Padmanābhan was born in his mother's ancestral home named Kaavil near Panayannaarkavu, close to the town of Mannar in Central Travancore in 1869 (Malayalam year Kumbhom 27, 1044). His father was Mooloor Sankaran Vaidyar and mother was Veluthakunj Amma. Both his parents were from well educated, prosperous and respected Ezhava families. Kaavil was a family of traditional ayurvedic physicians, and the Mooloor family was well known for its Kalari (martial art), natural treatments, Sanskrit, philosophy, and spirituality. Mooloor's poetic masterpiece, Kirathom, was what brought him accolades from different quarters in his teens. His literary masterpiece, Kavi-Ramayanam, which he wrote at the age of 25, is deemed to be the motivational force behind the 1936 Temple Entry Proclamation, which abolished the ban on low-caste people entering Hindu temples in the state of Travancore.
