People of Palakkad

People of Palakkad

The main religion is Hinduism, with many castes - Nair, Ezhava, Namboothiri (Kerala Brahmin), Iyer (Tamil Brahmin), trader (Moothan), artisan community like carpenter (Asari), goldsmith (Thattan), blacksmith (Kollan) and potter (Kusavan). There are some tribals also in the forest areas. Nairs are traditionally the warrior caste. They are now in all fields, mainly in government service. Ezhavas are mostly farmers, the educated among them in other areas also. Namboothiris work as temple priests. They were big landlords once and some of the families were of great astrologers, physicians and scholars.

The Tamil Brahmins of Palakkad require special mention. They migrated from Thanjavur of Tamil Nadu centuries back, on the invitation of the then ruler. They were settled in 96 villages called Agraharams in different parts of the district. They are also basically priests. They brought along their rich cultural heritage, Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance among them.

Muslims are in majority in the areas bordering Malappuram district. Here almost every family has male members in the Gulf region. Due to the remittances from these people, the area has substantially improved economically in the recent years.

The Christians from the districts Idukki and Kottayam migrated to Palakkad and made the hilly terrains of the district their homes. They are very hard working and have a reputation of being good farmers. They have made enormous contribution in the fields of education and medical care by establishing schools, colleges and hospitals even in remote villages.

The language spoken by the majority is Malayalam, with a distinct Tamil flavour. Also, the accent differs according the community of the speaker. Tamil is spoken in the areas bordering Tamil Nadu, by Tamil Brahmins and some Muslims who have roots in Tamil Nadu. There are some Telugu speaking people also, who are believed to have been come to Kerala centuries ago as part of an invading army.