"The development of this caste," Mr. H. A. Stuart writes, [3] "is interesting. In Chirakkal, the northernmost taluk of the Malabar district, and in the adjoining Kasargod taluk of South Canara, Marayans are barbers, serving Nayars and higher castes; in the Kottayam and Kurumbranad taluks they are barbers and drummers, and also officiate as purohits (priests) at the funeral ceremonies of Nayars. In the latter capacity they are known in those parts also as Attikurissi Marayan. Going still further south, we find the Nayar purohit called simply Attikurissi, omitting the Marayan, and he considers it beneath his dignity to shave. Nevertheless, he betrays his kinship with the Marayan of the north by the privilege which he claims of cutting the first hair when a Nayar is shaved after funeral obsequies. On the other hand, the drummer, who is called Marayan, or honorifically Marar, poses as a temple servant, and would be insulted if it were said that he was akin to the shaving Marayan of the north. He is considered next in rank only to Brahmans, and would be polluted by the touch of Nayars. He loses caste by eating the food of Nayars, but the Nayars also lose caste by eating his food. A proverb says that a Marayan has four privileges:-- 1. Pani, or drum, beaten with the hand. 2. Koni, or bier, i.e., the making of the bier. 3. Natumittam, or shaving. 4. Tirumittam, or sweeping the temple courts. "In North Malabar a Marayan performs all the above duties even now. In the south there appears to have been a division of labour, and there a Marayan is in these days only a drummer and temple servant. Funeral rites are conducted by an Attikurissi Marayan, otherwise known as simply Attikurissi, and shaving is the duty of the Velakattalavan. This appears to have been the case for many generations, but I have not attempted to distinguish between the two sections, and have classed all as barbers. Moreover, it is only in parts of South Malabar that the caste has entirely given up the profession of barber; and, curiously enough, these are the localities where Nambudiri influence is supreme. The Marayans there appear to have confined themselves to officiating as drummers in temples, and to have obtained the title of Ambalavasi; and, in course of time, they were even honoured with sambandham of Nambudiris. In some places an attempt is made to draw a distinction between Marayan and Marayar, the former denoting the barber, and the latter, which is merely the honorific plural, the temple servant. There can, however, be little doubt that this is merely an ex post facto argument in support of the alleged superiority of those Marayans who have abandoned the barber's brush. It may be here noted that it is common to find barbers acting as musicians throughout the Madras Presidency, and that there are several other castes in Malabar, such as the Tiyyans, Mukkuvans, etc., who employ barbers as purohits at their funeral ceremonies."