In order to mitigate to some extent the suffering caused by turning adrift a woman proved guilty of adultery, who has hitherto lived in seclusion, provision has been made by the Raja of Cherakkal. A Tiyan named Talliparamba possesses a large extent of land granted by a former Raja of Cherakkal, on condition of his taking under his protection all excommunicated females, if they choose to go with him. He has special rank and privileges, and has the title of Mannanar. Whenever an inquiry takes place, Mannanar receives information of it, and his messengers are ready to take the woman away. It was the custom in former days for Mannanar's agents to lead the woman to near his house, and leave her at a certain place from which two roads lead to the house--one to the eastern gate, and the other to the northern. If the woman happened to enter the house by the eastern gate, she became Mannanar's wife, and, if she went in by the northern gate, she was considered to be his sister by adoption. This rule, however, is not strictly adhered to at the present day. The Nambutiris are stated by Mr. Subramani Aiyar to "belong to different sutras, gotras, or septs, and follow different Vedas. The most important of the sutras are Asvalayana, Baudhayana, Apastamba, and Kaushitaka. The best-known gotras are Kasyapa, Bhargava, Bharadvaga, Vasishta, and Kausika. There are a few Samavedins belonging to the Kitangnur and Panchal gramams, but most of them are Rigvedic, and some belong to the Yajurveda. The Rigvedic Brahmans belong to two separate yogas or unions, namely, Trichur Yoga and Tirunavai Yoga. It appears that three of the most renowned of the disciples of Sankaracharya were Nambutiri Brahmans, who received their initiation into the sanyasasrama at the great sage's hands. They established three maths or monasteries, known as the tekkematham (southern), natuvile matham (middle), and vatakke matham (northern). Succession having fallen in default in regard to the last, the property that stood in its name lapsed to the Raja of Cochin. Out of the funds of this matham, a Vedic pathasala (boarding school) was established at Trichur. A certain number of villagers became in time recognised as being entitled to instruction at this institution, and formed a yoga. Trichur then became the centre of Brahmanical learning. Later on, when the relations of the Zamorin of Calicut with the Raja of Cochin became strained, he organised another yoga at Tirunavai for the Nambutiris who lived within his territory. Here there are two yogas for Rigvedic Brahmans. In these schools, religious instruction has been imparted with sustained attention for several centuries. The heads of these schools are recruited from the houses of Changngavot and Erkara, respectively. To these two yogas two Vadhyars and six Vaidikas are attached. There are also six Smartas or judges attached to these bodies. The Vadhyars are purely religious instructors, and have no judicial duties in respect of society.