Malabar And Its Folk

The author has delved deep into history of Malabar to present in a brief compass some of the salient phases of social and religious life of this region. The major portion of the book, it will be observed, deals with the life and institutions of the Nairs, by far the most conspicuous amongst the peoples of Malabar. The book is a first attempt of the kind at a systematic treatment of the subject. It is far from being an exhaustive treatise. I do not claim any universality of application so far as the entire district is concerned for the customs and institutions described in the book ; but, at all events, he wants to point out that the descriptions given will be found to apply to some part, more particularly the South, if not the whole of Malabar. The social customs and institutions of Malabar are so varied and conflicting that it would be fruitless to attempt to give an accurate and exhaustive account of them. Those that obtain in one village may be, and in fact sometimes are, essentially distinct in detail from those that obtain in the village or villages adjoining it. In some places certain peculiar customs prevail which are entirely absent in others. The book is quite informative in the context of Malabar.