Arthrassery Namboodiripad gives us an account of the early rulers being Namboodiris themselves. Later, due to infighting, they decided to recruit an outsider, a Perumal, to rule the land. That Perumal was from the Vishwamithra Gothra and was a follower of the 'Marumakkathayam' System. The Namboodiris agreed to marry the womenfolk of the Perumal Family, to facilitate the continuance of Marumakkathayam(Matrilineal System). This is how the old tradition of Namboodiri Sambhamdham came into existence.