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Unni is used as a first name in Kerala, India. In the Malayalam language, it is also used as an adjective meaning an infant boy. Thus, Unnikrishnan or Unnikannan means Lord Krishna in the infant form and Unniyesu means Yesu in the infant form. The word is also the name of a caste among Hindus in the Southern India State of Kerala.
Saraswat Brahmins are Hindu Brahmins, who are spread over widely separated regions spanning from Kashmir in North India to Konkan in West India to Kanara and Kerala in South India. The word Saraswat is derived from the Rigvedic Sarasvati River.
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, that system was absent. The Malayali Brahmins formed the priestly class, and they considered all other castes to be either Shudra or Avarna. The exception to this were the military elites among the Samantha Kshatriyas and the Nairs, who were ritually promoted to the status of Kshatriya by means of the Hiranyagarbha ceremony. This was done so that the Samanthans and Nairs could wield temporal ruling powers over the land, as they constituted the aristocratic class.
Gaud Saraswat Brahmins (GSB) are a Hindu Brahmin community, who are part of the larger Saraswat Brahmin community that migrated to Konkan from Gaud, as per the Skanda Purana in ancient India. They belong to the Pancha Gauda Brahmins group.They primarily speak Konkani and its various dialects as their mother tongue.
Nambeesan is a Pushpaka Brahmin caste of Kerala, India.
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Malayali Brahmins or Kerala Brahmins are the group of Brahmins from the Indian state of Kerala. These groups include the Nambudiri, Pushpaka Unni, Nambeesan, Nambidi, Moothath (Moosad), Ilayath, Chakyar, Nambiar, and the Potti. The Pidarar community are Brahmins that follow Kaula sampradaya.
Ambalavasi, more properly Ampalavasi, is the generic name for a group of castes among Hindus in Kerala, India, who have traditionally rendered temple services.
Pushpaka Brahmin is a generic term that refers to a group of certain Hindu Brahmin castes in Kerala.
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Pushpaka may refer to:
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The Vishwakarma community are a social group of India, sometimes described as a caste. They prefer the alternate name, Vishwabrahmin, and claim themselves to be Brahmin or of high-status in the caste hierarchy, although these claims are not generally accepted outside the community. The community comprises five subgroups—carpenters, blacksmiths, bronze smiths, goldsmiths and stonemasons— claim to be descendants of Vishvakarma, the builder and architect of heavenly realm, a Hindu deity.
The reformation movement in Kerala refers to a socio-cultural shift that began in the late 19th century, resulting in significant transformations in the social fabric of the southern Indian state of Kerala.
Theeyattunni or Theeyadi Unni is a caste of Hindu Brahmins of Kerala, India. They are a part of the Pushpaka Brahmins and Ambalavasi community in Kerala. Theeyattunnis are traditionally the performers of an ancient art form called Theeyatt. Theeyattunnis have the right for Tantric Poojas and other privileges enjoyed by the Nambudiri caste.
Sree Pushpakabrahmana Seva Sangham (SPSS) is a registered charitable organisation which works for the progress of Pushpaka Brahmins, a group of culturally identical Brahmin castes like Pushpaka Unnis, Theeyatt Unnis, Kurukkals, Nambeesans etc. in Kerala.
Plappalli or Plappally is a Hindu Brahmin Caste in Kerala. This caste is peculiar to Travancore and classified under Ampalavasis. The males are invested with Sacred Thread between the year 8 and 16. Formerly the Ilayathus officiated as their priests, but now the service is performed by Nampoothiris or Pottis.
References
- ↑ Rose, Suma (2004). Polity, Society, and Women: With Special Reference to Travancore, 1700-1900 A.D. Carmel International Publishing House. p. 217. ISBN 9788187655374 . Retrieved 30 April 2013.
- ↑ "Kerala State Forward Communities" (PDF).
- ↑ Report on the Socio-economic Survey on Castes/communities, Kerala 1968. Bureau of Economics & Statistics, Government of Kerala. 1969. p. 42.