Ramayana Traditions in Kerala

King and his reign entrench the discipline of history even today. We are reluctant to view history in a social scientific perspective. It is looked like grandmother's tales which invariably starts with the days of a king 'once upon a time, long, long ago. King and his reign used to be conceived symbolic of ancient times. But now a days, a major section of historians consider history as a discipline of specialised knowledge about the past. To them, 'it is a social science. Just as other social sciences it is now concerned about the development of human affairs and social progresses. Historical writing is no longer an activity of antiquarian interest, but on the contrary a serious exercise of search in the past for insights into the problems of the present'.

In this book it is tried to give a comprehensive outline of the cultural history of Kerala from pre historic times of uncertain starting point till the spread of Aryan culture focussing on Ramayana traditions in the long processes of Aryanisation. It provides an outline of the antecedents of cultures that eventually led through the processes syncretism, assimilation and acculturation to the formation of the macro culture of Kerala from the tribe to the present.