FORMATION OF A PLURALISTIC SOCIETY IN KASARAGOD: A HISTORICAL STUDY

Kasaragod in the northern part of Kerala State has its own cultural background from ancient period onwards. The people of this area is still living there without considering social, religious and caste differences that may be started since the Pre-historic period. Like any other civilized society, the people of Kasaragod also very much imbibed by their traditional beliefs and ritual practices handed down from generation to generation.Politically, this region has been witnessed plenty of military conquests. The geographical features, early political conquests, religious migration and the commercial contacts paved the way for the development of a composite culture in Kasaragod. Because of the external contacts, new type of beliefs and ritual practices came into the life of the native people at Kasaragod. In the course of time, it became a meeting ground of different communities with mutual co-existence and thereby a multi-cultural society developed in the northern part of Malabar.The present study is an attempt to know the general features of Kasaragod and to discuss how a pluralistic society developed in the northernmost part of Kerala.