Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...

is the largest

religion in Kerala Kerala has a reputation of being, communally, one of the most religiously diverse states in India. According to 2011 Census of India figures, 54.73% of Kerala's population are Hindus, 26.56% are Muslims, 18.38% are Christians, and the remaini ...

and Hindu lineages together make up 54.8% of the population of the state according to the 2011 census.

Background

is the most widely professed faith in Kerala. According to

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

figures, 54.7% of Kerala's residents are Hindus.

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s represent the biggest religious group in all districts except

Malappuram Malappuram (also Malapuram) () is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarter ...

. The mythological legends regarding the origin of Kerala are Hindu in nature. Kerala produced several saints and movements. Raja Ravi Varma - Sankaracharya

Adi Shankara Adi Shankara ("first Shankara," to distinguish him from other Shankaras)(8th cent. CE), also called Adi Shankaracharya ( sa, आदि शङ्कर, आदि शङ्कराचार्य, Ādi Śaṅkarācāryaḥ, lit=First Shanka ...

was a religious philosopher who contributed to Hinduism and propagated the philosophy of

Advaita ''Advaita Vedanta'' (; sa, अद्वैत वेदान्त, ) is a Hindu sādhanā, a path of spiritual discipline and experience, and the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Hindu school Vedānta. The term ''Advaita'' (lit ...

. He was instrumental in establishing four

matha A ''matha'' (; sa, मठ, ), also written as ''math'', ''muth'', ''mutth'', ''mutt'', or ''mut'', is a Sanskrit word that means 'institute or college', and it also refers to a monastery in Hinduism.

s at

Sringeri Sringeri (IAST: Śṛngēri) also called Shringeri is a hill town and Taluk headquarters located in Chikkamagaluru district in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the site of the first maṭha ( Dakshinamnaya Sringeri Sharada Peetham) establi ...

Dwarka Dwarka () is a city and a municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at the mouth of the Gulf of Kut ...

Puri Puri () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state capital of Bhubaneswar. It is als ...

and

Jyotirmath Joshimath, also known as Jyotirmath, is a city and a municipal board in Chamoli District in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Located at a height of 6150 feet (1875 m), it is a gateway to several Himalayan mountain climbing expeditions, trekki ...

. Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri was another religious figure who composed

Narayaniyam ''Narayaniyam'' is a medieval-era Sanskrit text, comprising a summary study in poetic form of the ''Bhāgavata Purana''. It was composed by Melputhur Narayana Bhattathiri, (1560–1666 AD) one of the celebrated Sanskrit poets in Kerala. Even thou ...

, a collection of verses in praise of the Hindu God

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. Various practises of Hinduism are unique to Kerala. Different cults of

Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

and

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

are popular in Kerala. Lord

is worshipped widely in all parts of Kerala,

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

being one of the most famous temples in the state. Malayali Hindus also worship

Bhagavathi Bhagavatī (Devanagari: भगवती, IAST: Bhagavatī), is a Hindu epithet of Sanskrit origin, used as an honorific title for female deities in Hinduism. It is primarily used to address one of the Tridevi: Saraswati, Lakshmi, and Parvati. ...

as a form of

Shakti In Hinduism, especially Shaktism (a theological tradition of Hinduism), Shakti (Devanagari: शक्ति, IAST: Śakti; lit. "Energy, ability, strength, effort, power, capability") is the primordial cosmic energy, female in aspect, and rep ...

. Almost every village in Kerala has its own local guardian deity, usually a goddess. Hindus in Kerala also strongly believe in power of snake gods and usually have sacred snake groves known as ''

Sarpa Kavu Sarpa Kavu (meaning ''Abode of Snakes'') or Naga Banna is a traditional natural sacred space seen near traditional homes in Kerala state of South India and in the region of Tulunad. The site is believed to be inhabited by snakes, and the area ...

'' near to their houses.

Malayali The Malayali people () (also spelt Malayalee and also known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian peoples, Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. ...

Hindus have ceremonies such as '' Chorunu'' (first feeding of rice to a child) and

Vidyāraṃbhaṃ Vidyarambham (), also rendered Akshara Abhyasam (), and Mutal Eluttu () is a Hindu initiation ceremony that is performed before a child begins their formal education. This ritual is dedicated to the goddess of learning, Saraswati. It is popu ...

Demographics

Hindu population by district

Historical growth

Hindu temples

File:Anantapura Lake Temple.jpg,

Ananthapura Lake Temple Ananthapadmanabhaswamy Temple or Ananthapura Lake Temple is a Hindu temple built in the middle of a lake in the little village of Ananthapura, around 6 km from the town of Kumbla in Manjeshwaram Taluk of Kasaragod District of Kerala, South ...

Kasaragod Kasaragod () is a municipal town and administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and ...

. File:Vadakkumnathan Temple.jpg,

Vadakkunnathan Temple Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur, of Kerala state in India. This temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four side ...

dedicated to

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

. File:An engraved view of a Hindu temple and pond in Malabar.jpg, A

Hindu temple A Hindu temple, or ''mandir'' or ''koil'' in Indian languages, is a house, seat and body of divinity for Hindus. It is a structure designed to bring human beings and gods together through worship, sacrifice, and devotion.; Quote: "The Hind ...

and pond associated with it in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. File:Thirunavaya (5).jpg, Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple. Some of the most notable temples are: *

Angadipuram Angadipuram is a major suburb of Perinthalmanna town, in Malappuram District of Kerala, southern India. It was the capital of the powerful medieval kingdom of Valluvanad. Angadipuram is also known for Angadipuram Laterite, a notified go-heri ...

Thirumandhamkunnu Temple Thirumandhamkunnu Temple is a historically significant Hindu temple in Angadipuram, which was the capital of Valluvanad Rajavamsham, in Malappuram district, Kerala state, South India. The temple deity, ''Thirumandhamkunnil amma'', was the pa ...

* Alathiyoor Hanuman Temple *

Bhayankavu Bhagavathi Temple Bhayankavu Bhagavathi Temple is a very sacred Hindu Bhagavathi temple on the Alathiyoor Pallikadavu Road in Kavilakkad, Purathur, Tirur situated in Malappuram district, about 14 km from Tirur Railway Station . The temple is dedicated to th ...

Kadampuzha Devi Temple Kadampuzha Devi Temple is a Hindu temple and pilgrimage center at Kadampuzha in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. The main deity of this temple is Goddess Parvati/Durga in the form of a huntress. There is no idol of Goddess in this temple ...

* Keraladeshpuram Temple *

Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple The Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple is an ancient Hindu temple complex situated at Kumbidi, Pattambi taluk, Palakkad district of Kerala, India. This Temple is believed to be the first temple in Kerala consecrated by Parasurama nearly 4000 y ...

Sukapuram Dakshinamoorthy Temple Sukapuram (formerly Chokiram) is a village in Ponnani taluk, Malappuram district of Kerala. It is located near Edappal, on the plains south of the Bharathappuzha. The village is one of the earliest Brahmin settlements ("Sukapuram grama") in Ker ...

* Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple *

Triprangode Siva Temple Triprangode Siva Temple is a Hindu temple located at Triprangode, near Tirur, Malappuram district, Kerala. The ancient temple is situated west of Tirunavaya railway station and south of Tirur railway station. It is one of the most important ...

Tali Shiva Temple Tali Shiva Temple or Tali Mahakshetram is a Hindu temple dedicated to the deity Shiva, situated in the heart of the Kozhikode city, Kerala. The temple was built in the 14th century by Zamorin of Calicut. I Reuben Subhash annotations by Shiva as a ...

* Trikkandiyur Siva Temple *

Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple Vadakkumnathan Temple is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva at city of Thrissur, of Kerala state in India. This temple is a classical example of the architectural style of Kerala and has one monumental tower on each of the four ...

Guruvayur Temple Guruvayur Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Guruvayurappan, a form of Vishnu, located in the town of Guruvayur in Kerala, India. It is one of the most important places of worship for Hindus in Kerala and Tamilnadu, Tamil Nadu and is often ...

Lokanarkavu Temple Lokanarkavu Temple is an ancient Hindu temple situated in Memunda 4 km from Vatakara, in Kozhikode District, North Malabar region of Kerala state of south India. Lokanarkavu is a short form of ''Lokamalayarkavu'' which means ''lokam'' ( ...

Thirunelli Temple Thirunelli Temple (also ''Tirunelli'') is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Maha Vishnu on the side of Brahmagiri hill in Kerala, India, near the border with Karnataka state. The temple is at an altitude of about 900m in north Wayanad in a ...

* Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple * Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy Temple *

Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple The Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple is a Hindu temple located near Aranmula, a village in Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, South India. It is dedicated to the God Krishna, an avatar of Vishnu, who is worshipped as Parthasarathy (Arjuna's chariotee ...

Chottanikkara Temple The Chottanikkara (correction of ''Jyotiannakkara'') Devi Temple is a temple dedicated to the Hindu mother goddess Bhagavati, also seen as a form of Mahalakshmi.She is believed to be residing in Chottanikkara along with her husband Maha Vi ...

Chengannur Mahadeva Temple Chengannur Mahadeva Temple (also called Bhagavathy Temple) is a prominent Hindu temple, dedicated to Shiva and located in the town of Chengannur in the South Indian state of Kerala. The temple is one of the major Shiva temples in Kerala counte ...

* Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple * Chettikulangara Devi Temple *

Mannarasala Temple Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple ( ml, മണ്ണാറശാല ശ്രീ നാഗരാജാക്ഷേത്രം) in ''Haripad'' is a very ancient and internationally known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods (Nag ...

Chakkulathukavu Temple ''Chakkulathu Kavu'' is a Hindu temple, dedicated to goddess Durga. The temple is located Near Thiruvalla in Neerattupuram, Thalavady panchayat, Alappuzha District, Kerala,India, and is one of the most popular temples in the state. Durga is o ...

* Thiruvalla Sreevallabha Temple *

Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple is one of the important Siva temples in Kerala, located in Kaviyoor, Tiruvalla Pathanamthitta District, Kerala, India. It is commonly called Thrikkaviyoor Mahadeva Temple. The main deity is Lord Mahadeva (Shiva) wit ...

* Parumala Panayannarkavu Temple *

Sree Poornathrayesa Temple Sree Poornathrayesa temple (in Malayalam: ) is a Hindu temple situated in Tripunithura, Kochi, the capital of the former Kingdom of Cochin, Kerala, India. The temple is considered among the greatest temples in Kerala and was the first among ...

Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple Sree Kurumba Bhagavati Temple (alternatively Kodungallur Devi Temple) is a Hindu temple at Kodungallur, Thrissur District, Kerala state, India. It is dedicated to the goddess Bhadrakali, a form of Mahakali or simply Durga or Aadi Parashakthi wo ...

* Attukal Temple * Trikkur Mahadeva Temple * Rajarajeshwara Temple

Saints

Adi Shankara, the originator of Advaita Vedanta, was born in

Kalady Kalady or Kaladi is a town located between Angamaly and Perumbavoor, east of the Periyar river, near to Malayattoor in Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, not far from Cochin International Airport. It is notable as the birthplace of 9th centu ...

and was likely a

Nambuthiri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...

. Many

saints and

swami Swami ( ; sometimes abbreviated sw.) in Hinduism is an honorific title given to a male or female ascetic who has chosen the path of renunciation (''sanyāsa''), or has been initiated into a religious monastic order of Vaishnavas. It is used eith ...

s from many castes have lived in Kerala.

Sree Narayana Guru Narayana Guru, , (20 August 1856 – 20 September 1928) was a philosopher, spiritual leader and social reformer in India. He led a reform movement against the injustice in the caste-ridden society of Kerala in order to promote spiritual ...

, Enadinatha, Ilakkulaccanrar, Tiruppana were all outside the Brahminical caste fold; Cheraman Nayanar was a Kothayar; and

Chattampi Swamikal Chattampi Swamikal (25 August 1853 – 5 May 1924) was a Hindu sage and social reformer. His thoughts and work influenced the launching of many social, religious, literary and political organisations and movements in Kerala and for the first ti ...

, Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi and

Swami Chinmayananda Swami Chinmayananda Saraswati (born Balakrishna Menon; 8 May 1916 – 3 August 1993) was a Hindu spiritual leader and a teacher. In 1951, he founded Chinmaya Mission, a worldwide nonprofit organisation, in order to spread the knowledge of Advaita ...

, the

Nair The Nair , also known as Nayar, are a group of Indian Hindu castes, described by anthropologist Kathleen Gough as "not a unitary group but a named category of castes". The Nair include several castes and many subdivisions, not all of whom histor ...

caste. The Parayas of Kerala claim descent from

Vasishtha Vasishtha ( sa, वसिष्ठ, IAST: ') is one of the oldest and most revered Vedic rishis or sages, and one of the Saptarishis (seven great Rishis). Vashistha is credited as the chief author of Mandala 7 of the ''Rigveda''. Vashishtha an ...

. There is a shrine in Kollengode in memory of a lower-caste saint, Paakkanar. The theatrical dance of Rapayan Tullal is narrated by a descendant of Pakkanar. The ''Periya Puranam'', possibly written by a Paraya, describes the Parayas. Narayana Guru at Sixty

Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi is popularly regarded as the father of contemporary Hindu renaissance in Kerala for the victorious movements he led for temple rights and the establishment of

Hindu Aikya Vedi The Hindu Aikya Vedi (HAV), Aikya Hindu Vedika, or Hindu United Front is a Hindu nationalist organisation in the state of Kerala, India. History The first chairman of HAV was Swami Sathyananda Saraswathi. The first President of HAV was J.Sisupa ...

for integrating people of all castes into one religion. He is reckoned as the greatest karmayogi to uphold Sanatana Dharma since

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda (; ; 12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta (), was an Indian Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. He was a key figure in the intro ...

internationally. Sree Narayana Jayanti ( Narayana Guru's birthday) and Sree Narayana Samadhi Day (the occasion of his

samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

) are public holidays in Kerala.

Mata Amritanandamayi Mātā Amritānandamayī Devī (born Sudhamani Idamannel; 27 September 1953), often known as Amma ("Mother"), is an Indian Hindu spiritual leader, guru and humanitarian, who is revered as 'the hugging saint' by her followers. In 2018, she w ...

, known among her devotees as ''Amma'', was selected to represent the

Hindu Dharma Hinduism () is an Indian religion or ''dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global pop ...

in the World Parliament of Religions in September 1991.

Bhagawan Nityananda Bhagawan Nityananda (November/December, 1897 – 8 August 1961) was an Indian guru. His teachings are published in the "Chidakash Gita". Nityananda was born in Koyilandy (Pandalayini), Madras Presidency, British India (now in Kozhikode di ...

was another important Hindu saint widely recognized. Several Hindu movements important to

Hindu history The history of Hinduism covers a wide variety of related religious traditions native to the Indian subcontinent. It overlaps or coincides with the development of religion in the Indian subcontinent since the Iron Age, with some of its traditions ...

took place in Kerala. The

Karppillikkavu Sree Mahadeva Temple The Karppillikkavu Sree Mahadeva Temple is a Siva temple in India. The specialty of this temple is that the deity have been done giving dharshan to western side. This temple is situated in Manjapra village in Ernakulam District of Kerala. The de ...

, (one of the most ancient in India) dedicated to the Kirata

Avatar Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...

Lord Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions within Hindu ...

still exists in Kerala.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hinduism In Kerala