Religion holds an important part in the social life
of the Indian people. India is a multi religious country and the same
thing is reflected in the social and cultural fabric of Kerala. There
are mainly three religions in Kerala- Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.
The oldest of all the religions practiced in Kerala is Hinduism. As far
as the religion of Kerala is concerned, the origins could be traced to
Hinduism. Later on religions like Islam and Christianity with their
various sects came on the scene. Other Indian religions like Buddhism;
Jainism had some influence among the Hindus and was found scattered with
their migration to Kerala. According to the 1991 census, 57.38% of the
population of Kerala consists of Hindus, 23.33 Muslims and 19.32
Christians. The earliest settlers in Kerala were the Proto-Australoids,
the Mediterranean, Dravidians, and the most recent were the Aryans.
Hinduism is a way of life and is based on the belief of Sanathana
Dharma. The Hindus worship the Supreme Being under three forms, Brahma-
the creator, Vishnu- the savior and Shiva - destroyer. It is believed
that Islam entered into India through Kerala. There are historical
records of commercial trading between Kerala and Middle East during 7th
Century AD. The Jews and Arabs of the Pre-Islamic period were among the
pioneers of spice trade with Kerala. Islam was also practiced by these
traders from Middle East, who later settled in Coastal belt of Kerala.
To this day Muslims are very expert in trade and commerce. Muslims in
Kerala, as anywhere else in the world, are close-knit unit clear-cut
religious and political agenda.
It is believed that St. Thomas, one of the Disciples of Christ landed
near Muziris (a famous port in ancient times) in 52 AD and established 7
churches, of which 4 exist even today. Today, there are five distinct
branches of Christianity in Kerala, the Roman Catholic Church following
Syrian, Latin or Malayalam liturgies, the Mar Thomas Syrian Church, the
Orthodox Syrian Church, the Church Of South India and the Nestorian
Church.
