Introduction ::
Nowhere in India, or may be in the entire world, you cannot witness such
tolerance and co-operation and religious amity as seen in Kerala. Only in Kerala
one can find person's of different community come together and celebrate each
other's festival with pomp. Onam, the traditional festival of Hindus, Christmas
and Ramzan - all these festivals are celebrated by all the community in Kerala.
Earlier inhabitants (Dravidians) of Kerala followed primitive animism and
spirit worship to propitiate the Gods. Dravidian absorbed many of the beliefs of
the Negrito and Austric people, but they were strongly inclined to the worship
of the Mother Goddess in all her myriad forms. With the arrival of
Aryan ( Indo-Iranian)
settlers from the north India, the human forms of worship and
caste
divisions were evolved (Hinduism). Hinduism , the world's oldest religion
dates back to about 5000 BC. The sacred texts include the Four ( Rig, Yajus,
Sama, and Atharva) Vedas, Epics and Puranas, apart from other philosophical treatises. Hinduism is a way of life and
is based on the principle of Sanathana Dharma ( Universal
principles of the cosmos). The Hindus worship the pantheon
under three forms, Brahma- the creator, Vishnu- the preservator and Shiva -
destroyer. In Kerala Goddess form the main deity, but history is silent about
worship of Goddess (Baghavathy). Even today many temples in Kerala has mother (Baghavathy)
and animism (snake worship) has their main deity. For many Keralites, Baghavathy
is the family deity.
The Famous Jainmedu temple in Palakkad is the
manifestation of Jainism in Kerala. Today few families of Jain community are
found around Palakkad and Cochin in Kerala. Historical evidence not available of the arrival
of Jainism in Kerala.
To be concluded.....