Religion in Kerala

2022-05-31T13:00:29Z

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{{Short description|Overview of religion in the Indian state of Kerala}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2019}}
{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Religion in Kerala (2011 Official Census)<ref name="census_2016_religion">{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS |title=Population by religious community - 2011 |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner |work=[[2011 Census of India]] |access-date=25 August 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150825155850/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01/DDW00C-01%20MDDS.XLS |archive-date=25 August 2015}}</ref>
|label1 = [[Hinduism]]
|value1 = 54.72
|color1 = #FF8C00
|label2 = [[Islam]]
|value2 = 26.56
|color2 = #008800
|label3 = [[Christianity]]
|value3 = 18.38
|color3 = SkyBlue
|label4 = Other or No religion
|value4 = 0.33
|color4 = Brown
}}

{{multiple image|perrow=2|total_width=300|caption_align=center
| image1 = Thirunavaya (5).jpg|caption1=[[Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple]].
| image2 = Cheraman juma masjid Old.jpg|caption2= A rebuilt structure of the old [[Cheraman Juma Mosque]]
| image3 = St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, Palayoor.jpg
|caption3=[[St. Thomas Syro-Malabar Church, Palayoor|Palayur Saint Thomas Church]] of [[Saint Thomas Christians|Syrian Christians]].
| image4 = Clock Tower Jewish Synagogue, Fort Kochi.jpg|caption4=[[Paradesi Synagogue]] in 1344 AD.
}}
[[File:Dot map of places of worship in Kerala.png|thumb|Map showing the geographical distributions of temples, mosques and churches 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 [[Muslim]]s, 18.38% are [[Christians]], and the remaining 0.33% follow other religions or have no religion.<ref name="censusindia2011religion">{{cite web |title=Population by religious communities – Census of India |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|access-date=26 August 2015}}</ref> Various tribal people in Kerala have retained the religious beliefs of their ancestors.<ref name="thehindu1" /><ref name=2018data /> In comparison with the rest of India, Kerala experiences relatively little [[sectarianism]].<ref>{{Cite journal |author=Heller P |title=Social capital as a product of class mobilization and state intervention: Industrial workers in Kerala, India |publisher=[[University of California]] |pages=49–50 |date=4 May 2003 }}</ref>

[[Hindu]]s represent the biggest religious group in all districts except [[Malappuram district|Malappuram]], where they are outnumbered by Muslims.<ref name="thehindu1"/> In 2018, 43.80% of the total reported births in the state were to [[Muslim]]s, 41.61% to [[Hindu]]s, 14.31% to [[Christians]] and 0.25% to others, according to the vital statistics published by the [[Government of Kerala]].<ref name=2018data>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/images/pdf/publications/Vital_Statistics/data/vital_statistics_2018.pdf|title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2018, Page Number 92|publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram|access-date=2020-09-29}}</ref>[[File:Vavu Bali.jpg|thumb|left|''Vavu Bali'' ceremony honoring the deceased in the [[Malayalam calendar|Malayalam month]] of Karkadakam]]

==Hinduism==
[[File:Anantapura Lake Temple.jpg|left|thumb|[[Ananthapura Lake Temple]], [[Kasaragod]]]]
[[File:Vadakkumnathan Temple.jpg|thumb|[[Vadakkunnathan Temple]] dedicated to [[Shiva]] at [[Thrissur]]]]{{Main|Hinduism in Kerala}}
Several saints and movements existed. [[Adi Shankara]] was a [[Hindu]] philosopher who contributed to Hinduism and propagated philosophy of [[Advaita]]. He was instrumental in establishing four [[matha]]s at [[Sringeri]], [[Dwarka]], [[Puri]] and [[Jyotirmath]]. [[Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri]] was another religious figure who composed [[Narayaniyam]], a collection of verses in praise of [[Krishna]].

Some of the most notable temples are: [[Ananthapura Lake Temple]], [[Angadipuram]] [[Thirumandhamkunnu Temple]], [[Alattiyur, Malappuram|Alathiyoor Hanuman Temple]], [[Bhayankavu Bhagavathi Temple]], [[Kadampuzha Devi Temple]], [[Keraladeshpuram Temple]], [[Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple]], [[Sukapuram|Sukapuram Dakshinamoorthy Temple]], [[Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple]], [[Triprangode Siva Temple]], [[Tali Shiva Temple]], [[Tirur|Trikkandiyur Siva Temple]], [[Vadakkunnathan Temple|Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple]], [[Guruvayur Temple]], [[Thriprayar Temple]], [[Lokanarkavu Temple]], [[Thirunelli Temple]], [[Sabarimala|Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple]], [[Padmanabhaswamy Temple|Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy Temple]], [[Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple]], [[Chottanikkara Temple]], [[Chengannur Mahadeva Temple]], [[Muthappan Temple|Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple]], [[Chettikulangara Devi Temple]], [[Mannarasala Temple]], [[Chakkulathukavu Temple]], [[Sreevallabha Temple|Thiruvalla Sreevallabha Temple]], [[Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple]], [[Panayannarkavu|Parumala Panayannarkavu Temple]], [[Sree Poornathrayesa Temple]], [[Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple]], [[Trikkur Mahadeva Temple]], [[Manalarkavu Devi Temple]] and [[Rajarajeshwara Temple]]. Temples in Kerala follow elaborate rituals and traditionally only priests from the [[Nambudiri]] caste could be appointed as priests in major temples. But in 2017 as per the state government's decision, the priests from the historically backward caste communities are now being appointed as priests.

[[Malayali]] Hindus practice ceremonies such as ''[[Annaprashana|Chorunu]]'' (first feeding of rice to a child) and [[Vidyāraṃbhaṃ]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vidyarambham-opens-wisdom-floodgates-for-kerala-kids/75441-3.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003123741/http://ibnlive.in.com/news/vidyarambham-opens-wisdom-floodgates-for-kerala-kids/75441-3.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=2012-10-03 |title=Vidyarambham celebrated in Kerala - India News - IBNLive |publisher=Ibnlive.in.com |access-date=2011-08-24}}</ref>

==Islam==
{{See also|Islam in Kerala}}

* Islam is the second-largest practiced religion in Kerala (26.56%), only surpassed by [[Hinduism]].<ref>Panikkar, K. N., ''Against Lord and State: Religion and Peasant Uprisings in Malabar 1836–1921''</ref> The calculated Muslim population (Indian Census, 2011) in Kerala state is 8,873,472.<ref>T. Nandakumar, "54.72 % of population in Kerala are Hindus" ''The Hindu'' August 26, 2015 [http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/5472-of-population-in-kerala-are-hindus/article7581145.ece]</ref><ref name="Miller1"/>
* Most of the Muslims in Kerala follow the [[Shafi'i|Shāfiʿī]] [[Madh'hab|School]] ([[Sunni Islam]]), followed by [[Salafi movement]].<ref name="brill12">Miller, Roland. E., "Mappila" in "The Encyclopedia of Islam". Volume VI. E. J. Brill, Leiden. 1987 pp. 458-56.</ref>
* Muslims in Kerala share a common language ([[Malayalam]]) with the rest of the non-Muslim population and have a culture commonly regarded as the Malayali culture.<ref name="brill3">[https://books.google.com/books?id=ChEVAAAAIAAJ Pg 461, Roland Miller, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, Vol VI , Brill 1988]</ref>
* A number of different communities, some of them having distant ethnic roots, exist as status groups in Kerala.<ref name="KunhaliV">Kunhali, V. "Muslim Communities in Kerala to 1798" PhD Dissertation Aligarh Muslim University (1986) [http://ir.amu.ac.in/2736/1/T%205242.pdf]</ref>

=== History ===
[[File:Silk route.jpg|thumb|Ancient [[Silk Road]] map showing the then trade routes. The spice trade was mainly along the water routes (blue).|right]]
[[File:Periplous of the Erythraean Sea.svg|thumbnail|Names, routes and locations of the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]'' (1st century CE)]]
[[File:Madhhab Map3.png|300px|thumbnail|[[Shafiʽi school]] (shaded in dark blue) is the most-prominent school among the [[Muslim]]s of [[Kerala]], coastal [[Karnataka]], southern [[Tamil Nadu]], and [[Sri Lanka]] unlike from rest of [[South Asia]]]]
[[File:Cheraman Masjid 2.jpg|thumbnail|[[Cheraman Juma Mosque|Cheraman Juma Masjid]] at [[Kodungallur]], [[Thrissur district|Thrissur]]]]
Kerala has been a major spice exporter since 3000 BCE, according to [[Sumer|Sumerian records]] and it is still referred to as the "Garden of Spices" or as the "Spice Garden of India".<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-kerala/of-kerala-egypt-and-the-spice-link/article5625620.ece |first=Kaavya |last=Pradeep Kumar |work=The Hindu |title=Of Kerala, Egypt, and the Spice link |date=28 January 2014 |access-date=12 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="ChattopadhyayFranke2006">{{Cite book|title=Striving for Sustainability: Environmental Stress and Democratic Initiatives in Kerala|last1=Chattopadhyay|first1=Srikumar|publisher=Concept Publishing Company|year=2006|isbn=978-81-8069-294-9|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gOrvghLklKoC|last2=Franke|first2=Richard W.}}</ref>{{rp|79}} Kerala's spices attracted ancient [[Arab]]s, [[Babylonians]], [[Assyria]]ns and [[Egyptians]] to the Malabar Coast in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. [[Phoenicians]] established trade with Kerala during this period.<ref name="Menon57">{{cite book |author=A Sreedhara Menon |title=A Survey Of Kerala History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVsw35oEBv4C&pg=PA57 |access-date=10 October 2012 |date=1 January 2007 |publisher=DC Books |isbn=978-81-264-1578-6 |pages=57–58}}</ref> [[Arab]]s and [[Phoenicians]] were the first to enter [[Malabar Coast]] to trade [[Spice]]s.<ref name="Menon57"/> The Arabs on the coasts of [[Yemen]], [[Oman]], and the [[Persian Gulf]], must have made the first long voyage to Kerala and other [[Eastern world|eastern countries]].<ref name="Menon57"/> They must have brought the [[Cinnamon]] of Kerala to the [[Middle East]].<ref name="Menon57"/> The Greek historian [[Herodotus]] (5th century BCE) records that in his time the cinnamon spice industry was monopolized by the Egyptians and the Phoenicians.<ref name="Menon57"/>

Islam arrived in [[Kerala]], a part of the larger [[Indian Ocean]] rim, via spice and silk traders from the [[Middle East]]. Historians do not rule out the possibility of [[Islam]] being introduced to Kerala as early as the seventh century CE.<ref name="indiatimes3">{{cite web |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Trade-not-invasion-brought-Islam-to-India/articleshow/2144414.cms |title=Trade, not invasion brought Islam to India |last=Sethi |first=Atul |date=24 June 2007 |work=Times of India |access-date=24 September 2014}}</ref><ref name="autogenerated20002">Katz 2000; Koder 1973; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973; David de Beth Hillel, 1832; Lord, James Henry 1977.</ref> Notable has been the occurrence of [[Legend of Cheraman Perumals|Cheraman Perumal Tajuddin]], the Hindu King that moved to [[Arabia]] to meet the Islamic [[Prophet]] [[Muhammad]] and converted to Islam.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Varghese |first1=Theresa |title=Stark World Kerala |date=2006 |publisher=Stark World Pub. |isbn=9788190250511 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lDhuAAAAMAAJ&q=cheraman+perumal+tajuddin |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Kumar |first1=Satish |title=India's National Security: Annual Review 2009 |date=27 February 2012 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x-esAgAAQBAJ&q=cheraman+perumal+tajuddin&pg=PA346 |publisher=Routledge |language=en|isbn=9781136704918 }}</ref><ref>Minu Ittyipe; [[Solomon]] to Cheraman; Outlook Indian Magazine; 2012</ref> Kerala Muslims are generally referred to as the [[Mappila]]s. Mappilas are but one among the many communities that forms the Muslim population of Kerala.<ref name="KunhaliV"/><ref name="Divakaruni20112">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=W0wLgfQyvFAC |title=The Palace of Illusions |author=Chitra Divakaruni |date=16 February 2011 |publisher=Pan Macmillan |isbn=978-0-330-47865-6 |access-date=18 November 2012}}</ref> According to the [[Legend of Cheraman Perumals]], the first Indian mosque was built in 624 AD at [[Kodungallur]] with the mandate of the last the ruler (the Cheraman Perumal) of [[Chera dynasty]], who converted to Islam during the lifetime of [[Muhammad|Prophet Muhammad]] (c. 570–632).<ref>{{cite book |author=Jonathan Goldstein |title=The Jews of China |publisher=M. E. Sharpe |year=1999|isbn=9780765601049 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8Z6DlzyT2vwC |page=123}}</ref><ref name="SimpsonKresse2008">{{cite book |author1=Edward Simpson|author2=Kai Kresse|title=Struggling with History: Islam and Cosmopolitanism in the Western Indian Ocean|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w0qHKA7zEaEC&pg=PA333|access-date=24 July 2012 |year=2008|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=978-0-231-70024-5|pages=333}}</ref><ref name="Kupferschmidt1987">{{cite book|author=Uri M. Kupferschmidt|title=The Supreme Muslim Council: Islam Under the British Mandate for Palestine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ChEVAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA458|access-date=25 July 2012|year=1987|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-07929-8|pages=458–459}}</ref><ref name="Raṇṭattāṇi2007">{{cite book|author=Husain Raṇṭattāṇi|title=Mappila Muslims: A Study on Society and Anti Colonial Struggles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xlb5BrabQd8C&pg=PA179|access-date=25 July 2012|year=2007|publisher=Other Books|isbn=978-81-903887-8-8|pages=179–}}</ref> According to ''[[Qissat Shakarwati Farmad]]'', the [[Mosque|''Masjids'']] at [[Kodungallur]], [[Kollam]], [[Madayi]], [[Barkur]], [[Mangalore]], [[Kasaragod]], [[Kannur]], [[Dharmadam]], [[Koyilandy|Panthalayini]], and [[Chaliyam]], were built during the era of [[Malik Dinar]], and they are among the oldest ''Masjid''s in [[Indian Subcontinent]].<ref>Prange, Sebastian R. ''Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast.'' Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.</ref> It is believed that [[Malik Dinar]] was died at [[Thalangara]] in [[Kasaragod]] town.<ref name="ch">Pg 58, Cultural heritage of [[Kerala]]: an introduction, A. Sreedhara Menon, East-West Publications, 1978</ref> According to popular tradition, [[Islam]] was brought to [[Lakshadweep]] islands, situated just to the west of [[Malabar Coast]], by [[Sheikh Ubaidullah|Ubaidullah]] in 661 CE. His grave is believed to be located on the island of [[Andrott]].<ref>{{cite web|title=History|url=http://lakshadweep.nic.in/KL_History.html|publisher=lakshadweep.nic.in|access-date=1 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514235511/http://lakshadweep.nic.in/KL_History.html|archive-date=14 May 2012|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> A few [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] (661–750 AD) coins were discovered from [[Kothamangalam]] in the eastern part of [[Ernakulam district]].<ref name="TheEncyclopediaofIslam2">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Miller |first=Roland E. |author-link=Roland E. Miller |article=Mappila |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Islam |volume=VI |publisher=E. J. Brill |year=1988 |pages=458–66}}</ref>

The known earliest mention about [[Muslim]]s of Kerala is in the [[Quilon Syrian copper plates]] of 9th century CE, granted by the ruler of [[Kollam]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Cereti|first=C. G.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b3gOdaiXNKkC&q=Exegisti+Monumenta:+Festschrift+in+Honour+of+Nicholas+Sims-+Williams|title=Exegisti Monumenta: Festschrift in Honour of Nicholas Sims-Williams|publisher=Harrassowitz|year=2009|isbn=9783447059374|editor-last=Sundermann|editor-first=W.|location=Wiesbaden|pages=|chapter=The Pahlavi Signatures on the Quilon Copper Plates|editor-last2=Hintze|editor-first2=A.|editor-last3=de Blois|editor-first3=F.}}</ref> A number of foreign accounts have mentioned about the presence of considerable [[Muslim]] population in the [[Malabar Coast]]. Arab writers such as [[Al-Masudi]] of [[Baghdad]] (896–956 AD), [[Muhammad al-Idrisi]] (1100-1165 AD), [[Abulfeda]] (1273-1331 AD), and [[Al-Dimashqi (geographer)|Al-Dimashqi]] (1256-1327 AD) mention the Muslim communities in Kerala.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Colonialism and community formation in Malabar: a study of Muslims of Malabar|last=Razak|first=Abdul|publisher=|year=2013}}</ref> Some historians assume that the [[Mappila]]s can be considered as the first native, settled Muslim community in [[South Asia]].<ref name="Kupferschmidt1987"/><ref name="Kulakarṇī1996">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O_WNqSH4ByQC&pg=PA54|title=Mediaeval Deccan History: Commemoration Volume in Honour of Purshottam Mahadeo Joshi|author=A. Rā Kulakarṇī|publisher=Popular Prakashan|year=1996|isbn=978-81-7154-579-7|pages=54–55|access-date=24 July 2012}}</ref> [[Al-Biruni]] (973–1048 CE) appears to be the first writer to call [[Malabar Coast]] as ''Malabar''.<ref name="askh"/> Authors such as [[Ibn Khordadbeh]] and [[Al-Baladhuri]] mention Malabar ports in their works.<ref name="K.M."/> The Arab writers had called this place ''Malibar'', ''Manibar'', ''Mulibar'', and ''Munibar''. ''Malabar'' is reminiscent of the word ''Malanad'' which means ''the land of hills''.<ref name="Logan">{{cite book
| author = William Logan | year=1887
| title= Malabar Manual (Volume-I) | publisher=Madras Government Press
| url= https://archive.org/details/malabarmanual0000loga/mode/2up
}}</ref> According to [[William Logan (author)|William Logan]], the word ''Malabar'' comes from a combination of the [[Malayalam]] word ''Mala'' (hill) and the [[Persian Language|Persian]]/[[Arabic]] word ''Barr'' (country/continent).<ref name="Logan"/> The [[Cheraman Juma Mosque|Kodungallur Mosque]], has a granite foundation exhibiting 11th-12th century architectural style.<ref name="K.M.">{{Cite book|title=Arab Relations with Mlabar Coast from 9th to 16th centuries|last=Muhammad|first=K. M.|publisher=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|year=1999|pages=226–234}}</ref> The [[Arabic]] inscription on a copper slab within the [[Madayi Palli|Madayi Mosque]] in [[Kannur]] records its foundation year as 1124 CE.<ref name="Madayi">{{cite book
| author = Charles Alexander Innes | year=1908
| title= Madras District Gazetteers Malabar (Volume-I) | publisher=Madras Government Press |pages=423–424
| url= https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.358941/mode/2up
}}</ref><ref name="TheEncyclopediaofIslam2" /><ref name="K.M."/>

The Muslims were a major financial power to be reckoned with in the old kingdoms of Kerala and had great political influence in the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] royal courts.<ref name="google22">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S9RMxjdjUVAC|title=The Legacy of Kerala|last=Menon|first=A. Sreedhara|publisher=Department of Public Relations, Government of Kerala|year=1982|isbn=978-8-12643-798-6|edition=Reprinted|access-date=2012-11-16}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ovxq8enmRKUC&pg=PA144|title=Muslim Architecture of South India: The Sultanate of Ma'bar and the Traditions of the Maritime Settlers on the Malabar and Coromandel Coasts (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Goa)|author=Mehrdad Shokoohy|date=29 July 2003|publisher=Psychology Press|isbn=978-0-415-30207-4|pages=144|access-date=30 July 2012}}</ref> Travellers have recorded the considerably huge presence of Muslim merchants and settlements of sojourning traders in most of the ports of Kerala.<ref name="Miller13">Miller, E. Roland. "Mappila Muslim Culture" State University of New York Press, Albany (2015); p. xi.</ref> Immigration, intermarriage and missionary activity/conversion — secured by the common interest in the spice trade — helped in this development.<ref name="TheEncyclopediaofIslam22">Miller, R. E. "Mappila" in ''The Encyclopedia of Islam'' Volume VI. Leiden E. J. Brill 1988 p. 458-66 [https://books.google.co.in/books?id=SiBkMSIZ2LYC&dq=editions:lTASeHyksMsC&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwik6pvDw-vbAhWLKo8KHdNqBeUQ6AEIKzAB]</ref><ref name=":3">Prange, Sebastian R. ''Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast''. Cambridge University Press, 2018.</ref> Muslim merchant magnates owning ships, spread their shipping and trading business interests across the Indian Ocean.<ref name=":3"/><ref name="TheEncyclopediaofIslam22"/> The Koyilandy Jumu'ah Mosque contains an [[Old Malayalam]] inscription written in a mixture of ''[[Vatteluttu]]'' and [[Grantha script]]s which dates back to 10th century CE.<ref name="Okay">Aiyer, K. V. Subrahmanya (ed.), ''South Indian Inscriptions.'' VIII, no. 162, Madras: Govt of India, Central Publication Branch, Calcutta, 1932. p. 69.</ref> It is a rare surviving document recording patronage by a [[Hindu]] king (Bhaskara Ravi) to the [[Muslim]]s of Kerala.<ref name="Okay"/> A 13th century granite inscription, written in a mixture of Old Malayalam and [[Arabic]], at [[Muchundi Mosque]] in [[Kozhikode]] mentions a donation by the king to the mosque.<ref name="Narayanan2017">M. G. S. Narayanan. "Kozhikkodinte Katha". Malayalam/Essays. Mathrubhumi Books. Second Edition (2017) {{ISBN|978-81-8267-114-0}}</ref>

The [[Morocco|Moroccan]] traveller [[Ibn Battuta]]h (14th century) has recorded the considerably huge presence of Muslim merchants and settlements of sojourning traders in most of the ports of Kerala.<ref name="Miller1">{{cite book |last=Miller |first=Roland E. |author-link=Roland E. Miller |title=Mappila Muslim Culture |date=27 April 2015 |publisher=State University of New York Press |page=xi |isbn=978-1-4384-5601-0}}</ref> By the early decades of the 14th century, travellers speak of [[Kozhikode|Calicut (Kozhikode)]] as the major port city in Kerala.<ref name=":3" /> Some of the important administrative positions in the kingdom of [[Zamorin of Calicut]], such as that of the port commissioner, were held by [[Muslim]]s.<ref name="KrishnaIyer2">K. V. Krishna Iyer, ''Zamorins of Calicut: From the earliest times to AD 1806''. Calicut: Norman Printing Bureau, 1938.</ref> The port commissioner, the ''Shah Bandar'', represented commercial interests of the Muslim merchants. In his account, Ibn Battutah mentions Shah Bandars in [[Calicut]] as well as [[Kollam|Quilon]] (Ibrahim Shah Bandar and Muhammed Shah Bandar).<ref name="Miller1"/><ref name="KrishnaIyer2"/> The [[Ali Raja]]s of [[Arakkal kingdom]], based at [[Kannur]], ruled the [[Lakshadweep]] Islands.<ref name="askh"/> [[Arab]]s had the monopoly of trade in [[Malabar Coast]] and [[Indian Ocean]] until the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] [[Age of Discovery]].<ref name="askh"/>

The arrival of the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]] traders in [[Malabar Coast]] in the late 15th century checked the then well-established and wealthy Muslim community's progress.<ref name="google14">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8CSQUxVjjWQC&q=Muslims+Kerala|title=Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation|last=Nossiter|first=Thomas Johnson|date=January 1982|isbn=9780520046672|access-date=2012-11-15}}</ref> Following the discovery of sea route from [[Europe]] to [[Malabar Coast|Malabar]] in 1498, the Portuguese began to expand their territories and ruled the seas between [[Ormus]] and the [[Malabar Coast]] and south to [[Sri Lanka|Ceylon]].<ref>Sanjay Subrahmanyam, The Career and Legend of Vasco da Gama, Cambridge University Press, 1997, 288</ref><ref>{{Cite book | author = Knox, Robert | author-link = Robert Knox (sailor) | year = 1681 | title = An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon | pages = 19–47 |publisher = Reprint. Asian Educational Services | place = London| title-link = An Historical Relation of the Island Ceylon }}</ref> The ''[[Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen]]'' written by [[Zainuddin Makhdoom II]] (born around 1532) of [[Ponnani]] during 16th-century CE is the first-ever known book fully based on the history of Kerala, written by a Keralite. It is written in [[Arabic]] and contains pieces of information about the resistance put up by the navy of [[Kunjali Marakkar]] alongside the [[Zamorin of Calicut]] from 1498 to 1583 against Portuguese attempts to colonize [[Malabar coast]].<ref name="Noorani">AG Noorani {{cite web|url=http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2704/stories/20100226270407900.htm |title=Archived copy |access-date=5 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121221021629/http://www.frontlineonnet.com/fl2704/stories/20100226270407900.htm |archive-date=21 December 2012 }}</ref> It was first printed and published in [[Lisbon]]. A copy of this edition has been preserved in the library of [[Al-Azhar University]], [[Cairo]].<ref name="A. Sreedhara Menon 2011">A. Sreedhara Menon. ''Kerala History and its Makers''. D C Books (2011)</ref><ref name="frontline.in">A G Noorani. Islam in Kerala.
Books [http://www.frontline.in/static/html/fl2704/stories/20100226270407900.htm]</ref><ref>Roland E. Miller.
''Mappila Muslim Culture'' SUNY Press, 2015</ref> ''Tuhfatul Mujahideen'' also describes the history of [[Mappila]] [[Muslim]] community of Kerala as well as the general condition of [[Malabar Coast]] in the 16th century CE.<ref name="A. Sreedhara Menon 2011"/> With the end of [[Portugal|Portuguese]] era, [[Arab]]s lost their monopoly of trade in [[Malabar Coast]].<ref name="askh">A Survey of Kerala History, A. Sreedhara Menon, DC Books, Kottayam (2007)</ref> By the mid-18th century the majority of the Muslims of Kerala became landless labourers, poor fishermen and petty traders, and the community was in "a psychological retreat".<ref name="google14"/> The subsequent partisan rule of English East India Company authorities brought the land-less Muslim peasants of [[Malabar District]] into a condition of destitution, and this led to a series of uprisings (against the Hindu landlords and British administration). The series of violence eventually exploded as the infamous [[Malabar Rebellion|Mappila Uprising]] (1921–22).<ref name="google14"/><ref name="brill3"/>

A large number of Muslims of Kerala found extensive employment in the [[Arab states of the Persian Gulf|Persian Gulf countries]] in the following years (c. 1970s). This widespread participation in the "Gulf Rush" produced huge economic and social benefits for the community. Great influx funds from the earnings of the employed followed. Issues such as widespread poverty, unemployment and educational backwardness began to change.<ref name="Miller13"/>

=== Politics ===
[[File:Distribution of Muslim population in Kerala (2011 Census of India).svg|thumb|right|350px|Distribution of [[Muslim]]s in [[Kerala]] - District-wise.]]
Politically speaking, Muslims in Kerala have exhibited more unanimity than any other major community in modern-day Kerala.<ref name="Nossiter" />

* Ever since the country gained independence British rule in 1947, an overwhelming majority of Muslims at the former [[Malabar District]] (Northern Kerala) has supported the [[Indian Union Muslim League|Muslim League]].<ref name="Nossiter" />
* In southern Kerala, the community generally supported the [[Indian National Congress]] and in northern Kerala a small proportion vote [[Communism in Kerala|Communist]].<ref name="Nossiter">Nossiter, T. J. "[https://books.google.co.in/books?id=pDlh-RIqrfoC&dq= Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation]" C. Hurst and Company, London (1982) p. 23-25</ref>

== Judaism ==
Judaism arrived in Kerala with spice traders, possibly as early as the 7th century BC.<ref name="Beth Hillel 19772">Katz 2000; Koder 1973; Thomas Puthiakunnel 1973; David de Beth Hillel, 1832; Lord, James Henry 1977.</ref> There is no consensus of opinion on the date of the arrival of the first Jews in India. The tradition of the [[Cochin Jews]] maintains that after 72 AD, after the destruction of the Second [[Temple of Jerusalem]], 10,000 Jews migrated to Kerala.<ref name="Beth Hillel 19772" />

The only verifiable historical evidence about the Kerala Jews goes back only to the Jewish Copper Plate Grant of Bhaskara Ravi Varman in 1000 AD.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.hindu.com/2003/09/11/stories/2003091108060400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20031027084148/http://www.hindu.com/2003/09/11/stories/2003091108060400.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 October 2003|title=Sharon delighted with gift from Kochi|date=11 September 2003|work=[[The Hindu]]|location=Chennai, India}}</ref> This document records the royal gift of rights and privileges to the Jewish Chief of [[Anjuvannam]] [[Joseph Rabban]]. Later in the 16th century many Jews from Portugal and Spain settled in Cochin. These Jews were called ''white Jews'' as opposed to the native ''black Jews''.[[File:Jewish synagouge kochi india.jpg|thumb|The [[Paradesi Synagogue]] in [[Fort Kochi|Kochi]]]]The [[Portugal|Portuguese]] did not look favorably on the Jews. They destroyed the Jewish settlement in [[kodungallur]] and sacked the Jewish town in [[Cochin]] and partially destroyed the famous Cochin Synagogue in 1661. However, the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] were more tolerant and allowed the Jews to pursue their normal life and trade in Cochin. According to the testimony of the Dutch Jew, Moses Pereira De Paiva, in 1686 there were 10 synagogues and nearly 500 Jewish families in Cochin. Later Britishers too were tolerant. The Jews were protected. After the creation of the State of [[Israel]] in 1948, most Jews decided to emigrate to Israel. Most of the emigrants to Israel between 1948 and 1955 were from the community of ''black Jews'' and ''brown Jews''; they are known as [[Cochin Jews|Cochini]] in Israel. Since the 1960s, only a few hundred Jews (mostly ''white Jews'') remained in Kerala with only two synagogues open for service: the [[Pardesi Synagogue]] in Matancherry built in 1567 and the synagogue in [[North Paravur|Parur]].{{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

==Jainism==
{{Main|Jainism in Kerala}}
[[File:Kerala jain temple.jpg|thumb|right|[[Marwar]]i Jain Temple in [[Fort Kochi|Kochi]]]][[Jainism]], one of the three most ancient Indian religious traditions still in existence, has very small presence (0.01%) in [[Kerala]], in south India. According to the 2011 [[Census of India|India Census]], Kerala only has around 4500 Jains, most of them in the city of [[Kochi|Cochin]] and in [[Wayanad district]].

Medieval Jain inscriptions are mostly found on the borders of Kerala proper, such Wynad in north-east, [[Alathur]] in the Palghat Gap and [[Chitharal Jain Monuments|Chitharal]] in [[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari District]]. Epigraphical evidence suggests that the shrine at "Tirukkunavay", perhaps located near [[Kochi|Cochin]], was the major Jain temple in medieval Kerala (from c. 9th century CE). The so-called "Rules of the Tirukkunavay Temple" provided model and precedent for all other Jain temples of Kerala.<ref name=":02">Narayanan, M. G. S. ''Political and Social Conditions of Kerala Under the Cēra Perumāḷs of Makōtai (c. AD 800 - AD 1124).'' Thrissur (Kerala): CosmoBooks, 2013. 340-42.</ref> A number of images of Mahavira, Padmavati, and Parsvanatha have been recovered from Kerala.<ref name=":02" />

Some of the Jain temples in Kerala were taken over by the [[Hinduism|Hindus]] at a later stage. The temple images are worshiped as Hindu gods and considered as part of the Hindu pantheon. It is not uncommon for Hindus and Jains to worship their deities in the same temple.<ref name=":02" />

==Christianity==
{{Main|Christianity in Kerala}}
[[File:SaintThomasChristian'sDivisionsHistoryFinal-en.svg|thumb|right|400px|Relationship of the Nasrani groups.]]
Christianity is followed by 18.38% of the population of Kerala.<ref>{{cite web |title=2011 Census of India. C-1 Population By Religious Community |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html |publisher=Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India}}</ref> The Christianity in Kerala has long traditions from first century AD many of which is similar to the Malabari [[Cochin Jews|Jews]],<ref>{{Cite book|title=Frykenberg|year=2008|pages=99}}</ref> the latter has settled in Kerala since the [[Solomon|King Solomon]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qhKGPprbQaYC|title=The Jews of India: A story of Three Communities|publisher=UPNE|year=1995|isbn=978-965-278-179-6|location=Israel Museum|pages=27}}</ref> According to belief from one generation to another,<ref name="catholic.cafe">{{Cite web|url=https://catholic.cafe/2020/02/12/what-historical-proof-is-there-that-st-thomas-did-come-to-india-any-documentation-or-indications-that-he-really-did-come-to-kerala/|title=What historical proof is there that St Thomas did come to India? Any documentation or indications that he really did come to Kerala? {{!}} Edin Michael|website=www.catholic.cafe/|date=12 February 2020 |access-date=2022-01-08}}</ref> Saint [[Thomas the Apostle]] visited [[Muziris]] in Kerala in the first century around 52 AD and proselytized some of the then settled [[Cochin Jews|Cochin Jewish families]]<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mundadan & Thekkedath|year=1982|pages=30–32}}</ref><ref name="payyappilly.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.payyappilly.org/history/|title=History {{!}} PAYYAPPILLY PALAKKAPPILLY NASRANI|website=www.payyappilly.org|access-date=2020-04-16}}</ref> and some Upper castes, they became the present "''Mar Thoma Suriyani Nasrani''" or [[Saint Thomas Christians|Saint Thomas Syrian Christians]].<ref name="Erwin Fahlbusch">[https://books.google.com/books?id=lZUBZlth2qgC&printsec=frontcover&dq=isbn:9780802824172&hl=en&sa=X&ei=i5ncVJiVJ4u4uATrlIGoAg&ved=0CB8Q6wEwAA#v=onepage&q=Muziris&f=false ''The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 5''] by Erwin Fahlbusch. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing - 2008. p. 285. {{ISBN|978-0-8028-2417-2}}.</ref><ref name="GPress">Medlycott, A E. 1905 "India and the Apostle Thomas"; Gorgias Press LLC; ISBN</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Stephen Neill|title=A History of Christianity in India: 1707–1858|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Xi-tvrYbYxMC&pg=PA237|access-date=31 August 2012|date=2 May 2002|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-89332-9|page=237}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Why Christo-Racist Nationalism and Anti-Muslim Rhetoric Are Gaining Ground in Kerala|url=https://thewire.in/religion/kerala-syrian-christians-caste-anti-muslim-rhetoric|access-date=2021-06-22|website=The Wire}}</ref> According to Eusebius' record, Thomas and Bartholomew were assigned to Parthia in ancient India.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Medlycott|year=1905|pages=18–71}}</ref> But at onset of an invasion Thomas is believed to have left northwest India traveled by vessel to the [[Malabar Coast]], possibly visiting southeast [[Arabia]] and Socotra en route, and landing at the former flourishing port of [[Muziris]] (modern-day [[North Paravur]] and [[Kodungalloor]]).<ref name="payyappilly.org"/> According to [[Knanaya]] Christians, an [[Endogamy|endogamous]] [[ethnic group]] found among the [[Saint Thomas Christian]] community of Kerala, their existence in Kerala is traced back to the arrival of the [[Syriac Christianity|Syrian]] merchant [[Thomas of Cana]] (Knāi Thoma) who led a migration of [[Syriac Christians (Arameans, Assyrians, Chaldeans)|Syriac Christians]] (Jewish-Christians) from [[Mesopotamia]] to India in the 4th or 9th century.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Baum|first1=Wilhelm|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.4324/9780203423097|title=The Church of the East|last2=Winkler|first2=Dietmar W.|date=2003-12-08|publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9780203423097|isbn=978-0-203-42309-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=2005|title=Author Index Vol. 60, 2005|journal=Human Heredity|volume=60|issue=4|pages=242|doi=10.1159/000091316|s2cid=202648744|issn=0001-5652|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Wallich|first=Paul|date=June 1990|title=Peary Redux|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0690-25|journal=Scientific American|volume=262|issue=6|pages=25–26|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0690-25|bibcode=1990SciAm.262f..25W|issn=0036-8733}}</ref> The Knanaya claim descent from Thomas of Cana and those who came with him. The communities arrival was recorded on the [[Thomas of Cana copper plates]] which existed in Kerala until the 17th century after which point they were taken to Portugal by the Franciscan Order.<ref>{{Citation|title=Socialist Politics Post-Mitterrand 1988-2002|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1057/9781137318688.0012|work=Exceptional Socialists|year=2014|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|doi=10.1057/9781137318688.0012|isbn=978-1-137-31868-8|access-date=2020-10-24}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|date=July 2005|title=Obesitasrichtlijnen|url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf03084328|journal=Huisarts en Wetenschap|volume=48|issue=7|pages=497|doi=10.1007/bf03084328|issn=0018-7070|first1=.}}</ref><ref name="Mundadan_19842">{{cite book|author=Mundadan AM|title=Volume I: From the Beginning up to the Sixteenth Century (up to 1542)|publisher=Theological Publications|others=Church History Association of India|year=1984|series=History of Christianity in India|location=Bangalore}}</ref> Before the arrival of Europeans in Kerala there were only Marthoma Nasranis also called as Malankara Syrian Christians due to its historical, religious, and liturgical connection to [[Syriac Christianity]]. Marthoma Nasranis remained as an independent group, and they got their bishops from [[Church of the East]] until the advent of Portuguese and British colonialists. The first Roman Catholic Diocese in India was founded at [[Quilon]] in the year 1329 with the Catalan Dominican friar [[Jordanus Catalani]] as first Bishop.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.quilondiocese.com/index.php|title=Index - Quilon DIocese|website=www.quilondiocese.com|language=en|access-date=2019-10-14}}</ref> The caste system became prevalent in Kerala later than any other parts of India after fourth and fifth century AD. The Nasranis were given special status outside the [[Caste system in Kerala|Varna system]]. Like Brahmins they were allowed to sit in front of Kings, ride on horse or elephants, to collect taxes. The Marthoma Nasranis back then also has the role of pollution neutralizers i.e., if a lower caste person hand over a substance to a Nasrani and if he in turn gives it to an upper caste, say for example Brahmin, then there would be no pollution for that Brahmin.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Varghese|first=Philip|title=Introduction to Caste in Christianity: A Case of Kerala|year=2010|pages=12|ssrn=2694487}}</ref>

The arrival of Europeans in the 15th century and discontent with Portuguese interference in religious matters fomented schism into Catholic and Orthodox communities. Further schism and rearrangements led to the formation of the other Indian Churches. [[Latin Catholics of Kerala]] has protracted over eleven centuries and the work of evangelization was revived by the western missionaries in the 13th century. Further schism and rearrangements led to the formation of the other Indian Churches. [[Anglo-Indian]] Christian communities formed around this time as Europeans and natives intermarried. Protestantism took a stronghold in Kerala with missionary activity during British rule.
{{Pie chart
|caption = Denominations among all Christians in Kerala
|value1 = 40.2
|color1 = #C71585
|label1 = Syro-Malabar
|value2 = 7.6
|color2 = #DA70D6
|label2 = Syro-Malankara
|value3 = 8.0
|color3 = #FF1493
|label3 = Malankara Syrian Orthodox
|value4 = 7.9
|color4 = #800080
|label4 =Jacobite Syriac Orthodox
|value5 = 6.6
|color5 = #9400D3
|label5 = Syrian Marthoma
|value6 = 0.43
|color6 = #FF00FF
|label6 = Syrian Chaldean
|value7 = 4.5
|color7 = #32CD32
|label7 = CSI
|value8 = 4.3
|color8 = #556B2F
|label8 = Pentecost
|value9 = 2.6
|color9 = #ADFF2F
|label9 = Dalit Christian
|value10 = 13.2
|color10 = #00BFFF
|label10 = Latin Catholic
|value11 = 5.47
|color11 = #FFFF00
|label11 = Others}}
The 2011 [[Indian census]] found a total of 6,411,269 Christians in Kerala,<ref name="censusindia1">{{cite web |title=Census of India |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Social_and_cultural/Religion.aspx?cki=MJPdz8hYMlF |access-date=2009-04-12}}</ref> with their various denominations as stated: [[Saint Thomas Christians]] ([[Syro-Malabar Church]], [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]], [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]], [[Jacobite Syrian Christian Church]], [[CSI Syrian Christians]], [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church]], [[St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India]], [[Chaldean Syrian Church]] and [[Malabar Independent Syrian Church]]) constituted 70.73% of the Christians of Kerala, followed by [[Latin Catholics of Kerala|Latin Catholics]] at 13.3%, [[Pentecostalism in Kerala|Pentecostals]] at 4.3%, [[Church of South India|CSI]] at 4.5%, [[Dalit Christian]]s at 2.6% and other [[Protestant]] groups (such as [[Lutheran]], [[Calvinist]] and other [[Charismatic Christianity|charismatic]] churches) at 5.9%.

The [[Saint Thomas Christians]] (Nasrani) of Kerala belongs to the churches which use the [[East Syriac Rite]] ([[Syro Malabar Church]] and [[Chaldean Syrian Church]]) and [[West Syriac Rite]] ([[Jacobite Syrian Christian Church]], [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]], [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church]], [[St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India]], [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]] and the [[Malabar Independent Syrian Church]]). [[CSI Syrian Christians]] follow the [[Anglicanism|Anglican]] rite. The Saint Thomas Christians form 70.73% of the Christians of Kerala and 12.5% of the total population of Kerala.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Anderson |first1=Allan |last2=Tang |first2=Edmond |title=Asian and Pentecostal: The Charismatic Face of Christianity in Asia |year=2005 |publisher=OCMS |isbn=978-1-870345-43-9 |pages=192 to 193, 195 to 196, 203 to 204 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDZgKELq7AoC&q=pentecostalism+kerala+syrian+christian&pg=PA196 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Bergunder |first1=Michael |title=The South Indian Pentecostal Movement in the Twentieth Century |date=6 June 2008 |publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |isbn=978-0-8028-2734-0 |pages=15 to 16, 26 to 30, 37 to 57 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_South_Indian_Pentecostal_Movement_in/XGiv3riaunQC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Pentecostal+evangelical+saint+thomas+syrian+christian&printsec=frontcover |language=en}}</ref>
[[File:St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica, Ernakulam by Augustus Binu.jpg|thumb|St. Mary's Syro Malabar Catholic Basilica - Ernakulam]]

Around 61% of Christians in the state are [[Catholics]] which includes the [[Eastern Catholic Churches|Eastern Syrian Catholics]] ([[Syro-Malabar Church]] and [[Syro-Malankara Catholic Church]]) and the [[Latin Catholics of Malabar|Latin Catholics of Kerala]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://cds.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/WP468.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=21 September 2018 |archive-date=17 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417114220/http://cds.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/WP468.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The Oriental Orthodox Churches are [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church]] and [[Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church]]. The [[Mar Thoma Syrian Church|Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church]] is an [[Oriental Protestant Christianity|Oriental Protestant]] church. The [[Church of South India]] belong to the [[Anglican Communion]]. Major Pentecostal denominations in Kerala include the [[India Pentecostal Church of God]], [[Assemblies of God in India]], [[Church of God (Full Gospel) in India]], and [[The Pentecostal Mission]]. There has been a strong presence of other Protestant groups in [[Travancore|southern Kerala]] such as the [[Church of South India]] and [[The Salvation Army]] that are typically based on Anglican beliefs and trace their origins to [[Colonial India|British rule]]. They have a significant presence in [[Neyyattinkara (tehsil)|Neyyattinkara taluk]] and [[Pathanamthitta district]].

== Buddhism ==
{{main|Buddhism in Kerala}}
Buddhism probably flourished for 200 years (650-850) in Kerala. The Paliyam Copper Plate of the Ay King, Varaguna (885-925 AD)<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=Be3PCvzf-BYC&pg=PA138&lpg=PA138&dq=Paliyam+Copper+Plate&source=bl&ots=9i5sWdniwo&sig=Bt28Fr8TTFplAoJ6fOCDA_ByL1s&hl=en&ei=5Z1DSpHAH9CWkQWA8ZiNDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6 A social history of India S. N. Sadasivan APH Publishing, 2000]</ref> shows that the Buddhists benefited from royal patronage in the 10th century.

The religion's popularity declined following the onset of [[Advaita Vedanta]] propagated by sage [[Shankaracharya]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pattanaik|first=Devdutt|title=How Adi Shankaracharya united a fragmented land with philosophy, poetry and pilgrimage|url=http://scroll.in/article/816610/how-adi-shankaracharya-united-a-fragmented-land-with-philosophy-poetry-and-pilgrimage|access-date=2021-04-10|website=Scroll.in|language=en-US}}</ref>

However there remain [[Lists of Buddhist sites and traditions in Kerala|Buddhist sites and traditions across Kerala.]]

==Parsi (Zoroastrianism)==
There were a number of Parsi families settled in Kerala, particularly around [[Kozhikode]] and [[Thalassery]] area.
They practiced [[Zoroastrianism]] and even built the 160-year-old [[Fire temple|dadgah (fire temple)]] at [[S. M. Street]], Kozhikode which is still in existence. They were mostly wealthy families who immigrated during the 18th century from Gujarat and Bombay. The community included famous families such as the Hirjis or Marshalls.<ref name="thehindu_parsi_kozhikode_2005">{{Cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2005/03/18/stories/2005031802590300.htm|website=[[The Hindu]]|title=Kozhikode's Parsi legacy|access-date=2017-12-27}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Some famous Malayali Parsis included the reputed Dr. Kobad Mogaseb, who was the first medical doctor from Kozhikode who graduated from London, as well as Kaikose Rudreshan who funded the [[Basel Evangelical Mission Parsi High School, Thalassery]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thalassery.info/education/bemp.htm|title=THALASSERY - Education - BEMP Higher Secondary school|last=Thalassery|first=Team|website=www.thalassery.info|language=en|access-date=2017-12-27}}</ref>

==Tribal and other religious faiths==

Various [[List of Scheduled Tribes in India#Kerala|groups classified as tribes]] in Kerala still dominate various remote and hilly areas of Kerala.<ref>[http://idukki.nic.in/culture.htm Idukki - People and culture - Tribes]</ref> They have retained various rituals and practices of their ancestors despite influences of mainstream religions.

==Dinkoism==
{{Main|Dinkoism}}
Dinkoism in a parody religion created by atheist communities in the state, centred around the 'worship' of [[Dinkan]], a mouse superhero from the discontinued children's magazine [[Balamangalam]].

==Demographics==
{{See also|Demographics of Kerala}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="line-height:20px;text-align:center;"
|+Religious Demographics of Kerala (1901-2011)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/160316/kerala-muslims-will-be-double-the-number-of-christians-by-2051.html | title=Kerala: Muslims will be double the number of Christians by 2051 | date=16 March 2016 }}</ref><ref>http://14.139.171.199:8080/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/87/WP468.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref><ref>https://i.imgur.com/imH5BdY.png {{Bare URL image|date=March 2022}}</ref>
|-
! Census Year
| colspan="2" bgcolor="Orange" |[[Hinduism|'''Hindus''']]
| bgcolor="Orange" | '''''Decadal Growth rate (%)'''''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="Green" |[[Islam|'''Muslims''']]
| bgcolor="Green" | '''''Decadal Growth rate (%)'''''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="DodgerBlue" |[[Christianity|'''Christians''']]
| bgcolor="DodgerBlue" | '''''Decadal Growth rate (%)'''''
! colspan="2"| Total Population
! Decadal Growth rate (%)
|-
! 1901
| 4,378,305
| '''68.5%'''
| ''N/A''
| 1,119,473
| '''17.5%'''
| ''N/A''
| 891,767
| '''13.9%'''
| ''N/A''
| 6,389,545
| '''100.0%'''
| ''N/A''
|-
! 1911
| 4,762,393
| '''66.8%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +8.77
| 1,263,602
| '''17.7%'''
| +12.87
| 1,101,289
| '''15.5%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +23.50
| 7,127,284
| '''100.0%'''
| +11.55
|-
! 1921
| 5,052,039
| '''64.9%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +6.08
| 1,360,180
| '''17.5%'''
| +7.64
| 1,376,354
| '''17.7%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +24.98
| 7,788,573
| '''100.0%'''
| +9.28
|-
! 1931
| 6,021,982
| '''63.4%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +19.20
| 1,624,112
| '''17.1%'''
| +19.40
| 1,856,024
| '''19.5%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +34.85
| 9,502,118
| '''100.0%'''
| +22.00
|-
! 1941
| 6,699,600
| '''61.8%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +11.25
| 1,883,786
| '''17.4%'''
| +11.60
| 2,263,888
| '''20.9%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +21.98
| 10,847,274
| '''100.0%'''
| +14.16
|-
! 1951
| 8,344,351
| '''61.6%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +24.55
| 2,374,598
| '''17.5%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +26.05
| 2,825,720
| '''20.9%'''
| +24.82
| 13,544,669
| '''100.0%'''
| +24.87
|-
! 1961
| 10,282,568
| '''60.9%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +23.23
| 3,027,639
| '''17.9%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +27.50
| 3,587,365
| '''21.2%'''
| +26.95
| 16,897,572
| '''100.0%'''
| +24.75
|-
! 1971
| 12,683,277
| '''59.4%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +23.35
| 4,162,718
| '''19.5%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +37.49
| 4,494,089
| '''21.1%'''
| +25.28
| 21,340,084
| '''100.0%'''
| +26.29
|-
! 1981
| 14,801,347
| '''58.2%'''
| +16.70
| 5,409,687
| '''21.3%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +30.00
| 5,233,865
| '''20.6%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +16.46
| 25,444,899
| '''100.0%'''
| +19.24
|-
! 1991
| 16,668,587
| '''57.3%'''
| +12.62
| 6,788,354
| '''23.3%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +25.49
| 5,621,510
| '''19.3%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +7.41
| 29,078,451
| '''100.0%'''
| +14.28
|-
! 2001
| 17,920,105
| '''56.3%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +7.51
| 7,863,842
| '''24.7%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +15.84
| 6,057,427
| '''19.0%'''
| +7.75
| 31,841,374
| '''100.0%'''
| +9.50
|-
! 2011
| 18,282,492
| '''54.9%'''
| +2.02
| 8,873,472
| '''26.6%'''
| bgcolor="#03C04A" | +12.84
| 6,141,269
| '''18.4%'''
| bgcolor="red" | +1.38
| 33,406,061
| '''100.0%'''
| +4.91
|-
| colspan=3 bgcolor="red" | ''Indicates Least growth rate''
| colspan=3 bgcolor="#03C04A" | ''Indicates Most growth rate''
| style="font-size: 95%" colspan=7 bgcolor="#cceeff" align="center"| '''Source: Census of India (1901 - 2011)'''
|}

===Religious demographics of Travancore (1816-1941)===
{{main article|Travancore}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="line-height:20px;text-align:center;"
|+Religious Demographics of [[Travancore]] (1816-1941)
|-
! Census year
| '''Total population'''
| colspan="2" bgcolor="Orange" |[[Hinduism|'''Hindus''']]
| colspan="2" bgcolor="DodgerBlue" |[[Christianity|'''Christians''']]
| colspan="2" bgcolor="Green" |[[Islam|'''Muslims''']]
|-
! 1816 - 1820
| 906,587<ref name="r1931">{{Cite book|title=Census of India, 1931, VOLUME XXVIII, Travancore, Part-I Report|publisher=Government of Travancore|year=1932|location=Thiruvananthapuram|pages=327, 331|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/5591/1/43534_1931_REP.pdf}}</ref>
| 752,371<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''82.99%'''
| 112,158<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''12.37%'''
| 42,058<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''4.64%'''
|-
! 1881
| 2,401,158<ref name="r1881">{{Cite book|title=Report on the Census of Travancore (1881)|publisher=Government of India|year=1884|location=Thiruvananthapuram|pages=135, 258|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/5570/1/41740.pdf}}</ref>
| 1,755,610<ref name="r1881"/>
| '''73.12%'''
| 498,542<ref name="r1881"/>
| '''20.76%'''
| 146,909<ref name="r1881"/>
| '''6.12%'''
|-
! 1891
| 2,557,736<ref name="r1891">{{Cite book|title=Report on the Census of Travancore (1891)|publisher=Government of India|year=1894|location=Chennai|pages=10–11, 683|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/5571/1/42181.pdf}}</ref>
| 1,871,864<ref name="r1891"/>
| '''73.18%'''
| 526,911<ref name="r1891"/>
| '''20.60%'''
| 158,823<ref name="r1891"/>
| '''6.21%'''
|-
! 1901
| 2,952,157<ref name="r1931"/>
| 2,063,798<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''69.91%'''
| 697,387<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''23.62%'''
| 190,566<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''6.46%'''
|-
! 1911
| 3,428,975<ref name="r1931"/>
| 2,298,390<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''67.03%'''
| 903,868<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''26.36%'''
| 226,617<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''6.61%'''
|-
! 1921
| 4,006,062<ref name="r1931"/>
| 2,562,301<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''63.96%'''
| 1,172,934<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''29.27%'''
| 270,478<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''6.75%'''
|-
! 1931
| 5,095,973<ref name="r1931"/>
| 3,137,795<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''61.57%'''
| 1,604,475<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''31.46%'''
| 353,274<ref name="r1931"/>
| '''6.93%'''
|-
! 1941
| 6,070,018<ref name="r1941">{{Cite book|title=Travancore, Part I, Vol-XXV (1941)|publisher=Government of Travancore|year=1942|location=Thiruvananthapuram|pages=124–125|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/5598/1/20374_1941_REP.pdf}}</ref>
| 3,671,480<ref name="r1941"/>
| '''60.49%'''
| 1,963,808<ref name="r1941"/>
| '''32.35%'''
| 434,150<ref name="r1941"/>
| '''7.15%'''
|}

===Religious Demographics of Malabar District (1871 - 1951)===
{{main article|Malabar District}}
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="line-height:20px;text-align:center;"
|+Religious Demographics of [[Malabar District]] (1871&1951)<ref name="census1871"/><ref name="census1951" />
|-
| colspan="2" bgcolor="Dodgerblue" |'''Religion'''
| bgcolor="Orange" |[[1871|'''1871''']]<ref name="census1871">{{Cite book|title=Report on the Census of Madras Presidency - 1871|last=Cornish|first=W. R.|publisher=Government of Madras|year=1874|isbn=|location=Madras|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6348/1/140412_1871.pdf}}</ref>
| bgcolor="Green" |[[1951|'''1951''']]<ref name=census1951>{{Cite book|title=1951 census handbook - Malabar district|publisher=Government of Madras|year=1953|location=Chennai|url=http://lsi.gov.in:8081/jspui/bitstream/123456789/6425/1/20493_1951_MAL.pdf}}</ref>
|-
! 1
| '''Hinduism'''
| '''72.43%'''
| '''63.25%'''
|-
! 2
| '''Islam'''
| '''25.72%'''
| '''33.49%'''
|-
! 3
| '''Christianity'''
| '''1.43%'''
| '''3.24%'''
|}

Population by religion, per 2011 census
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Religion!!Population!!%
!Population below 6 yrs of age<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/Religion_PCA.html|title = Census of India Website : Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India}}</ref>
!%!!Dist. with highest Population!!Dist. with lowest Population
!Population growth since 2001
|-
| Hindus || 18,282,492 ||'''54.73'''
|1,632,777
|47.01||[[Thiruvananthapuram]]||[[Wayanad]]
|2.23%
|-
| Muslims || 8,873,472 || 26.56
|1,276,104
|36.74||[[Malappuram]]||[[Pathanamthitta]]
|12.84%
|-
| Christians || 6,141,269 || 18.38
|546,897
|15.75||[[Ernakulam]]||[[Malappuram]]
|1.38%
|}

Population by religion, per 2001 census
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Religion!!Population!!%!!Population below 6 yrs of age<ref name="thehindu1">{{cite news| url=http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/23/stories/2004092306010500.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041128124211/http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/23/stories/2004092306010500.htm | url-status=dead | archive-date=28 November 2004 | location=Chennai, India | work=[[The Hindu]] | title=Increase in Muslim population in the State | date=23 September 2004}}</ref>!!%!!Dist. with highest Population!!Dist. with lowest Population!!Population growth since 1991!!Children born per women (TFR)<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Population Research and Policy Review |volume=22 |issue=5–6 |title=An Analysis of Fertility Differentials by Religion in Kerala State: A Test of the Interaction Hypothesis |author=Manoj Alagarajan |year=2003 |pages=557–574 |publisher=SpringerLink |doi=10.1023/B:POPU.0000020963.63244.8c |s2cid=154895913 }}</ref>
|-
| Hindus || 17,883,449 ||'''56.2'''|| 1,932,504 ||'''50.78'''||[[Thiruvananthapuram]]||[[Waynad]]|| 7.29% || 1.64
|-
| Muslims || 7,863,342 || 24.3 || 1,178,880 || 30.99 ||[[Malappuram]]||[[Pathanamthitta]]||'''15.84%'''||'''2.46'''
|-
| Christians || 6,057,427 || 19 || 677,878 || 17.82 ||[[Ernakulam]]||[[Malappuram]]|| 7.75% || 1.88
|}

Population from 2001 and 2011 census, with percentage by religion for each district{{Clarify|reason=Are these percentages for 2001 or 2011 data?|date=May 2020}}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Districts !! Population(2001) !! Population(2011) !! Percent Hindus !! Percent Muslims !! Percent Christians
|-
| [[Kasargod district|Kasargod]] || 1,203,342 || 1,307,375 || 55.83% || 37.24% || 6.68%
|-
| [[Kannur district|Kannur]] || 2,412,365 || 2,523,003 || 59.83% || 29.43% || 10.41%
|-
| [[Wayanad district|Wayanad]] || 786,627 || 817,420 || 49.48% || 28.65% || 21.34%
|-
| [[Kozhikode district|Kozhikode]] || 2,878,498 || 3,086,293 || 56.21% || 39.24% || 4.26%
|-
| [[Malappuram district|Malappuram]] || 3,629,640 || 4,112,920 || 27.60% || 70.24% || 1.98%
|-
| [[Palakkad district|Palakkad]] || 2,617,072 || 2,809,934 || 66.76% || 28.93% || 4.07%
|-
| [[Thrissur district|Thrissur]] || 2,975,440 || 3,121,200 || 58.42% || 17.07% || 24.27%
|-
| [[Ernakulam district|Ernakulam]] || 3,098,378 || 3,282,388 || 45.99% || 15.67% || 38.03%
|-
| [[Idukki district|Idukki]] || 1,128,605 || 1,108,974 || 48.86% || 7.41% || 43.42%
|-
| [[Kottayam district|Kottayam]] || 1,952,901 || 1,974,551 || 49.81% || 6.41% || 43.48%
|-
| [[Alappuzha district|Alappuzha]] || 2,105,349 || 2,127,789 || 68.64% || 10.55% || 20.45%
|-
| [[Pathanamthitta district|Pathanamthitta]] || 1,231,577 || 1,197,412 || 56.93% ||4.59% || 38.12%
|-
| [[Kollam district|Kollam]] || 2,584,118 || 2,635,375 || 64.42% || 19.29% || 15.99%
|-
| [[Thiruvananthapuram district|Thiruvananthapuram]] || 3,234,707 || 3,301,427 || 66.94% || 13.72% || 19.10%
|}

<ref name="Vital Statistics Reports">{{cite web |url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/index.php/reports/vital-statistics-reports.html |title=Vital Statistics Reports |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2016-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160607065625/http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/index.php/reports/vital-statistics-reports.html |archive-date=7 June 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{Pie chart
|thumb = right
|caption = Births by Religion in Kerala in 2019<ref name=2018data/>
|label1 = [[Islam in Kerala]]
|value1 = 44.35
|color1 = green
|label2 = [[Hinduism in Kerala]]
|value2 = 41.04
|color2 = orange
|label3 = [[Christianity in Kerala]]
|value3 = 14.28
|color3 = DodgerBlue
|label4 = Others
|value4 = 0.29
|color4 = DarkRed
|label5 = Not Stated
|value5 = 0.04
|color5 = Yellow
}}

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
|+ Kerala's Percentage Distribution of Live Birth by Religion of the Family<ref name="Vital Statistics Reports"/>
|-
! Religion
!2019
!%
!2018<ref name=2018data/> !! %
!2017<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/images/pdf/publications/Vital_Statistics/data/vital_statistics_2017.pdf|title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2017, Page Number 90|publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram|access-date=2019-06-20}}</ref>
!%!! 2016<ref>http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/images/pdf/publications/Vital_Statistics/data/vital_statistics_2016.pdf {{Bare URL PDF|date=March 2022}}</ref>!! % !!2015<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/annualvitalstat_2015.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2015, Page Number 21 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2017-05-24}}</ref>!! % !! 2014<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/annualvitalstat_2014.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2014, Page Number 22 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2016-06-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2013<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/annualvitalstat_2013.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2013, Page Number 22 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2015-07-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2012<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/vsreport2012.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2012, Table – 2.7 (a), Page Number 23 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2014-11-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2011<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/ecostat/docs/pdf/reports/vs/vsreport2011.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2011, Table – 2.7 (a), Page Number 23 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2014-02-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2010<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/vsreport2010.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2010, Table – 2.7 (a), Page Number 23-24 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2013-03-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2009<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/vsreport2009.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2009, Table – 2.7 (a), Page Number 19-20 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2011-10-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2008<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/docs/pdf/reports/vs/vsbulletin2008.pdf |title =Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2008, Table – 1.7 (a), Page Number 19-20 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2010-03-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2007<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/pdf/reports/vital_stat/bulletin_07.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2007, Table – 1.7 (a), Page Number 16 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |access-date=2009-06-01}}</ref>!! % !! 2006<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/images/pdf/publications/Vital_Statistics/data/vital_statistics_2006.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2006, Table – 1.7 (a), Page Number 34 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |date=2006}}</ref>!! % !! 2005<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecostat.kerala.gov.in/images/pdf/publications/Vital_Statistics/data/vital_statistics_2005.pdf |title=Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2005, Table – 1.7 (a), Page Number 28 |publisher=Government of Kerala, Vital Statistics Division Department of Economics & Statistics Thiruvananthapuram |date=2005}}</ref>!! %
|-
|''Muslim''
|212,933
|44.35%
|| 213,805 || 43.80% || 216,525 || 43.00% || 211,182 || 42.55% || 213,865 || 41.45% || 218,437 || 40.87%|| 214,257 || 39.96%|| 175,892|| 31.96% || 214,099 || 38.21% || 209,276 || 38.26% || 204,711 || 37.61% || 194,583 || 36.32% || 183,796 || 33.71% || 196,493 || 35.32% || 191,675 || 34.28%
|-
|''Hindu''
|197,061
|41.04%
|| 203,158 || 41.61% || 210,071 || 41.71% || 207,831 ||41.88%|| 221,220 ||42.87% || 231,031 ||43.23% ||236,420 ||44.08% ||214,591 || 38.99% || 248,610 || 44.37% || 246,297 || 45.03% || 247,707 || 45.51% || 241,305 || 45.04% || 250,094 || 45.88% || 258,119 || 46.40% || 262,976 || 47.04%
|-
|''Christian''
|68,596
|14.28%
|| 69,844 || 14.31% ||75,335 ||14.96%|| 76,205 || 15.35%|| 79,565 || 15.42% || 83,616 || 15.65% || 84,660 || 15.78% || 102,546 || 18.63% || 94,664 || 16.90% || 88,936 || 16.26% || 90,451 || 16.62% || 94,175 || 17.58% || 98,220 || 18.02% || 96,469 || 17.34% || 98,353 || 17.59%
|-
|''Others''
|1408
|0.29%
|| 1,214 || 0.25% ||1,497 ||0.30%|| 852|| 0.18%|| 933|| 0.18% || 1,178 || 0.22% || 869 || 0.16% || 57,215 || 10.39% || 2,671 || 0.48% || 651 || 0.12% || 704 || 0.13% || 5,151 || 0.96% || 6,108 || 1.12% || 1,545 || 0.28% || 1,098 || 0.19%
|-
|''Not Stated''
|115
|0.04%
|| 153 || 0.03% ||160 ||0.03%|| 222 || 0.04%|| 430 || 0.08% || 196 || 0.03% || 146 || 0.02% || 167 || 0.03% || 224 || 0.04% || 1,806 || 0.33% || 775 || 0.14% || 524 || 0.10% || 6,936 || 1.27% || 3,700 || 0.66% || 4,980 || 0.89%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''480,113'''
|'''100%'''
|| '''488,174''' || '''100%''' ||'''503,588''' ||'''100%'''||'''496,292'''||'''100%'''||'''516,013'''||'''100%'''||'''534,458'''||'''100%'''||'''536,352'''||'''100%'''||'''550,411'''||'''100%'''||'''560,268'''||'''100%'''||'''546,964'''||'''100%'''||'''544,348'''||'''100%'''|| '''535,738''' || '''100%''' || '''545,154''' || '''100%''' || '''556,326''' || '''100%''' || '''559,082''' || '''100%'''
|}

==See also==
* [[Religion in India]]
* [[Malabar District#Demography|Religion in Malabar]]
* [[Travancore#Religions|Religion in Travancore]]
{{Commons category|Religion in Kerala}}
{{clear}}

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
* {{Citation
| author = S. Muhammad Hussain Nainar | year=1942
| title= Tuhfat-al-Mujahidin: An Historical Work in The Arabic Language | publisher=University of Madras
| url= https://archive.org/details/Tuhfat-al-MujahidinAnHistoricalWorkInTheArabicLanguage
| access-date = 3 December 2020}} (The English translation of the historic book [[Tuhfat Ul Mujahideen]] written about the society of Kerala by [[Zainuddin Makhdoom II]] during sixteenth century CE, which is also the first recognised book on history of Kerala written by a native of Kerala)
* {{Cite book|title=Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus - 2019|publisher=P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode|year=2018|location=Kozhikode|last=Chandran |first=VP|edition=Malayalam}}
{{refend}}

{{Kerala}}
{{Kerala topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Religions Of Kerala}}
[[Category:Religion in Kerala| ]]
[[Category:Religion in India by state or union territory]]

Bharatpedia - User contributions [en]

Religion in Kerala