PREFACE
Kerala's rich culture is best reflected in its festivals that are celebrated right through the year. These occasions showcase the state's legacy and more often are intertwined with its diverse faiths and beliefs. This multi-culturalism and its celebration is distinct and unique and has made it popular with tourists from around the world. Of all these festivals Onam is the most universal, heralding the harvest season in August- September. People celebrate it with flowers, lights, feasts and fireworks. Cultural shows are held throughout the state. Kathakali, a dance form that is a beautiful blending of color, dance, music, drama, and expressions, has given Kerala a unique position in the country's cultural map.
In a sense, a lot of the fame that the state has gained is mainly due to the popularity of this dance. Other dance forms are Krishnanattom, Mohiniyattom, Thullal, Koodiyattom, Kolkkali, Thiruvathirakali, Kakkarishi Natakom, Oppanna, and Chavittunatakom.
Among the temple festivals, Thrissur Pooram in the town of that name is the most popular. Here 30 caparisoned elephants, exhilarating percussion ensemble, colorful umbrellas atop elephants and dazzling fireworks combine to create a virtual feast for the senses.
The Chandanakkudam at Bheemapalli in, Thiruvanathapuram, is the most revered of Muslim festivals.
People offer money in earthen pots at the tomb of Bheema Devi, a devout pilgrim who came here from Mecca centuries ago. The culture of Malayalees has a flavour of its own, even though it forms part of the larger Indian and Dravidian culture. This is because of the peculiar geographical position of the state. Restricted in the east by the Western Ghats and the west by the Arabian sea, it has had long periods of insular existence. This has resulted in the creation of a distinctiveness to the state's language, dress, culture and institutions.The origin of the inhabitants in this stretch of land, called Kara, is lost in the hoary past. Doubtless the Malayalee culture is an offshoot of the Dravidian culture. There are striking similarities in the languages, customs and other cultural aspects to the Mediterranean civilization of Egypt and Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley to some extent, and that of Sri Lanka. Anthropologically, the Dravidas are a mixture of Proto-Australoids, Mediterraneans and Negritos.
History has it that the Dravidas inhabited a land to the west of the Indian peninsula and eventually made Madurai their capital. There is a tradition in the 'Vadakkan pattukal' that the Ezhavas arrived in Kara by sea from Ezham, which is identified as the present day Sri Lanka. Interestingly, the land to the east of the Tigris in Iran, now called Khuzistan, was once known as Elam. It is said that a civilization flourished there five thousand years ago with city states having distinctive culture and language. Their language is found to be similar to the Dravidian language. In any case it appears that the ancestors of the present inhabitants of south India must have arrived here by sea rather than by land from the north. It was at a much later stage that a distinctive culture began to take shape.
For long periods South India were under the rule of mainly the Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas. The Cheras held their sway over the whole of Kara and to some extent to the east of the western ghats. There were frequent clashes between the Cheras and the Pandyas and eventually the Cholas succeeded and ruled the whole of Kara. Gradually several local rulers came up and for a few centuries there was little association between Keralites and outsiders. It is conjectured that Malayalam started developing as a separate language during this period. The influence of Sanskrit was tremendous and Malayalam became a sort of a synthesized language of Sanskrit and Tamil.
During this period, Ayurveda also took its roots in Kerala. Even today, it is practised mostly in Kerala with the speciality of 'Panchakarma, medicated oil massages.
The influence of Adi Sankara, who was born at Kalady in Kerala during the seventh or eight centures, was also very strong. This exponent of the Advaita Philosophy, re-established the Brahminic supremacy in the whole of India. Keralites have always been a maritime people and the state, perhaps, had the strongest navy in India. Early overseas trade started with the export of ivory, peacocks, monkeys, teakwood, sandalwood etc. to the Middle East, eve as early as the time of King Solomon. Later, foreign trade continued with Rome till the fall of the Roman Empire.
During this period Kodungallur was the commercial and political capital of Kerala. But with the fall of the Cholas in the second and third centuries, the navy gradually became weak. Yet, Kunhali Marikkar was a terror to the Portuguese navy in the 1500s. The Portuguese and thereafter the Dutch and then the British came here to rule the seas. Kerala is a melting pot where several ethnic and religious groups mingle. A good illustration of the religious tolerance is found in the heart of Kerala's capital, 'Thiruvananthapuram', where a temple, a mosque and a cathedral stand side by side. Religious discrimination was never practiced by the ancient rulers of Kerala. Patronage was distributed not only to Hindus, but also to Christians, Jews and Muslims without distinction. It has been an open field for the missionaries of all religions. St. Thomas who landed at Kodungallur was warmly welcomed and he converted several people, including Brahmins, to Christianity. 'Chronique de Seert' has references to the visit of David Dudi, the Bishop of Assyria, between 295 and 300 AD, Thomas the Manichan in 277 AD and Thomas of Cana in the 8th Century.
Three separate groups of Jews landed at Kodungallur in 68, 370 and 490 AD. By the edict of 999-1000, Bhaskara Ravi Varman of Kodungallur conferred upon the head of the Jews, 'Joseph Rabban' - the Title and Coat of Arms of a Naduvazhi, with rights to land and collect taxes etc. By the Tharisappally Edict of 849 AD, the Venad Aayyanadigal granted lands to a Christian Church. The Jews first came in King Soloman's ship as traders and later as refugees in 69 AD fleeing Jerusalem because of the persecution in Cyrus. Even when the atrocities in Jerusalem were over, many of these people were reluctant to return and remained in Kerala. Some of them have recently migrated to Israel after the realisation of their 'Promised Land'. The first Jewish Synagogue in India is in Mala though the most renowned one is at Mattancherry.
In 644 AD, Malik bin Deenar arrived in Kerala to build mosques and spread Islam. He too was accorded a warm welcome. All these diverse visitors were welcomed by the rulers and the response from the natives towards conversions belied all expectations. The lower classes, especially in the Hindu community, oppressed for generations, found their salvation in the missionaries. A Christian did not suffer from untouchability or other forms of oppression and , therefore, gained a good standing in society. There has never been such peaceful co-existence of people from different faiths. There were occasional incidents of clashes. The Portuguese succeeded in banishing the Jews from Kodungallur.
With the advent of the British in the late 18th Century, English language attained importance. This brought about a tremendous impact upon the life and culture of the people. In this respect, Kerala owes a great deal to the Missionaries. They not only educated the people but also introduced health-care programmes. They were careful not to disturb the Hindu community and easily blended into the local culture. Latin was replaced by Malayalam for Church services and candles were replaced for the traditional 'Nilavilakku'. They also
wholeheartedly participated in the Hindu festivities. Thus they enriched Kara's ethnic culture.
The Muslims of Kara are the descendents of the Arab traders who came here and married locally and finally settled down here. They were mostly concentrated in the Malabar area and up to the 18th Century, were engaged as agricultural labour, petty traders and soldiers in Zamorin's army. The peasants in Malabar were oppressed under a system of land tenure in which the landlord had a stranglehold. They were accused of 'throwing their lot' with Hyder Ali and Tippu during their invasions. There were forced conversions and selective liquidations also.
After the British restored peace, the Hindus who suffered started avenging the Muslims. Since the land mostly belonged to the Hindus, there were peasant uprisings which gradually got a communal tinge, which culminated in the Mopllah rebellion of 1921. This gained momentum and developed into a peasant revolt- the peasants were Muslims and the landlords were Hindus, among whom the Namboodiris were predominant. The British ruthlessly put down the revolt.
One of the distinguishing features of Kerala society is the matrilineal system. Historians differ on how this was evolved. Together with this developed the practices of fraternal and simple polyandry. With the advent of technology and urbanisation, the joint family system as well as the matrilineal system disappeared.
Because of the peculiar geographical features that nature has bestowed upon it, Kara is isolated from the rest of the country. This isolation is reflected in the myriad art forms that have evolved here over the centuries. Elsewhere in India, the inspiration for art was manifested in the architectural marvels of the rock cut temples or in the magnificent murals as in the Ajanta or Ellora caves. But in Kara man found his own body as a supreme medium for artistic expression. Koodiyattam and Chakyar Koothu are presented as mono acts, as in the early Sanskrit plays.
Krishnanattam, Ramanattam and Kathakali are other forms which took birth in places of worship. Temples have also been the centres of artistic expressions. There was a rich variety of graphic and performing arts. The engravings on temples were painted, but unlike in Tamil Nadu, they were painted in single colours. Pre-historic paintings on the caves at Edakkal near Sultan Battery resemble those of 17th dynasty of Egypt.
Intermingling with the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British has resulted in the creation of a 'Eurasian' community. Most of them are Latin Christians and their culture is distinctly different from the traditional Kara culture. There were infiltrations from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. A large number of Gujaratis, Marwaris, Konkanis, Gowda Saraswat Brahmins, Shenoys, Parsis, Kudumbis etc. also migrated to Kara. No wonder, Swamy Vivekananda called Kara a 'lunatic asylum of castes'.
Historians point out that even during the Sangam period, there were no strict divisions based on castes. Caste consciousness and untouchability came much later and it is also difficult to pinpoint the antiquity of any of the original races. The transformation into a cosmopolitan society was comparatively quick. The inherent tolerance and resilience of all classes ensured a peaceful reformation. The gradual fusion of various groups have brought about a superficial uniformity.
For the lover of dance, drama and music, Kerala provides a rich variety. There are scores of art forms, like Kathakali, Ottamthullal, Chakyar Koothu, Krishnanattam, Padayani, Pavakathakali, Theyyam, Velakali, Thiruvathirakali, Kolkali etc. They portray endless and varied emotions like passion, love, kindness, compassion, joy, sorrow, anger, wonder, fear and valour.
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