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14. THE CONCEPT OF AVATARS
gave the earth to Kasyapa, father of the Devas, Asuras, Nagas and all of humanity, and retired to the Mahendra mountains, where he was visited by Arjuna.
According to the tradition with the blessings of Varuna Parasurama created Kerala by throwing his axe from Gokarnam to Kanya Kumari whereupon the land rose up from under the water. Since Kerala was in existence long before Parasu Rama under the King Mahabali, historians are of the opinion that this tells us how Brahmins took over Kerala by use of force. During the early sixth century, Brahmins migrated to Kerala. The Kerala kings allowed them to live among them. They built temples and lived among the people. However the temple grounds became the training ground for preparing Chaver Pada - the Suicide Squads who became a fearsome force in Kerala. Eventually Brahmins became a power destroying the small Christian Kingdoms and Hindu Kings were put in their places. Even today Brahmins of Kerala trace their origins from these sixth century immigrants. Historically I presume that the Parasurama story refers to this conquest of Kerala, the sole abode of Buddhists, Jains and Christians until the sixth century.
Cochin and Travancore states, there is an era of reckoning which is known sometimes as Kollam. This reckoning is sometimes referred to as the era of Parasurama. The years of it are solar: .... The initial point of the reckoning is in AD 825; and the year of 1076 commenced in AD 1900. The popular view about this reckoning is that it consists of cycles of 1000 years; that are now in the fourth cycle; and that the reckoning originated in 1176 BC with the mythical Parasurama....... But the earliest dknow date in it, of the year 149, falls in AD 973; and the reckoning has run on in continuation of thousand instead of beginning afresh in AD 1825. The years are cited sometimes as : "the Kollan year of such and such a number, sometimes as the year so and so after Kollam appeared; and this suggests that the reckoning may possibly owe its origin to some event occurring in AD 825 connected with the one or or the other towns and ports named Kollam ...conncected with Parasurama
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