The Sensuous Brahmins of Kerala

The author re-evaluates Manipravalam poetry, arguing that its explicit descriptions of femininity were not a way to "market lust" but rather a reflection of a deeply entrenched socio-economic system. This system allowed a tiny, land-owning Namboothiri elite to maintain absolute social and spiritual dominance by integrating religious authority, literary production, and sexual dynamics into their feudal power structure.