In North Malabar, most prominent of the Thampans are the sons of the Nileshwaram Rajahs, who form a part of the Kiryathil Nair caste.
In North Malabar, most prominent of the Thampans are the sons of the Nileshwaram Rajahs, who form a part of the Kiryathil Nair caste.
The Thampans were once ruling classes but by the 17th century they became vassals to other kings – mainly the three large kingdoms of Travancore, Kochi and Kozhikode.
They are invested with the sacred thread at the age of sixteen and are allowed to recite the Gayatri incantation ten times, thrice a day.
The Thali Kettu Kalyanam ceremony for girls, which is the actual marriage ceremony, takes place between the ages of seven and fourteen and Brahmins of a class called Aryapattar tie the Thali while Vedic hymns are chanted by the Namboodiri Brahmins.