I’ve a solution to castle age problem. The monastery’ for castle age can be replaced with a new building called “TEMPLE”.
Temple has all the building characteristics of a monastery like creating monk, keeping relics and research monk tech. Its special ability is it can HEAL & CONVERT like a monk as well. Temple can heal units at 4 range and convert at 9 with a LOS of 11.
This building can help do a static defense against a knight push. The skirms and arbs can fight around the building while ‘Temple’ can be used to convert heavy cavalry unit. There is a chance of turning the tables on an opponent who is trying to do the strategy Hera pointed out: “Skirm+ knight push will kill Dravidians in castle age”. Once converted, opponent knight can be set on their skirms. This is like a tanky, immovable monk. Temple will only cost wood which Dravidians do get easily as a civ bonus. Dravidians don’t get redemption. So Temple has an easy counter in siege. But then Dravidians can do their own siege when such a circumstance is faced. In late imperial, the building can help against raids by being placed like a castle in middle of farm economy. I think this building can help balance out the problem a fair bit.
Historically too, this will be an ode to Shaivite, Vaishnawite temples found all over south India and the ones later built in south east asia like combodia’s Angkor Wat.