Kerala Religion and Religions in Kerala

Kerala has an ancient links with the major religions of the world. Christianity is believed to have come to Kerala’s shores much before it reached Rome, via Thomas- Christ disciple. Islam came early too, because of the Arab traders. And Judaism sprung up when, when according to legend, merchants came here as part of King Solomon’s fleet. Add to this vibrant Buddhist period, a flourishing Jain community, and you understand what a pluralistic society early Kerala was. But despite so many faiths having taken root here, religion for Keralites, has never been the proselytizing kind. Faith has always been a purely personal affair, more spiritual than religious.

Religion in Kerala plays an important role in social life but there is also a great deal of tolerance and respect for each other. While Hindus form the majority, Muslims and Christians are present in substantial numbers and it is common to find various places of worship located very near each other. The three major religions of Kerala have a regular feast that attracts hordes of pilgrims and tourists. Though most temples do not allow non-Hindus to enter, some are not as strict. While visiting places of worship it is best to be conservatively dressed.

Hinduism in Kerala

With the advent of the Bhakti movement Vedic Hinduism found a foothold and the Shaiva and Vaishnava cult filtered into the religious fabric of the religion. Later, by incorporating the values of both Dravidian and Vedic beliefs, Brahmanical Hinduism set in.

Today, Hindu religion in Kerala form a majority of the population and, in keeping with the various sects, Kerala has many temples devoted to forms of Shiva, Devi and Vishnu. Sree Rama is not worshipped as commonly as in North India, but the deities include Krishna, Ganesha, Murugan, Hanuman and Ayyappa as Tamil, Gowda Saraswat and Tulu Brahmins also form a part of Hindu population.

The Buddhist History of Kerala

Buddhism in Kerala arrived by around the 3rd century BC. The faith flourished especially in and around Thrissur, Alappuzha and Kollam. There is still an idol in Alappuzha called Karumadikuttan, said to be a Buddhist remnant. Other relics include images of Buddha found in different parts of the state and the legendary Buddhist vihara at Sreemoolvasam, lost in the sea around the 9th century. Due to certain similarities, it is believed that Vadakkumnathan Temple,Kodungallur Devi Temple and Sabarimala Ayyappa pilgrims could have been Buddhist shrines.

Though the religion gained a hold initially, around the 8th century, it started losing devotees. The Brahmins defeated the Buddhist monks in debates and eventually Hinduism in Kerala became mightier. By the 11th century, during the reign of the Kulasekhara Kings, Buddhism in Kerala completely vanished and became part of Hinduism. Many Buddhist shrines later became Hindu places of worship, and even today, echoes of Buddhist rituals are heard in Hindu religious practices.

Jainism History in kerala

Jainism has also left traces in Kerala but many of the Jain Viharas became Hindu temples- such as the Kallil temple of Ernnakulam. At one time flourishing in numbers, today the Jain community is small, but active. The elegant Jain temples in Fort Kochi attract Jain monks from Gujarat during the month of Shravan. And in Palakkad, though there is just one family of Jains, the 1000 year old Jainamedu temple attracts visitors due to its antiquity. In fact, the few vestiges of Jainism in Kerala today are the Jain shrines at Kallil Mundur, Palakkad and in Sulthan Bathery. There are also merchant families, trading in spices, in Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kozhikode, who have settled here since the 14th century.

Islamic in kerala

Islam in Kerala spread from the Arabia in the 17th century and took root in the north Kerala mainly through traders. As trade between the Arab countries and Kerala grew, more Muslims arrived they settled down in Malabar Coast.

The travelogue of Ibn Batuta, who visited Kerala between 1342 and 1347, gives detailed information about the Muslims of that time. He writes that Muslims flourished economically and numerically. At one time they even had their own rulers- the Arakkal royal family of Kannur. During the invasion of Tipu Sultan from 1782 to 1792, more Keralites converted to Islam. The conversion drastically changed the old caste controlled social order of Malabar, with the rise of Islam in Kerala and Christianity diminishing the social superiority of the Brahmins and the Nairs.

Christianity kerala

The earliest reference to Christian religion in Kerala according to folklore dates to 52 AD when St. Thomas of Syria is believed to have arrived in Kodungallur. His preaching influenced a few Brahmin families to convert to Christianity whose descendants later came to be known as Syrian Christianity. However they were further divided into the Protestants and Catholic sects.

In 1498, Vasco da Gama reached Kappad in Kozhikode, he brought with him the Latin Christians rites followed by the Portuguese and the Church of Rome. When the Dutch, with their Protestants faith, followed the Portuguese and later the British arrived, the Christians community prospered since the British missionaries contributed substantially in the areas of education, medical care and infrastructure. But despite all these Western influences the Syrian Christians retained their West Asian and Indian identity- with its previous connection to Hinduism- through their religious rituals and symbols. Some temples such as Ambalappuzha and Chengannur in Alappuzha also have a Christian connection.

Judaism in Kerala

It is not clear when the first Jews arrived in Kerala. But historians agree that the community did not originate from the single migration. Jews arrived and settled in Kerala, around Koduugallur, at different points of time. According to one version, the forefathers of the Cochin Jews arrived in India during the time of King Solomon, who probably had commercial ties with a Kingdom in Kerala. Other versions say that the Cochin Jews are from the lost tribes.

The Cochin Jews were divided into three groups. Meyuhassim, meaning ‘privileged’ in Herbew, are believed to have arrived in India as merchants during the period of King Soloman. The second group Pardesi, meaning ‘foreigner’, are those who came Kerala tour at different periods from countries Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Spain and Germany. These two groups were converted to Judaism and later on released so they were called Meshuhararim, meaning ‘released’ in Herbew. The groups were sometimes referred to by color, the privileged known as black Jews and the Pardesi as white Jews.