Kerala Religion

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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.

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