In the Travancore Census Report (1901) the chief divisions of the Samantas are said to be Atiyoti, Unyatiri, Pantala, Erati, Valloti, and Netungati. "The Unyatiris," the Travancore Census Superintendent writes further, "look upon themselves as a higher class than the rest of the Samantas, as they have an Aryapattar to tie the tali of their girls, the other five castes employing only Kshatriyas (Tirumulpats) for that duty. The word Atiyoti has sometimes been derived from Atiyan, a slave or vassal, the tradition being that the Kattanat Raja, having once been ousted from his kingdom by the Zamorin of Calicut, sought the assistance of the Raja of Chirakkal. The latter is believed to have made the Kattanat Raja his vassal as a condition for his territory being restored. The Unnittiris are not found in Travancore, their place being taken by the Unyatiris, who do not differ from them materially in any of their manners and customs. The word Unnittiri means the venerable boy, and is merely a title of dignity. The word Pantala comes from Bhandarattil, meaning 'in or belonging to the royal treasury'. They appear to have been once the ruling chiefs of small territories. Their women are known as Kovilammamar, i.e., the ladies of palaces or ranis. The Erati, the Valloti, and Netungati are British Malabar castes, and receive their names from the localities, to which they may have been indigenous--Ernat, Valluvanat, and Netunganat. The Zamorin of Calicut is an Erati by caste. [In 1792, the Joint Commissioners wrote that 'the Cartinaad and Samoory (the principal families in point of extent of dominion) are of the Samanth or Euree (cowherd) caste.'] [141] Some of these Eratis, such as the Raja of Nilambur, are called Tirumulpats. The only peculiarity with these Tirumulpats is that they may tie the tali of their women, and need not call other Tirumulpats for the purpose, as the rest of the Samantas have to do. A title that several Samantas often take is Kartavu (agent or doer), their females being called Koilpats, meaning literally those who live in palaces. The Samantas of Manchery and Amarampalam in Malabar are also called Tirumulpats. The Samantas of Chuntampattai and Cherupulasseri are called Kartavus. Both Kartas and Tirumulpats are called by the Sudra castes Tampuran or prince. The caste government of the Samantas rests with the Namputiri Vaidikas, and their priesthood is undertaken by the Namputiris. They follow the marumakkathayam law of inheritance (through the female line), and observe both the forms of marriage in vogue in the country, namely, tali-kettu and sambandham. Women wear the three special ornaments of the Kshatriyas, viz., the mittil or cherutali, entram, and kuzhal. The chief of these is the mittil, which is used as the wedding ornament. It has the appearance of Rama's parasu or battle-axe. The houses of those Samantas, who are or were till recently rulers of territories, are known as kottarams or palaces, while those of the commonalty are