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 20th 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.
