Thampan

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Thampan is the name of Kshatriya clan from the state of Kerala in India.

Etymology

The word Thampan is a contraction of the term Thampuran which is a corrupt version of the Sanskrit term Samrat and stands for Your Lordship. The title of Varma is some times affixed to the name of a Thampan. In Travancore, Thampans, along with the Thampis and Thirumulpads form a part of the third tier of Royalty, after the Koil Thampurans who form the first tier and the Thampurans who form the second tier. In North Malabar, most prominent of the Thampans are the sons of the Nileshwaram Rajahs, who form a part of the Kiryathil Nair caste.

Occupation

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.

General customs

The customs of the Thampans are same like the Rajahs of Kerala. 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. Birth and Death pollutions are observed for eleven days. Namboodiri Brahmins are the priests of the Thampans. 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. The girl may have a Sambandham (actual marriage) later with a Namboodiri Brahmin. Males have Sambandham with other Nair ladies.

References

Travancore State Manual
Travancore Census Report, 1901

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