpād are located further south. All these clans belong to the Eradi

Eradi

Eradi is a Samanthan Nair clan of Kshatriya origin, coming from the Indian state of Kerala. The word is derived from the place name Eranad in Kerala. The "Samoothiri" comes from this Eradi subcaste, now assimilated to Nair, the major upper caste of state of Kerala. Historically the Eradis numbered...

 subdivision of Nair

Nair

Nair , also known as Nayar , refers to "not a unitary group but a named category of castes", which historically embody several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom bore the Nair title. These people historically live in the present-day Indian state of Kerala...

.