Castes and Tribes of Southern India/Achan

by Edgar Thurston

Achan.—Achan, meaning father or lord, was returned, at the Cochin census, 1901, as a title of Nāyars. According to Mr. Wigram*^[1] it is used as a title of the following : —

1. Males in the Royal Family of Palghat.

2. The minister of the Calicut Raja, known as Mangat Achan.

3. The minister of the Cochin Raja, known as Paliyat Achan.

4. The minister of the second Raja of Calicut, known as Chenli Achan.

1. * Malabar Law and Custom.