Welcome to Kerala, a sliver of paradise on the southwest coast of India, where the Arabian Sea caresses an exquisite beach and lush, green lands with its freshness broken only by its cascading waterfalls and an interrelation of peaceful backwaters. The most popularly identified as “God’s own land”, Kerala is a paradise of incomparable beauty, culture and a lifestyle, which glorifies harmony, fitness, and intellectuals.
Kerala is not only a tourist attraction, but it is a state of mind. A state to which we wish we could escape and where life is slow, where food is in celebration of flavor and the people are as warm and welcoming as the tropical sun. Explore with us the magical history, rich culture, marvelous geography and the ever evolving economy of this coastal haven.
Kerala’s Legacy
The history of Kerala is an interesting story of ancient trade by sea, great kingdoms, and cultural interactions which have defined a people over thousands of years.
- Ancient Trade: Kerala has had ports, especially Muziris, which were well-known trade centers since as early as 3000 BCE, trading with the Roman Empire, ancient Egypt and Middle East. Its territory was the land of spices black pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon that attracted traders around the world.
- Chera, Chola and Pandya Dynasties: Three of the most powerful Dynasties were ruling in the region with Chera Kingdom happening to be one of them. These kingdoms also enjoyed a thriving trade, art and literature.
- European Arrival: The Portuguese arrival, most notably the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, in 1498, came as a serious turning point, followed by the Dutch and the British. It was a battle of these European powers to gain power over the rich spice trade and subsequently British gained a strong presence.
- Post-Independence & The Creation of Kerala: During the Independence of India the state of Kerala was shaped on November, 1st 1956 and the Malayalam speaking areas of the former princely states of Travancore, Cochin and the Malabar region of Madras State were combined. It is the commemoration of this day as Kerala Piravi.
This cultural amalgamation dating as far as trade relationships with other countries to the impact of several European nations has provided Kerala with a distinct cosmopolitan and tolerant look.
The Culture of Harmony and Heritage
Kerala culture is a vivid picture composed of a variety of religions, old art forms and uprooted feeling of respect towards nature.
- The high level of literacy and social development: Kerala is ranked high in the list of literacy among Indian population, which has contributed to flourishing social growth and liberal vision. The human development index in the state is high and this is compared with developed countries.
- Festivals: The festivals represent the cultural abundance of Kerala with great fanfare.
- Onam: The largest celebration is a harvest festival with over ten days. It’s marked by elaborate floral carpets (pookalam), the Vallamkali (snake boat race), and the grand Onasadya (a traditional vegetarian feast).
- Thrissur Pooram: It is a great temple festival in Thrissur known because of the procession of dressed elephants and of a splendid fireworks display.
- Vishu: New Year festival during which the idea of Vishukkani, a ritualistic arrangement of fortunate objects occurs.
- Arts & Crafts: Kerala state has trove of traditional art forms.
- Kathakali: This dance style is the best recognized classical dance form in the state, which includes an extensive use of fancy costumes, bright colors of face painting and a strong, expressive narrative aspect of the dance.
- Mohiniyattam: This is another type of classical dance which is pictorially represented as graceful and steady.
- Kalarippayattu: It is one of the oldest martial arts in the world, an exceptional and ancient culture.
- Mural Painting: Ancient temples and palaces have beautiful and elaborate mural paintings.
- Handicrafts: Coir products, wooden carvings, and metal mirrors (Aranmula Kannadi) are famous handicrafts.
- Food: Kerala cuisine is a festivity of taste with a huge indenture on a coastal location and availability of spices.
- Sadya: A large vegetarian meal on banana leaf, and comprises a lot of food.
- Seafood: Fresh fish and seafood dishes, usually finished with coconuts and spices, are commonplace.
- Appam & Stew: A favourite breakfast or stew.
- Sweets: Payasam (rice pudding) and Unniyappam (sweet rice fritters) are famous sweets.
Kerala’s Geography and Environment
The topography of Kerala is a painterly work of the miracle of nature which is an inseparable combination of mountains, beaches and back waters.
- Backwaters: The most recognizable aspect of the Kerala geography is a huge network of connected canals, rivers, and lagoons. There are houseboats also known as Kettuvallams that meander along these still waters giving it a very distinct and peaceful pleasure.
- Western Ghats India: Western Ghats dominates the eastern part of the state and is widely known by presence of tea and spice plantations, misty hill stations e.g. Munnar and Wayanad and amazing biodiversity.
- Beaches: There are splendid beaches along the coast such as Kovalam, Varkala, Alappuzha in which the sea outlines with the land in a gorgeous presentation of nature.
- Wildlife Sanctuary: Kerala also boasts of a lot of wildlife sanctuaries which flourish with abundance of flora and fauna, such as the Periyar National Park, which has elephant and tiger reserve and other animals like the endangered Nilgiri Tahr in Eravikulam National Park.
The state government and the residents are highly involved in protecting their weak environment, ecotourism, guarding their forests, and water resources. Sustainable, as well as responsible tourism, has been a breakthrough in the state.
Hospitality and Tourism
Kerala is synonymous with hospitality as the people are helpful and very warm. Tourism provided by the state is highly unique and diverse.
- Backwater Cruises: A definite thing to do is the backwater houseboat cruise through the backwaters of Alappuzha or Kumarakom.
- Hill Stations: If you want to go to the tea estates of Munnar, spice gardens at Wayanad and the hills of Vagamon.
- Beaches: Spread out on beaches of Kovalam, Varkala and Marari.
- Ayurveda & Wellness: Ayurveda is born in Kerala, and several wellness centers and retreats await.
- Wildlife: Visit the wildlife sanctuaries and other national parks to see the elephants, tiger and other exotic species.
Improve your cultural depth by attending one of the cultural decorum like observing a kathakali dance show, or attend a temple festival, or observe a snake boat race.
Land of Wonder: The Life and Development
The economy of Kerala is distinctive in the context of having a blend of conventional activities combined with a sophisticated service sector, especially tourism and remittances by a huge diaspora.
- Tourism: Tourism is one of the industries that drive the state economically because it has sustained many inhabitants with hospitality, transport, and local crafts. The state has pioneered in promoting ecotourism, wellness tourism (Ayurveda), and backwater tourism.
- Agriculture: The state is called the “Spice Garden of India”. It is a big manufacturer of rubber, coconut, tea, coffee and a range of spices such as pepper, cardamom and cloves.
- Remittances: The state has a great source of income because many Keralites are employed in foreign countries (Middle East especially) whose remittances make a huge income.
- Fisheries: There is a prosperous fisheries industry reinforced by the lengthy coastline.
- IT and Startups: There is development of IT and startups, mostly in cities such as Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi focused on achieving innovation and technology in the state.
Challenges and The Future Ahead
Kerala has its share of problems in spite of its achievements:
- Over-tourism: How to cope with the effects of having so many foreigners in the country with their fragile natural environment.
- Climate Change: Exposed to extreme weather conditions, such as flood and landslides, which are an issue of massive concern over the past few years.
- Employment: It is always difficult to provide more high value jobs to its educated youths.
- Aging Population: The state is enriched with a large number of aging population, which strains the state socially and in regard to medical care.
Nevertheless Kerala is also in a path to make its way towards a better and more sustainable future. The government is paying attention to:
- Sustainable Tourism: The encouragement of responsible tourism and ecotourism.
- Climate Resilience: The investment in the climate-resilient infrastructure and adaptation to disasters.
- Skill Development: Enabling the youngsters with competencies in contemporary spheres such as IT and entrepreneurship.
- Health and Social Care: It will continue investing on its famous healthcare and social welfare systems.
The Inimitable spirit of Kerala
Kerala is a state which translates the saying that paradise can be found on Earth. It is an amazingly peaceful land of peaceful coexistence of old customs and a present day history of harmony. Kerala is a remarkable place because of the spirit of fighting spirit of people, strong attachment to land and their colorful heritage to the place. Moving on with the state, it shows that in the state at other end of a subjunctive view about God, there can be a deep sense of community, sustainability and resilience where a land of peace, beauty and unlimited possibility can be developed in Gods own country.
