Moothath

Moothath (IAST:Mūttatu) (also written as Moothatu, Muttatu, Moosad, Musad) is a Hindu caste in Kerala. They belong to the Ambalavasi category as per the Kerala government census but are a closed community that neither belong to the Namboothiri nor adhering to the Pushpaka Brahmin. Thus they have a unique identity and mostly inter marry within the same community. Like Namboothiri Brahmins and certain other castes in Kerala they are also family oriented community and known through different family names. Punnessry, Vattapalli, Padakassery, etc. are few of these families and the importance of family name rather than the individual can be traced back to practices in the central/North Travancore(erstwhile) region. Though some of the members have the surname Sarma/Sharma majority of the people still keep Moothathu as their surname. The house of a Moothath is known as Illom or Mana. The married woman of a Moothathu community is known as Manayamma. Their main duties were taking the Ottu(Bronze)thidambu during Seeveli (Sree Bhutha bali), attend inside duties of Sreekovil during Deeparadhana, cleaning of Sopanam which is considered as "Padam"(Leg) of deity, arranging ingredients for temple requirements & festivals, and for Yagnas & yagas too. Most of this community members had the responsibility to keep the keys to the temple main deity(sreekovil) while some families had additional responsibility of Thiru Aparanam(Temple Jewellery). Present times have seen them migrating to other fields or cities and eventually giving temple responsibilities to Devasam Board. But community wise they can be reckoned as united and highly communicative knowing the members through families.

Origin

It is believed that Parasurama brought a group of Brahmins (1008 families) from the eastern coasts of India to the Vaikom Perum Trikkovil of Kerala. They were given ownership, Priestship and management of the various temples residing nearby these temples. Moothaths are the successors of those Brahmins. This caste is mentioned in the Travancore State Manual under Ambalavasi category. They are also mentioned in the Travancore Census Reports as Malayala Brahmins and as ShivaDwijar.

Pushpaka Brahmin, it is believed, who were also brought from Eastern coast (along with other three classes) to assist shivadwijas by arranging Flowers for Pooja came to know as Pushpakas a name after Pushpa (flower).

In Kerala Sahitya Charitram, Ullur Parameswara Ayyar says that, in the ancient period, Moosads were the priests of Siva Temples in Kerala. In the book 'Sucheendram Sthala Mahatmyam', it is mentioned that, in the Period of Aayilyam Thirunal, Vaikom Pachu Muttatu was appointed as the Vattappallisthanikar of Sucheendram Temple. The book 'Thiruvithamkoor Charitram', written by Pachu Muthatu, is one of the ancient Historical Books on Kerala. In the book "KeralaCharithram Parasuramaniloote" (published by SPCS) Mr. Thiruvangodu Krishnakurupu talks about people of the Moothathu caste as being normally educated and calm in manners. After Nampoothiri invasion to the temples, they supposedly got ousted from the priest job and had to take up other temple duties like cleaning sopanam and Sreebali etc. The name ShivaDwija means Shiva's Brahmin and most of the families are settled near Shiva temples in various parts of Kerala. This gives a hint that most of these Brahmins used to be worshiping and were the priests of Shiva temples from ancient time. More study needs to be done in this direction.

Beliefs and Occupation

Religiously Moothath Brahmins can be categorized under the mainstream Hinduism and they follow a tradition and philosophy that is very much unique to particular section or cult. Prominent themes in their beliefs include (but are not restricted to), Dharma (ethics/duties), Samsāra (The continuing cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth), Karma (action and subsequent reaction), Moksha (liberation from samsara), and the various Yogas (paths or practices). Sandya Vandanam(worshipping sun god 3 times daily), Nama Japam(reciting mantras)are their common daily practices similar to other Brahmin sects other than performing temple duties assigned to them. Their practice of ancestor-worship through Shraddhams(giving rice cakes to crow) is age-old and similar ideas can be found in other Brahmin sects also. They followed makkathayam(male inheritance of property)but recent times had witnessed change in this.

As mentioned in book referred above section The Shivadwijas who were brought were given ownership (Oorayma)/management (karaima) and priestship of the temples. However it was reduced to Management or Karaima (inside temple)during some unknown period of time. Their duties include taking the Ottu(Bronze)thidambu during Seeveli (Sree Bhutha bali), Attend inside Sreekovil during Deeparadhana, cleaning of Sopanam which is considered as "padam" of deity, arranging ingredients for temple requirements & festivals, and for Yagnas & yagas too ( though symbolically in the present times).

Arranging Malar for Malar Nivedyam were the duties of Manayammas. An important subcategory of their ritual purity laws relates to the segregation of menstruating women. This practice is reducing as a result of education and their eventual migration to cities for purpose of job.

Customs of Sivadwijar(ശിവദ്വിജര്‍)

Sivadwijar (Moothath) is a community of Kerala brahamins which consists of 200 illoms and 2500 members. The members of this community are also known as “Moothathu or Moosad”. Predominantly practitioners of Ayurveda few members of this community were physicians to the Travancore Kings. Some of their custms are listed below:

1.Vidyārambham (Ezhuthiniruthu)is done either when the child attains three or five years. On the tongue of the child the letters "Hari Sri Ganapataye Namah Avignamastu "and all the alphabets are written with a piece of gold. The child is made to write the same letters from "Hari Sri" onwards with its index finger on raw rice in a bell metal vessel and the child is made to utter each word when it is written. Either the father of the child or an eminent teacher officiates at this ritual.

2.Upanayanam is the ceremony of wearing the sacred thread called Yajnopaveetam. When the child attains eight years, the wearing of the sacred thread “Yajñopaveetam”, is ceremoniously done. This is only in the case of the boys. It is taking the child to the teacher for initiation of formal education. Along the sacred thread, the hide of the antelope called Krishnajinam is also worn by the boy. The upanayanam ceremony is followed by Brahmopadesham - teaching Gayatri mantra to the boy

See also

• Malayalam Literature from Kottayam
• Vattapalli Matom
• Thanumalayan Temple
• Hinduism
• Travancore

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Further reading

• Menon, P. Shungoonny (1879). A History of Travancore from the Earliest Times. Higginbotham & Co., Madras. http://www.archive.org/stream/ahistorytravanc00menogoog#page/n6/mode/2up. 

External links

• Vaikkath Pachu Moothathu — Ayurveda Practitioners of Kerala
• Art and Culture
• Kerala History
• Traditional Medicine