Kerala is the southern most state of India.Popularly known as God's own country, kerala offers a lot of tourist destinations. Some of the famous tourist spots are
Alleppey, Kochi, Munnar, Palakkad, Varkala and Kozhikode.
It was a part of "Thamizhagam" (present Tamil
Nadu) which covered the then Chola, Chera and Pandya region. The music,
dance and language of Kerala are same to that can be seen in rest of
Thamizhagom. The arrival of Vasco da Gama, coming of foreign traders
and invation by Portuguese defined a new cultural heritage in its
people.
The mother tongue of Kerala is Malayalam and
the natives are known as Malayalees. It is believed that Parasurama is
the creator of Kerala. He converted a portion of sea into land by
throwing his axe.
Kerala
has a rich cultural heritage. Its diverse culture is influenced by
three main religions of Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Exquisite
sculptures, music and dance forms can be seen in the historic
development of Kerala's cultural traditions. The
traditions of Kathakali and Mohiniattam are highly developed art forms
that have developed from their folk origins into highly evolved
classical dance forms. Kathakali is a 300-year-old dance form developed
exclusively in Kerala combiningthe performing art forms of opera,
ballet, masque, and pantomime.
The dance is a beautiful blending of color, dance, music, drama, and expressions. In a sense, a lot of the fame that the state has gained is mainly due to the popularity of this dance form. Other dance forms of Kerala are Krishnanattom, Mohiniyattom, Thullal,
Koodiyattom, Kolkkali, Thiruvathirakali, Kakkarishi Natakom,
Oppanna, and Chavittunatakom. Panchavadyam, Nadanpattu, Omanathinkal
Kidavo and many more music forms have evolved over the centuries in
Kerala.
To the South West extreme of India, lies a land, rich in every aspect imaginable; lush green, fertile land crisscrossed by seething rivers; beaches- stunningly beautiful where the waves seem to well up and kiss the golden sands; backwaters and marshlands where the flora seems to have tamed the Ocean itself; and above all a race of people, who seem to have mastered the essence of civilization.
Rich in culture, cuisine and, capabilities, excelling in education, sports and unique martial arts, yes, this is the blessed land of Kerala indeed. Maps of India brings you complete information on the people, culture and Festival of Kerala-
Some of the key crops of Kerala are coconut, tea, coffee, rubber,
cashew, cardamom, pepper and cinnamon. Its service sector is booming
with financial companies, real estate agencies, mortgage companies,
consultancy services, insurance companies and tourism industry. Kerala
is quite advanced in terms of Human Development Index and life standard.
Kerala has become one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the country as well as abroad. It is famous for its rivers, backwaters and endless beaches. Besides, ayurveda, unani and naturopathy have also become quite popular among national as well as international tourists.
- Area - 38,863kmsq
- Population - 31, 948, 619 (2001 census)
- Density - 819/kmsq
- District - 14
- Language - Malayalam
- C.M.- V.S.Achuthanandan
- Governor - Sheila Dikshit
It was a part of "Thamizhagam" (present Tamil
Nadu) which covered the then Chola, Chera and Pandya region. The music,
dance and language of Kerala are same to that can be seen in rest of
Thamizhagom. The arrival of Vasco da Gama, coming of foreign traders
and invation by Portuguese defined a new cultural heritage in its
people. 
The mother tongue of Kerala is Malayalam and
the natives are known as Malayalees. It is believed that Parasurama is
the creator of Kerala. He converted a portion of sea into land by
throwing his axe.The dance is a beautiful blending of color, dance, music, drama, and expressions. In a sense, a lot of the fame that the state has gained is mainly due to the popularity of this dance form. Other dance forms of Kerala are Krishnanattom, Mohiniyattom, Thullal,
To the South West extreme of India, lies a land, rich in every aspect imaginable; lush green, fertile land crisscrossed by seething rivers; beaches- stunningly beautiful where the waves seem to well up and kiss the golden sands; backwaters and marshlands where the flora seems to have tamed the Ocean itself; and above all a race of people, who seem to have mastered the essence of civilization.
Rich in culture, cuisine and, capabilities, excelling in education, sports and unique martial arts, yes, this is the blessed land of Kerala indeed. Maps of India brings you complete information on the people, culture and Festival of Kerala-
- People of Kerala: An amazing race of people, following a
unique lifestyle-the perfect blend of traditional, time-honored
practices and progressive, innovative trends.
- Kerala Food: A delectable cuisine, unique to the region
which involves the locally available ingredients such as coconuts,
seafood, rice etc.
- Performing Arts: An interesting combination of dance,
music, theater and mythology. Apart from the famous folk dances viz.
Kathakali, Koothu and Mohiniyattom, a tradition of ritual arts are such
as Theyyam, Kummattikkali and Mudiyettu has also been kept alive
- Kerala Music: Like the rest of South India, Kerala's
classical music is essentially Carnatic, raag - taal based music. It is
also famed for Sopanam. Music is an integral part of the every day life.
There are the traditional folk songs for occasions such as marriages
and childbirth and also the devotional songs such as Ayyappanpattu and
Maripattu. A number of musical instruments including wind and string
instruments, percussions are played and practiced in Kerala.
- Kerala Painting: Other than the unique art of body
painting for specific dance forms such as Kathakali, Kerala has a rich
style of oil paintings. While the state identifies with the rest of
India in its use of henna to paint parts of the body such as hands and
feet, Kerala has also its singular art forms of floor drawings and
paintings (Kalamezhuthu).
- Kerala Handicrafts: Among the variety of handicrafts
produced in Kerala, the more renowned are sandalwood items, woodcraft,
handlooms and metal work (especially brass and copper).
- Kerala Martial Arts and Sports: Sports and Martial Arts
take prime importance in the life of a Malayali. Not only are sport
competitions (such as rowing competitions) part of the Festival customs,
there is, in Kerala, a tradition of martial arts training. Many of
these are holistic physical development systems and are tauht in
combination with ayurveda, accupressure, herbalism etc.
- Malayalam Literature: Though the origins of are generally traced to Tamil, due to its affinity to the classical language, Malayalam has evolved and is a vast ocean as it stands today. The prose, poetry and plays are appreciated by critics worldwide.
- Malayalam Calendar (Kollavarsham): The Malayalis use a calendar called the Kollavarsham in which the year starts from Onam in mid September.
- Festivals of Kerala: Kerala is the land of high
festivities and cheer. A number of Festival like Onam, Vishu and
Thiruvathirai are celebrated. They are usually marked by family get
together, cheer and festivity.
- Kerala Matrimony: Marriage in Kerala is usually arranged
by one's family. Inter caste marriage is the common practice with
marriage rituals specific to each community.
- Kerala Movies: Malayalam movies started in 1928, when
the 1st silent movie was released in Kerala. Since then Malayalam movies
have come a long way and the cinema industry is now a flourishing
business with Malayali movies competing on an international level.
- Kerala News: In keeping with the rest of the world,
Kerala has a number of newspapers in both Malayali and English. With the
advent of technology a number of websites have come up which report
global news in both languages.
- Kerala Newspapers:Newspapers are the larges source of news in any part of the country. The people of Kerala too subscribe to some of newspaper or other. Now these papers may be regional i.e. printed in Kerala itself or some of the leading national dailies. Kerala newspapers are either English newspapers or Malayalam Newspapers.
Kerala has become one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the country as well as abroad. It is famous for its rivers, backwaters and endless beaches. Besides, ayurveda, unani and naturopathy have also become quite popular among national as well as international tourists.
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