Visiting Nepal

Illam

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Illam (pronounced /Ilam/) is a malayalee lineage system used for classification and identification of castes in Kerala, South India. The House of Namboothiries (the Brahmins of Kerala) are also called the Brahmaalayam or Mana. The house is built according to the canons of Vaasthusaasthram, meaning architecture in Sanskrit language.

Each Namboothiri male (or unmarried female) is identified by his/her respective paternal family name. A married female adopts her husband's family name. Each family is affiliated to a Gothra and Pravara. The Gothra name demonstrates the family's traditional style of knowledge acquisition and expertise in ancient theories. Based on the fact that cross-breeding of excellent but different species yields better quality, marriage from a family belonging to the same Gothra was and is still banned for Namboothiris. Looking from another angle, Namboothiris believe that marriage from the same Gothra has a better chance of generating mentally retarded or physically handicapped children or at least children of less intellectual capacity. Each Gothra has several sub-classes known as Pravara. If by mistake, a boy marries a girl of same Gothra, he is not allowed to have sex with her. He has to treat her like he treats his mother. Common gothra (and their pravara in brackets) among Namboothiris are: Bharadwaajam (Amgirasam, Bhaarhaspathyam, Bharadwaajam) Kousikam (Viswaamithram, Akhamarshanam, Kousikam) Vaatsam (Bhaargavam, Chyavanam, Aapthavaanam, Ourvam, Jaamadagnyam) Koundinyam (Vaasishtam, Maithraavarunam, Koundinyam) Kaasyapam (Kaasyapam, Aavatsaaram, Naidruvam) Vaasishtam (Vaasishtam, Indrapradamam, Aabharaswath) Jaamadagnyam (Bhaargavam, Chyavanam, Aapthavaanam, Ourvam, Jaamadagnyam) Viswaamithram (Viswaamithram, Devaraatham, Oudalam) Gouthamam (Amgirasam, Aayasyam, Gouthamam) Athri (Aathreyam, Archanaanasam, Syavaaswam) Eight more Gothras also exist among Namboothiris, as branches of the Gothras listed above. They are: Kutsam, Mudgalam, Aamgirasam, Gaargyam, Naidruvam, Saandilyam, Dhaananjayam, and Samkhyaayanam. Ilam is the far eastern district of the country, inhabited by people of different colors living in peace and harmony. Neighboring the famous Indian hill town of Darjeeling, it is situated on the foothills of Mount Kanchanjunga, The third highest peak in the world. Ilam is adorned with an almost limitless range of lush-green tea gardens. The rolling hills covered with tea leaves are simply majestic. The thick white fogs alternatively descend to veil the gardens and then suddenly vanish. Greenery prevails all over the hills of Ilam all around the year. Ilam Tea Garden located near Ilam Bazaar and Kanyam Tea Garden located halfway between Terai plain and Ilam Bazaar are the major gardens of Nepal. Trekking around the central Himalaya in respect of its cultural diversity and topographical variations is more exciting and interesting, exploring different culture of various ethnic groups, the lower ridges are inhabited by Tamangs and Sherpas whereas the higher region by Tibetans. This trek also provides a chance to observe one of a holy site of Hindu people the sacred Gosainkunda Lake. This trek offers a fascinating views of Langtang Range, Ganesh Himal, Dorje Lakpa, Naya Kanga, Lang Shisha.