I. It is a well-known fact that the customs of Malabar are very peculiar.  Their defenders have been, consequently, pointing to some great Rishi or some great philosopher of ancient India as their legislator.  Some of them affirm (probably the majority) that Parasurama brought into existence some of these customs and left a special Smriti for the guidance of the people of Malabar; others say that it was Sankaracharya who sanctioned these peculiar customs.  It is not very difficult to perceive why these two persons were selected by them.  According to the Hindu Puranas, Parasurama lived in Malabar for some time, and according to Hindu traditions Sankara was born in that country.  But it is extremely doubtful whether either of them had anything to do with the peculiar customs of the said country.  There is no allusion whatever to any of these customs in Sankara’s works.  He seems to have devoted his whole attention to religious reform, and it is very improbable that he should have ever directed his attention to the local customs of Malabar.  While attempting to revive the philosophy of the ancient Rishis, it is not likely that he should have sanctioned the customs of Malabar, which are at variance with the rules laid down in the Smritis of those very Rishis; and as far as our knowledge goes, he left no written regulations regarding to the castes of Malabar.

II.  The statements contained in Kerala Utpatti are opposed to the account of Sankara’s life given in almost all the Sankara Vijayams (Biographies of Sankara) examined up to this time—­viz., Vidyaranya’s Sankara Vijayam, Chitsukhachary’s Sankara Vijayavilasam, Brihat Sankara Vijayam, &c.  According to the account contained in these works, Sankara left Malabar in his eighth year, and returned to his native village when his mother was on her death-bed, and on that occasion he remained there only for a few days.  It is difficult to see at what period of his lifetime he was engaged in making regulations for the castes of Malabar.

III.  The work under consideration represents Malabar as the seat of Bhattapada’s triumphs over the Buddhists, and says that this teacher established himself in Malabar and expelled the Buddhists from that country.  This statement alone will be sufficient to show to our readers the fictitious character of the account contained in this book.  According to every other Hindu work, this great teacher of Purva Mimamsa was born in Northern India; almost all his famous disciples and followers were living in that part of the country, and according to Vidyaranya’s account he died at Allahabad.

For the foregoing reasons we cannot place any reliance upon this account of Malabar.