Other Spellings : Namboothiri
Religion : Hindu
Varna : Brahmins (of Kerala)
Language : Malayalam
Regional Spread : Kerala
Traditional Occupation : Priests, Vedic scholars
Food Habits : Strictly Vegetarian, prepared mainly with fresh vegetables and fresh milk.
Marriage Preference : Intra-caste marriages
Related Communities : Nairs
Famous Personalities
The Namboodiris or Namboothiris are the Brahmins of Kerala. They adhere to the Advaita philosophy propounded by Shri Adi Shankaracharya and are Smarthas (Bahmins who consider the Vedas supreme). In Malayalam, the word 'Namboothiri' is derived from 'Nambu' meaning 'sacred or trustworthy', and 'thiri' meaning 'light'.
According to the Aryan Invasion Theory, the Namboothiris migrated from North India, or countries further north, into Kerala during the 7th century AD. The Namboothiris own mythology holds that Shri Parashuraaman created the land (of Kerala) and bestowed it upon them.
Earlier days Nair men used to protect Namboothiris. Nair and other upper caste women are allowed to have alliances with Namboothiris and the children born are considered as Nairs as Nair caste adheres to women supremacy. The Namboothiri women are called Antherjanam, the literal meaning being "people inside the house." Only the eldest son of the Namboothiri could marry Namboothiri girl and other younger ones marry girls from Kshatriya caste till recently.
The Namboodiris were considered to be the most orthodox Brahmins of India till recently with the exception of the Tamil Iyengars and Iyers. Namboothiris used to practice Aitha or untouchability. Not only lower castes, even higher castes Brahmins like Iyers, Saraswat Brahmins were not allowed inside Namboothiri houses because of their non-priestly occupations in Kerala. Thus the Namboothiris had a strong sense of superiority over other castes, highlighting their position as the highest order of Brahmins in Kerala.
The Namboothiris played a major role in precipitating the emergence of Malayalam as a language distinct from Tamil. Besides, they are acknowledged as amongst the foremost Vedic scholars of India. Today, you find Namboodiris in all walks of life from the priest at a nearby temple, to a software engineer or an accountant in the Europe or in the United States.