Buddhas and the Shankaracharya

What is the origin of 'palli', sloped tile roof,
Kathakali, Kalaripayatu and iddiyappam?....
read ahead and find out

Shankaracharya (A.D. 700?-750?), also known as Shankara,
was a Hindu philosopher. His most important works were
his commentaries on the Vedas, the sacred writings of Hinduism.
Shankaracharya was born in Kerala, southern India.
He practiced self-denial and learned to give up worldly pleasures
and comforts early in life. He devoted himself to study,
philosophical discussion, and religious teaching.
He became a wandering scholar, and his fame spread
throughout India. During his journeying, Shankaracharya
established four great monasteries-in Badrinath in the Himalaya,
Shringeri in Mysore, Dwarka in western India, and
Puri in eastern India.
                                - Politically correct history

Parashu told me that...
the buddhist from the north
and himalayan kingdom came to the southern strip.
Were the buddhists fleeing persecution or just
found their promised land- and much needed solitude?
This will always remain a matter of speculation.
The monks found caves that were ideal
for meditation. fruits and water were plenty,
philosophy thrived.

These monks from the northern hills
brought with them their unique concepts like that of
'Palli', sloped tile roof structures, natural medicines,
mask operas with breath control (the bases of techniques
used in Koodiyattam and later Kathakali).
Around this time Buddhism, Kalaripayatu etc
were exported from here via the silk route
to south east asia and China in exchange
for Iddiappam and fish. (fishing nets).

Shankaracharya from Kaladi defeated the buddhists in
debates and converted their 'pallis' into temples as
per vedic rites. After which he went on a cross country,
and formed maths in various places in India
and hinduism became an organised religion.
The defeated Buddhas left Kerala.

Many years down the timeline, around the 1900s
another traveling swami, by the name Vivekananda
described this land which by then was practicing
some of the worst forms of discrimination based on
religion and castes, as 'a mad house of religions'