Facts, vocabulary and etiquette. No theology, no opinion. Kerala is one of the most religiously plural states in India: roughly 55% Hindu, 26% Muslim, 18% Christian. Nearly half the population belongs to communities that are minorities nationally, and the result is that plurality is not a principle here, it is the physical texture of a street — temple, church and mosque within a few hundred metres of each other. All three histories are older than most people assume. The Saint Thomas Christians trace their community to the first century and used Syriac, a form of Aramaic, as a liturgical language long before any European arrived. Islam came to the Malabar coast by trade across the Arabian Sea, not by conquest. അമ്പലം (ampalam) temple പള്ളി (palli) church, and also mosque — context decides ജുമാ മസ്ജിദ് (jumaa masjid) the Friday mosque ഉത്സവം (ulsavam) temple festival പ്രാർത്ഥന (praarthana) prayer വിശ്വാസം (vishwaasam) belief, faith In this class: • Why പള്ളി does double duty, and how to avoid the mix-up • The vocabulary of all three traditions, side by side • Visiting etiquette — footwear, dress, photography, what not to ask • Festival words you will hear all year Quizzes below. Dr. Reshmi R Nair — SpeakMalayalam.