- Kartha
Kartha is a
Nair title name derived from Karthavu which means Lord Fact|date=August 2007 and it was conferred by the king to some powerful Nair families and some of the families enjoyed raja/naduvazi status( Ranni Kartha,Cheraneloor Kartha, Meenechil Kartha, etc) they belong to Samantha Kshatriya clans.It is also a title used by the Raghuvamshi clan of the
Marathas Fact|date=August 2007 who were ruling from Ayodhya, the other surnames being Sure,Randheer etc."
"Kartha, as a
Kshatriya community Fact|date=August 2007; worked mainly in the Army, Police or as tax collectors. They were the leaders of the troops of the king.This is said to have alienated them from the common people and some times the opposition was so severe that they are supposed to have been cursed by many.
It is said that today the Kartha surname has almost disappeared because of all the curses that they got.
"Society:"
Kartha’s strictly followed the
marumakkathayam ormatrilineal [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aliya_Santana] or matriachical tradition where the female was the head of the family. She would only have aSambandam or an arraignment and not a marriage with any male and that would mainly be withNamboothiri or Iyer Brahmins. Her children would carry her name and inherit her property.References
* History of Travancore by Shungunny Menon
* Travancore State Manual by V.Nagam Aiyaee also
*
Samanta Kshatriya s
*Kshatriya s
*Caste system in Kerala
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