Illam (/ˈɪləm/), also referred to as Mana, is the Malayalam word for the house of a Namboodiri Brahmin. In the traditional lineage system used for the classification and identification of homes based on the castes of Kerala, South India, an Illam served as the Tharavad (ancestral house) of Nambudiri Brahmin families. [1]
The Namboodiris, who constituted the highest ranking caste of Kerala, also refer to their lineages as the Brahmaalayam.[2] The family homes are built according to the canons of Vaasthusaasthram, meaning "architecture" in the Sanskrit language. Very few illams continue to be used for dwelling, while most have been morphed into museums, ayurvedic health care centres and home stays in the struggle for survival.[3]
- ^ Raees, Mohamed (January 2015). "Nayars in Kerala: A Descriptive Study About the Society, Confronts and Transformation". Darul Huda Islamic University.
- ^ Mencher, Joan (January 1966). "Namboodiri Brahmans of Kerala". Natural History.
- ^ Kakkat, Thulasi (18 August 2012). "Kerala's Nalukettus".