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Revision as of 07:31, 9 July 2005
The Namboothiris are the Brahmins of Kerala. They adhere to the Advaita philosophy propounded by Sri Adi Shankaracharya and are therefore Smartha's. Indeed, Sri Adi Shankaracharya himself was born into this community.
According to some traditions that ascribe, controversially, a non-Indian origin to certain higher castes, the Namboodiri's are thought to have migrated from North India, or countries further north, into Kerala during the 7th century AD. According to Namboothiri mythology, Sri Parashuraaman created the land (of Kerala) and bestowed it upon them. However, this myth is actually derived from an old Chera lore about King Velkezu Kuttavan. According to this myth, the king flings his spear into the sea to claim land from it. This lore was modified by the Namboothiris as part of their campaign to establish themselves as the highest caste in Kerala. In the Namboothiri version, Parashuraaman uses his Parashu (Axe), to create new land for the Brahmins.
The Namboothiris may have had a major role in precipitating the emergence of Malayalam as a language distinct from Tamil. This is indicated by the fact that the Malayalam language has significant Sanskrit influence.
The Namboothiris are acknowledged as being among the foremost vedic scholars of India. In fact, among all the various Brahmin groups in India, it is only in the vedic chanting of the Namboothiris that one can find a relic of the PIE (Proto-Indo-European) language (in the form of some specific raised accent).
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