Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c7.2323

c7.2323

6) *The people of ancient Kerala.* It is assumed that the ancient inhabitants of Kerala were Drāviḍas. But some historians have mentioned about the ‘Proto Dravidians and the Pre Dravidians. The hill tribes such as Kāṇikkārs, Mutuvas, Mala Veṭas, Pulayas, Kuravas, Nāyātis, Malayarayas, Malayatis, Malap-paṇḍāras, Malayūrālis, Mutuvans Pullāṭis etc. are said to have belonged to this group. They worshipped several things such as stone, banyan tree, elenji tree, Asclapia tree, Nim tree Terminatia Bellarica, Borassus flabelliformis, cassia fistula, Ghosts, thunder, rain, the sun etc. They worshipped good ghosts for welfare, and bad ghosts to avoid misfortunes. They had images of Māṭa, Cātta, Cāvu, Maruta, Peṭṭucāvu, Arukula, Preta, Vazhipiṇakki, Āyiramilli, Parakkuṭṭi, Kāṭṭujāti, Muniyappa, Veṭṭakkāran and so on. They worshipped in small bushes, open grounds or houses. They knew black magic such as cursing, giving poison in meals etc. These uncivilized people were very particular about cleanliness on the occasions of delivery, menstruation, death etc. They pleased bad ghosts by offering liquor, flesh and blood, and good ghosts with milk, ghee, honey etc. They buried dead bodies with a little raw rice meant for food at the time of entering the other world. They had collective worship. They sang songs at the time of worship using some primitive musical instruments. For each village there were elders who were priests and rulers. They erected stone huts in the burial place and buried the dead inside these in graves. These graves were called ‘Pāṇḍukuzhy’. The Ūrālis, continue the custom of posting two stones at either end of the grave. The custom of burial prevailed more than cremation.