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Samantan
Samantan
Nair
or more commonly
Samantan
,
Samantan
was a
generic term
applied to
dignify
a
collection
of
sub-clans
among the
ruling elite
and
feudal estate
owners
of
Kerala
belonging
to the Nair
community
.
Robin Jeffrey
, an
anthropologist
, described the Samantas as "a
matrilineal
caste
ranking
between
Nayars
and
Kshatriyas
and found in
limited
numbers
in
north
Travancore
. They were more
numerous
in
Cochin
and
British
Malabar
."