Kerala is believed to have sprung up from the depth of the Arabian sea when lord PARASURAMA, the incarnation of Vishnu heaved his axe in remorse to the wanton destruction and cruelty he had wrought upon the KSHATRIYA‘s in a war. The Brahmin had offered severe penance atop the mountains of the Western Ghats.

PEOPLE WO PADDY [RICE] FIELD

Man has inhabited this land from time immemorial. Like many other civilizations, the origin of culture of in Kerala is shrouded in the mist of time. Many theories exist as to its development but none have confirmed with any substantial merits the anthropology of the state. But what is most distinct is the fact that Kerala has been the most cosmopolitan and peace loving state in India. It has served as a melting pot for the cultures from the orient and the occident. A flourishing market of spices, she was called upon by the ships from all continents to collect the valuables and riches that made them. Ancient roman statesmen even chided their citizens for the extravaganza they showed in procuring luxuries from Kerala. Nowhere else in the world, not even in the most urban centers of the developed world would you find people with such divers cultural and religious background living together in friendly and peaceful manner. When the Jews were driven out of central Asia during the BC’s, they came to Kerala.

When St.Thomas came here, he was amazed at the religious liberty given by the state to all its people. He established a church in Kerala in the year 52 AD when even Constantinople did not have a church. When prophet Muhammad founded Islam, Keralites embraced it and the kings here invited Arabic architects to raise mosques out of the sand.

A TYPICAL KERALA HOME

This tolerance of cultural values have persisted through the ages precisely for the reasons of antiquity, unity, continuity and universality of its nature. In its widest sense it embraces the highest achievements of the human spirit in every sphere of life. Thus, in its totality, it represents the quintessence of the collective achievements of a people in the fields of religion and philosophy, language and literature, art and architecture, education and learning and economic and social organization. In fact, all through its history the genius of Kerala has blossomed forth in all its vigor and vitality and has helped its people to reach the peak of excellence in all their endeavors.

Life in Kerala : A festival of COLORS and FLAVORS

Life in Kerala is one of the finest in the world. The social indices in Kerala point to a figure of excellence that envies even states from Europe. Its festivals and festivities have woven together an intricate pattern of colors, flavors and the spirit of life. Kerala has a wealth of folklore, folktales, folk songs, folk arts, folk beliefs, taboos and superstitions. You will come to read more about them in the ensuing links.

KERALA : A MURAL from the HEAVENS…

TEA ESTATE IN MUNNAR

Kerala is blessed with the natural bounties like air water and fertile land. Sandwiched between the mountains on the east and the vast oceans in the west, she has 44 rivers cutting across her length of 500 kms. 41 of them are west flowing and 3 of them are east flowing. They are rain fed by the monsoons every year, which paints a fresh coat of green on everything that springs from her surface. Waterfalls like the silver ornaments on a woman’s hair daunt the mountains and down below, her palm-fringed shores are kissed by the waves from the Arabian ocean.

HOUSEBOAT

The coastal state of Kerala lying on the Southwestern tip of India has commonly been called the tropical paradise of India. Bounded by Arabian Sea at one side and the Western Ghats on the other, the beautiful land with stunning beauty has an equable and tropical climate offering a pleasing atmosphere throughout the entire year. This coastal state has hot and humid climate during April-May and pleasant, cold climate in December-January.

Summer extends from the month of April to June when the temperature reaches to a maximum of 33 degrees centigrade. Summer is followed by South West Monsoon that starts pouring in the month of June and continues till September. With the arrival of winter there is certain drop in the temperature and you can feel a slight chill due to the cold wind. Winter in Kerala lasts from from November to January or February.

ELEPHANT HERD IN PERIYAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

The topography and the geographical relief features are marked by distinct changes from east to west and consists of

1. The Western Ghats

   The mighty Western Ghats, a sequence of Rocky Mountains, edges the eastern boundary of Kerala and ascends roughly up to 1,500 m above sea level with the lofty peaks rising up to 2,500 m.

2. Hill and Valleys

   The narrow piece of land on the eastern border, close to the Western Ghats, encompasses precipitous hills, deep valleys and gorges which are covered with thick woods. Almost all the rivers of the state originate here.

   Midland Plains- These plains which lie along central Kerala, are located in the west of the hills and mountains.

3. Coastal Belt

   The narrow belt of coastal land along the Arabian Sea is characterized by paddy fields, rows of coconut trees and serene, and backwaters internally linked by rivers and inland waterways.

4. Backwaters and Rivers

   The Backwaters consists of lakes and inlets of oceans which straggle out in the land. The largest backwater is the Vembanad Lake which stretches out into the Arabian Sea at Cochin Port.

   

   HOUSEBOAT IN KERALA LAKE

   There are 49 river/lakes flowing in the state of Kerala, among them 46 flows to the west and the other 3 flow to the east. They evolve from Western Ghats and rush towards the west into the Arabian Sea.

5. Rivers, Lakes and Backwaters

   Kerala, the South Western state of Indian Peninsula can be rightly called the land of water bodies with numerous majestic waterfalls and calm backwaters, 34 lakes with sparkling azure and emerald waters, and 49 rain-fed river/lakes with copious tributaries and distributaries flowing through the land. A large number of lakes form superb destinations for backwater tours in Kerala.

The still waters of the serene lakes offer a feeling of tranquility amidst nature and one seems to get lost in the world of his own thoughts. Some of these lakes are Sasthamkotta Lake, Vembanad Lake, The Ashtamudi Lake, Pookot Lake and Akkulam Lake.

Soil and Vegetation-The state of Kerala with its wide array of topographical features such as coastlines along the Arabian Sea, hills of the Western Ghats, valleys, abundant water bodies ,is the reserve of diverse types of soil such as red, ferruginous, sandy, black, peat and loamy soil.

TIGER IN PERIYAR WILDLIFE SANCTUARY

There are an assortment of flora and other plantation crops which grow in these soils. The natural vegetation of Kerala comprises 3,872 flowering plants including 900 plants of great medicinal value.

The forested regions with an area of 9,400 km comprises tropical wet evergreen partly-evergreen forests with thick undergrowth in the lower and mid altitudes, tropical damp and arid deciduous forests in the middle altitudes plus mountainous subtropical and temperate (shola) forests in the precipitous hills. Kerala basically thrives on agriculture.

The main crops are paddy, coconut, pepper, cashew, cassava and plantation crops like rubber and cash crops are tea and coffee, spices, nutmeg, vanilla and cashew nut.

Names of Districts
Thiruvananthapuram
Kollam
Alappuzha
Pathanamthitta
Kottayam
Idukki
Ernakulam
Thrissur
Palakkad
Malappuram
Wayanad
Kozhikode
Kannur
Kasaragod

Major Cities : Thiruvananthapuram,Kochi & Kozhikode.
Taluks : 61
Revenue Villages : 1452
City Corporations : 5
Grama Panchayat : 991
Block Panchayat : 152
District Panchayat : 14

Population

Population : 318.39 [ 2001 Census ] (31.839 Millions)
Density of Population : 819 per sq kms
Share in the National Population : 3.1 per cent
District Average : 22.74 lakhs (2.274 millions)
Sex Ratio : 1058 women for 1000 men

Literacy

Literacy Rate : 90.92 per cent.
Male Literacy Rate : 94.20 per cent
Female Literacy Rate ; 87.86 per cent

Educational Infrastructure

Lower Primary Schools (I – IV) : 6712
Upper Primary Schools (V – VII) : 2951
High Schools (VIII – X) : 2608
Total Number of Schools : 12271

Higher Education

Higher Education Universities : 7
Arts and Science Colleges : 286

Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) : Kerala has had a commendable record in terms of the Physical Quality of Life Index. Indicators of PQLI like infant mortality (11%), female literacy (87.86%), and life expectancy at birth for males (68.23).The major reason for this achievement is Kerala’s focus on the service sector. About 37% of the total annual expenditure of the State is earmarked for health and education. Another reason for this is the existence of a larger network of hospital infrastructure under the Directorate of Health Services with 933 primary health centres and 5094 sub-centres.

Health Care Infrastructure

Immunisation has been near total in the year 2002 – 03.
T.T for Pregnant Women : 86.1%
T.T for 5 year old : 89.2%
T.T for 10 year old : 98.1%
T.T for 16 year old ; 95%
DPT : 95.8%
BCG : 103%
Polio: 95.3%
Anti-measles : 90.6%
Rate of Diseases per 1000 People -
Leprosy : 0.66
Malaria : 0.36
Filaria : 1.28
Tuberculosis : 0.70

Transaportation
Air: There are three international airports in the state. They are at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Nedumbassery (Kochi) and operate international flights and domestic flights.
Road and Rail : The state is well connected by rail and road.

Seaports :

Major : Kochi
Minor : Beypore (Kozhikode), Alappuzha, Kollam.

Major Beaches: Kovalam, Varkala, Fort Kochi, Kappad and Bekal.

Major Wild Life Sanctuaries : Thekkady (Periyar), Parambikkulam, Wayanad, Silent Valley, Aralm,Peechi-Vazhani, Chimani, Shenduruny, Idukki, Chinnar,Peppara, Neyyar.

Bird Sanctuary : Thattekad,Kumarakom.
Major Hill Stations : Ponmudi,Peerumade, Thekkady, Munnar and Wayanad.
Farm / Cash Crops : Rubber, Coffee, Tea, Spices, Pepper, Cashew, Coconut, Arecanut and rice.
Exports : Marine, Coir, Handicrafts, Spices, Food and other Products.
Major Industries : Tourism, Information Technology,Fertilizer, Oil Refining and Power Generation, Ship Building,