About Kerala

culture, music, dance, festivals, historical monuments, exotic cuisine and houseboat cruise. Today, Kerala is the India's most advanced state with the highest literacy rate. Kerala is also the most cleanest and peaceful state in India. For administrative purposes, the state of Kerala is divided into fourteen districts. Malayalam and English are the most common languages which are widely spoken in Kerala. Hinduism, Christianity and Islam religions are found in Kerala. The climate of Kerala is pleasant for most of the part of year. In summers, the temperature is about 24 to 30 degree Celsius and in winters it is about 22 to 32 degree Celsius.

History of Kerala
The history of Kerala is very distinct. According to the legend, the Lord Vishnu descended from the heavens in his incarnation of Parashuram. After slaying the evil kings 21 times over to repeal their force from earth, he did penance for waging the terrible war, and threw his axe into the sea. The area where the axe landed, from shaft to blade, Kerala rose from the sea. The Phoenicians started the sea trade, and in 1000 BC Kerala was visited by King Solomon's ships that travelled to `Ophir', the modern Puvar, south of Trivandrum. Kerala was visited by the rulers from the other countries like Greece, Rome, Arabia, China. The Portuguese were forced out of the area. In 1795, the Dutch too had to move out, and the British traders had become the strongest power in India by that time. In all this period of prosperity and strife, the region's identity existed as the Malabar Coast and Cochin Travancore. It was only in 1956 that it gained recognition as an independent state, Kerala.

Geography of Kerala
Kerala is bordered by the Arabian Sea in the west, Karnataka in the north and northeast, and Tamil Nadu and Western Ghats in the east. Geographically, Kerala is a part of the coastal belt and the Western Ghats runs along the Kerala. The rain bearing clouds of the south-west monsoon brings heavy rainfall to Kerala from May to September. The location of Kerala gives it a unique climatic and geographic features. Kerala is networked by forty four rivers. Due to these unique geographical features, Kerala is one of the most famous tourist destination in India. The coastal belt of Kerala is lined with sandy and sunny beaches, palm lined shores and serene backwaters. The hill ranges of Kerala have hill stations, wildlife sanctuaries, tea estates and spice plantations.

Cities in Kerala
Kerala's fourteen districts are distributed among Kerala's three historical regions of Malabar (northern Kerala), Kochi (central Kerala), and Travancore (southern Kerala). Some of the cities in the Kerala's modern districts are Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad in Malabar, Thrissur, Ernakulam in Kochi and Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram in Travancore.

People of Kerala
The majority of the people in Kerala are Dravidians. The main religion in Kerala is Hinduism with considerable percentage of Muslims and Christians. Christianity has a long history in this state, as it is believed that the first missionary from Europe landed on the coast of Kerala in the first millennium. There is highest literacy rate in Kerala which has resulted in high health care and health awareness among the people. The women in the state enjoys high social status in the society. Higher education and equal opportunities have further strengthened the women's status in the society.

of the Kerala come alive and as well as represents the true tradition and culture. Some of the major festivals which are celebrated in Kerala during the year are Onam, Thrissur Pooram, Thiruvathira, Vishu, Navarathri, Makaravillakku and Easter.

Cuisine of Kerala
The cuisine of Kerala is very rich and the culinary skills of the various communities in Kerala have given very large varieties to it. While Hindus are specialist in delicious vegetarian food, the Muslims and Christians are specialist in the non-vegetarian food like Pathiri and Kozhi curry (chicken), biriyanom fish dishes like meen pollichathu, fish moee. Coconut and spices are added to every dish in Kerala. Sadya, the typical Kerala feast is served on a banana leaf. Toddy, which is tapped from coconut trees is a favourite drink among the rural men, local people and tourists. Tender coconut water, the world’s safest natural soft drink, is a refreshing and nutritious.

Spices in Kerala
Kerala is famous in the world due to total monopoly over spices. Within the last decade the international trade in spices has grown to an estimated 500,000 tonnes of spices and herbs valued at more than 1500 million US dollars. It is a matter of pride for the tiny state of Kerala that the bulk of this trade is still from Kerala. Some spices that have made Kerala a spice state are Pepper, Cardamom, Vanilla, Clove, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger, Turmeric, Tamarind and Curry leaves.

Boat Races in Kerala
The boat races are the another main attraction in Kerala. The boat races signifies the excellent team spirit, integration and unity of the people. These boat races are the occasion of great excitement of the vibrant people. The snake boat races of Kerala are the magnificent fiestas that brings alive the tranquil backwaters. The famous boat races are Champakulam Moolam Boat Race, Nehru Trophy Boat Race, Aranmula Uthrattadi Vallom Kali and Payippad Jalotsavam.

curtains made out of sea shells, bell metal lamps and sculptures, exquisitely crafted jewellery boxes, incense burners, betel boxes, nut crackers, screwpine articles, lacquerware, terracotta, wooden toys and dolls and intricate gold jewellery are appreciated by the women in India. The Aramula kannadi, the unique metal mirror craft of Kerala is famous all over the world.

Backwaters in Kerala
It is an intricate network of various lagoons, lakes, canals, estuaries and the deltas of forty-four rivers in Kerala that drain into the Arabian Sea. Over 900 km of this vast water world is navigable. The largest backwater stretch in Kerala is the Vembanad Lake which flows through three districts and opens out into the sea at the Kochi port. The Ashtamudi Lake, which literally means having eight arms covers a major portion of Kollam district in the south, is considered as the gateway to the backwaters.

Houseboats in Kerala
The Houseboats in Kerala are popularly known as Kettuvalloms. These are the giant country crafts, which measure upto 80 feet in length. These houseboats were built by binding huge planks of jack wood together, without the use of a single nail. These houseboats were earlier used as goods carrier but now they are used for the tourism purposes. These houseboats have one or two bath attached bedrooms, an open lounge, deck, kitchen, crew, a cook and guide.

Pilgrimage in Kerala
Kerala pilgrimage centres pictures the secular co-existence and religious harmony. The temples, mosques and churches located in different parts of Kerala, offers the holistic feeling, peace, happiness and calmness. There are several pilgrimage destinations all over Kerala. Some of the popular pilgrimage destinations in Kerala are Ambalapuzha - Sree Krishna Temple, Santa Cruz Cathedral, St. Francis Church, Jewish Synagogue, Sasthamkotta, Kuttichira, Thirunavaya, Aranmula, Thiruvalla, Kaviyoor, Maramon, Kodungallur, Sree Padmanabha Swami Temple, Varkala, Sabarimala and Guruvayoor temple.

Hill Stations in Kerala
Kerala is surrounded by the Western ghats and thus offers a long chain of lush green hill stations that are also home of the exotic wildlife. These hill stations offer the most enchanting experience of nature in all its virgin beauty. The famous hill stations in Kerala are Munnar, Peermede, Vythiri and Ponmudi. Munnar is located at the confluence of three mountain streams namely, Mudrapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. This famous hill station was the summer resort of the British government in South India.

Beaches in Kerala
Kerala offers one of the longest stretches of virgin beach in the country. Kerala shares its western border with the Arabian Sea and has a 600 km long shoreline. This shoreline is dotted with some of the India's finest and charming sandy beaches, rocky formations, natural harbours, lagoons and coconut palms. The large number of visitors visit Kerala every year in search of the tranquil, palm fringed beaches. The world famous Kovalam beach and the historic Bekal beach is found only in Kerala. The Kovalam beach is the most famous beach of Kerala which has been visited by the tourists from all over the world.

waterfalls roar, gurgle and splash down the mountain side and are the venues for picnics and  excursions round the year. As one will travel to the various destinations in Kerala, then they will pass through narrow and bewitching waterfalls. Some of the famous waterfalls in Kerala are Palaruvi Waterfalls, Marmala Waterfalls, Aruvikkuzhi Waterfalls, Perunthenaruvi Waterfalls, Athirapally and Vazhachal Waterfalls.

Wildlife Sanctuaries in Kerala
There are about 12 wildlife sanctuaries and 2 national parks in Kerala. These sanctuaries are situated in the lush forests of the Western Ghats in Kerala. These wildlife sanctuaries are the home to various rare animals, birds, reptiles, insects and plants. The famous wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala are Periyar National Park, Eravikulam National Park and Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. Periyar National Park and Tiger Reserve is one of the largest and finest wildlife reserves in India.

How to reach Kerala
By Air:
The three airports in Kerala are in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode. Thiruvananthapuram is also an international airport, connecting the state to many places in India and the world.

By Rail:
There are around 200 railway stations in Kerala connecting most of the places in Kerala to places in the other parts of India and inside the state. Long-distance express trains connect important places in the state to places outside Kerala like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata.

By Road:
An extensive network of metalled roads connects most of the places in the state. National highways 47, 17, and 49 connect Kerala with other parts of India.