Bhattathiri are members of the Namboothiri community of Kerala, India.
Historically, Namboothiris have focused on the acquisition and application of knowledge.
Saasthra Bhattathiris received the "Bhatta" title after passing examinations on their scholarship.
[1] The Smaartha Bhattathiris specialized in conducting trials of Namboothiris.
This trial process was called Jaathi Saasyam or Smaartha Vichaaram, and the expert conducting it was called Smaarthan or Smaartha Bhattathiri, with the term Bhattathiri meaning "expert".