Ossan is a community/status group of
Muslims in
Kerala, south India. The Ossan men were the traditional
circumcisers[1] among the Muslims of the central
Malabar Coast (northern Kerala).[2][3] The Ossan women were experts in pre- and post-delivery care of pregnant women (
midwifery). The Ossans formed the lowest rank in the Kerala Muslim community "hierarchy", and were an indispensable part of the village community of Muslims of Kerala.[2]
It is speculated that the original form of the title Ossan is "Otthaan", derived from the Arabic word Khatthaan meaning an expert practitioner of circumcision.
The Ossans were formerly considered as a low status group among the Muslims of Kerala. Ossan community is still figured as a financially backward group among some of the Muslim families in Kerala. Matrimonial alliances with financially elite Muslim families are rare in some parts of Kerala.[1][3]
