History: Where do we fit (3)

After flourishing during the 4 – 8 Centuries AD the Jain and Buddhist influence was present in Kerala society until they completely disappeared by the 12 C. The famed Kodungallore temple itself is said to be a deconsecrated Buddhist shrine. Some have claimed that the Parampan Tali, situated at Mullassery (a few kilometers east of Padoor) to be a surviving ancient Tali temple (Tali temples were originally Buddhist, before the 8th century). 

That makes the Paramban Tali (or Parambamthali) Temple as perhaps the oldest surviving religious shrine around the area. The temple is situated in a hilly area; which conforms to the hypothesis that the earliest people were residing in the hills and higher terrains.

The emergence of Southern Indian Brahmanism has led to the introduction of caste system, altering the social, ritual and political positions within the society. The system was prevailing until the mid-part of the 20^th Century. Although the system was named chathurvarnya (four castes system) a three tier caste system existed in Malabar. The Brahmins themselves, the ruling chieftains as kshathriyas and the Nair warriors as shudras. The third tier of vanikas were absent. All others were reduced to the position of Avarnas or Mlechas.

Malabar used to be a country where the priests reigned supreme. Sacerdotal supremacy monopolized the land owning, possessed large powers for suppressing and dominating the other castes and religions.

The land was classified into three zones; (a) Kadu (forests), (b) Nadu (the village) and (c) Nagaram (the town). The medieval society mainly subsisted on agricultural production. In an agricultural society land was the chief source of production. The ownership of land was the crucial factor. Uralars possessed the right to ownership of land.

The temple trustees were the Uralars. The Brahmana Uralars who became owners of Brahmaswam and Devaswam land and the Karalar (the Karalars were Nayars) who had the land on lease together gave shape to the caste - landlord - Naduvazhi system in Kerala.

This system based on Brahmin-Nayar domination came to be known as Jenmi system. There were three types of Janmam (hereditary landownership rights), namely:-

1.  Devaswam (Temple) land: The land owned by the temple.
2.  Brahmaswam (Brahmin) land: The land owned by the Brahmins.
3. Cherikkal (cerikkal) or Pandaravaka (Royal) land (or in some places known as Madampimar vaka land): The land owned by the king or the Naduvazhi.

The tenancy or “kudiyayma” were mainly of two types; “Kanom” (subordinated tenancy) and “paattam” (an inferior kind of lease allotment by the Kanom holder). While the Nairs held “kanom” Thiyyas and Muslims laboured on the agriculture lands for “paattam”. The inferior lease-holder tenants gave a major part of the produce to the Kanom holder as rent who shared this rent with his Jenmi. The tenants also called upon to make costly presents to their Jenmis and Kanom holders at any birth, death, festival or ceremonial occasions.

Subsequently forms of sub leases and mortgage were introduced namely the kuzhikkanam and paattam otti.

This was continued as a custom, until the lands were put under the state ownership and direct land taxation was introduced following the Mysorean invasion. The British however reinstated the Jenmi’s rights by legislations. The subsequent changes in the land ownership regulations are very well recorded.

Territory, power and village dominance result from the possession of land. In Malabar, the “nad” constitutes a small territorial unit. Normally a “nad” comprises a number of villages (desam). For the lower castes, the “nad” was the limit of social relations within the caste, while their relations with other castes were largely confined to the “desam”. Only the superior castes had the relations beyond the nad; but within the frontiers of the kingdom.

It is said that by the disappearance of Buddhism, the cult of Kali came in to ascend, especially amongst the Avarnas. This lead to a situation where the previous Jain (and someBuddhist) sanctuaries were deconsecrated as Bhagvati temples. It is interesting to note that most of the temples in and around the village are dedicated to Kali or Bhagvathi. Perhaps that fact points to a strong past Buddhist influence in the area. An old Bhagvathi temple exists in the Karuvan Thala (Enamakkal Center) and a few of the Bhagvathi temples around were started off as subordinate shrines to the deity of Karuvan Thala; including the Purathana Puthukavu and Puthen Puthukavu in Padoor.

Under the Nambuthiri supremacy Paramban Tali became subject to the urayma of the Azhavanchery Brahmswam and Karuvan Thala of the Kanippayyoor Brahmswam.