Kerala
Kerala (or Keralam, as it is locally known) is a state in southernmost India, bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west, Karnataka on the north and Tamil Nadu on the east. Kerala is one of India's mountainous states. The physiography is quite diverse. Kerala is famous for its backwaters.
| State nickname: God's Own Country | |
| Capital | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 38,863 km² | |
| Population | 31,838,619 819/km² |
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Date of formation |
November 1, 1956 |
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Latitude
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8°18'N to 12°48'N
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Width
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35-120 km
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Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) is the capital of the state. Other important cities are: Kochi, Kottayam and Kozhikode. Alleppey is a town with lot of picturesque canals, backwaters and lagoons. It was described as the "Venice of the East" by Marco Polo.
Malayalam is the dominant (95%) language in Kerala.
Coconut, tea and rubber are grown extensively. Tourism plays an important role in state economy. Coir, cashew, and spice production are also important.
Keralites are predominantly Hindus (57%), followed by Muslims (23%) and Christians (19%). Muslims prevail in the north, Christians primarily in the central area around Kochi and Kottayam and Hindus in the south mainly around Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala also sports a tiny Jewish population, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnessar.
Kerala has a rich cultural tradition. In addition to the classical dance forms Kathakali and Mohiniyaattam, which are native to the region, Kerala has numerous folk and classical art forms, and a rich literary tradition. Kerala is known for Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine. Kerala has a traditional calendar of its own. In Kerala, like in many other parts of India, a strict caste system used to be in force. Many social reformists of modern day Kerala have tried to address this social problem.
Kerala is an education success story. With its GDP per capita below the nation's average of 360 USD (1998 est.), Kerala boasts a low infant mortality rate and 97% literacy rate, which is not only among the highest in India (nation's average is 52%), but also above its former colonists, Portugal.
The state has many famous temples, churches, mosques and a (Jewish) synagogue which is unique of its kind in the country.
According to one legend, Kerala was created when Parashurama threw his axe from Gokarnam to Kanyakumari, and sea gave way to land along that distance. Another popular legend tells of the benevolent king Mahabali in whose memory the festival of Onam is celebrated.
History
Vasco da Gama's voyage to Kerala from Portugal in 1498 was largely motivated by Portuguese determination to break the Kerala Muslims' control over the trade between local spice producers and the Middle East. He established India's first Portuguese fortress at Cochin (Kochi) in 1503 and from there, taking advantage of rivalry existing between the royal families of Calicut and Cochin, managed to destroy the monopoly. The dispute between Calicut and Cochin, however, provided an opportunity for the Dutch to come in and finally expel the Portuguese from their forts. The British moved into the area in the form of the British East India Company and were firmly established in Kerala by the beginning of the seventeenth century. Tipu Sultan attempted to encroach on British-held territory in 1792, but he was defeated and the British remained in control until independence.
The Portuguese were surprised to discover, when they arrived in Kerala 500 years ago, that Christianity was already established. The history of that community dates back to the arrival in 52 AD of St. Thomas the Apostle, Doubting Thomas, and to the establishing of a Christian community by a contingent of Syrian Christians who arrived in 192 AD via Baghdad.
Modern day Kerala was created in 1956 from Malabar, which had been part of the Madras Presidency, and from Travancore and Cochin. The latter two were princely states which had been ruled by maharajas, both being somewhat unique among their kind in that they had concerned themselves
with the education and provision of basic services to the residents of their territories.
Since its first election in 1957 (which makes it the first communist party winning the democratic elections, ever) Kerala's Communist Party has been regularly, though not consistently, in power in the state.
The rate of literacy in Kerala has grown steadily over the last few decades topping 90% according to the 2001 census. This is partly due to the 100% literacy movement in the state, during the late 1980's and early 1990's.