legacy Mavelikkara was once a flourishing centre of Buddhist culture, and an ancient Buddha statue currently raised in Mavelikkara town, at Buddha Junction in front of the Krishnaswamy temple, was excavated more by accident in the early 1900s from a paddy field near the Kandiyoor temple. It is possible that a lot more of the vanished Buddhist civilisation of Onnattukara still lies buried in history, yet to be unearthed. Names of towns and villages in the Onattukara region carry the palli suffix, which was common usage in Pāli, the language of Hinayana Buddhism. Karunagapalli, Karthikapalli, Pallickal, Pallippuram, Puthupalli are examples of such historical and present names of places in the Onattukara region. The Portuguese had a factory in Odanadu in the 16th century, but Odanad was the earliest ally of the Dutch in Malabar.. Ramapuram Bhagavthi Temple-Odanadu Dynasty Temple Ramapuram Bhagavathy Temple[Ramapurathamma ] is considered as the Kingdom deity temple of Odanadu(Kayamkulam Kingdom) [Odanadu Rulers]. After stealing the Sreechakram, sanctified at sanctum of Ramapurathamma, the then Trippappur king Marthandavarma and his Chief [Dalava] Ramayyan had conquered Kayamkulam .The absence of the most sacred Sreechakram rendered them powerless and it paved the way for Marthanda Varma to establish his supremacy over Kayamkulam dynasty . Syrian Christians of Odanad The Syrian Christians of Odanad existed even before the establishment of the Kingdom. Chengannur being the earliest centre where the Chengannur Old Syrian Church was established in the 4th century by the Syrian Christian migrants from Niranam and Nilakkal. Later in the 7th century a church was built in Haripad but was demolished in the 11th century and half of the Syrian Christians of Haripad joined the Karthikapally Syrian Church which was built in AD 829 AD by the Syrian Christian migrants from Chengannur, and the other half established the Cheppad Syrian Church in 1175 AD. Kayamkulam became a commercial capital owing to its port merchantry and many Syrian Christians migrated to Kayamkulam. These Syrians relied on the Kadampanad Syrian Church (built in AD 325) till the establishment of the Kayamkulam Kadeesha Syrian Church in AD 824 by Mar Sabor and Mar Aphroth. In AD 943 the Syrian Christians of Mavelikkara built the Mavelikkara Puthiyakavu Syrian Church when they split from the Kayamkulam Kadeesha Syrian Church. Odanad consists majorly of the Puthenkoottukar. Culture Festivals in Odanad include the Jeevatha Nritham, a traditional form of dance, and the Kettukazhcha, which has its origins in