"KERALA"

KERALA MAP

Coordinates: 8.47, 76.95
Time zone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
38,863 km²(15,005 sq mi)
Capital
Thiruvananthapuram
Largest city
Thiruvananthapuram
Largest metro
Kochi urban
District(s)
14
Population• Density
31,838,619 (2001)• 819/km² (2,121/sq mi)
Language(s)
Malayalam
Governor
R. L. Bhatia
Chief Minister
V.S. Achuthanandan
Established
November 1, 1956
Legislature
Unicameral (141seats)
ISO abbreviation

IN-KL
Website: http://www.kerala.gov.in/

കേരളംKerala
Nickname: "God's Own Country"

Coordinates: 8.47, 76.95
Time zone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
38,863 km²(15,005 sq mi)
Capital
Thiruvananthapuram
Largest city
Thiruvananthapuram
Largest metro
Kochi urban
District(s)
14
Population• Density
31,838,619 (2001)• 819/km² (2,121/sq mi)
Language(s)
Malayalam
Governor
R. L. Bhatia
Chief Minister
V.S. Achuthanandan
Established
November 1, 1956
Legislature
Unicameral (141seats)
ISO abbreviation
IN-KL
Website: www.kerala.gov.in
Seal of Kerala

Kerala (Kēraḷaṁ Malayalam: കേരളം) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. To its east and northeast, Kerala borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka respectively; to its west and south lie the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean with the islands of Lakshadweep and the Maldives, respectively. Kerala envelops Mahé, a coastal exclave of Pondicherry. Kerala is one of the four states of South India.
First settled in the 10th century BCE by speakers of Proto-South Dravidian, Kerala was influenced by the Mauryan Empire. Later, the Cheran kingdom and feudal Namboothiri Brahminical city-states became major powers in the region. Early contact with overseas lands culminated in struggles between colonial and native powers.
Contents
History Geography Flora and fauna Subdivisions Government and Administration Economy Transport Demographics Culture & arts
Finally, the States Reorganisation Act of November 1, 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood. Social reforms enacted in the late 19th century by Cochin and Travancore were expanded upon by post-Independence governments, making Kerala among the Third World's longest-lived, healthiest, most gender-equitable, and most literate regions. However, Kerala's suicide, alcoholism, and unemployment rates rank among India's highest. A survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country.
The etymology of Kerala is widely disputed, and is a matter of conjecture. A prevailing theory states that it is an imperfect Malayalam portmanteau that fuses kera ('coconut palm tree') and alam ('land' or 'location' or 'abode of' ). Another version is that the name is originated from the phrase chera alam (Land of the Chera). Natives of Kerala — Keralites — thus refer to their land as Keralam. Kerala's tourism industry, among others, also use the phrase God's own country.

History :
During Neolithic times humans largely avoided Kerala's rainforests and wetlands. There is evidence of the emergence of prehistoric pottery and granite burial monuments in the 10th century BCE that resemble their counterparts in Western Europe and the rest of Asia. These were produced by speakers of a proto-Tamil language. Thus, Kerala and Tamil Nadu once shared a common language, ethnicity and culture; this common area was known as Tamilakam. Kerala became a linguistically separate region by the early 14th century. The ancient Chera empire, whose court language was Tamil, ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi and was the first major recorded kingdom. Allied with the Pallavas, they continually warred against the neighbouring Chola and Pandya kingdoms. A Keralite identity — distinct from the Tamils and associated with the second Chera empire — and the development of Malayalam evolved between the 8th and 14th centuries. In written records, Kerala was first mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Aitareya Aranyaka. Later, figures such as Katyayana, Patanjali, Pliny the Elder, and the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea displayed familiarity with Kerala.

Muniyaras (Keralite dolmens or megalithic tombs) in Marayoor, erected by Neolithic tribesmen.

The Chera kings' dependence on trade meant that merchants from West Asia established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala. Many — especially Jews and Christians — also escaped persecution, establishing the Nasrani Mappila and Muslim Mappila communities. According to several scholars, the Jews first arrived in Kerala in 573 BC. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings state that Thomas the Apostle visited Muziris in Kerala in 52 CE to proselytize amongst Kerala's Jewish settlements. However, the first verifiable migration of Jewish-Nasrani families to Kerala is of the arrival of Knai Thoma in 345 CE. Muslim merchants settled in Kerala by the 8th century CE. After Vasco Da Gama's arrival in 1498, the Portuguese sought to control the lucrative pepper trade by subduing Keralite communities and commerce.
Conflicts between the cities of Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kochi (Cochin) provided an opportunity for the Dutch to oust the Portuguese. In turn, the Dutch were ousted at the 1741 Battle of Colachel by Marthanda Varma of Travancore (Thiruvathaamkoor). Meanwhile, Mysore’s Hyder Ali conquered northern Kerala, capturing Kozhikode in 1766. In the late 18th century, Tipu Sultan — Ali’s son and successor — launched campaigns against the expanding British East India Company; these resulted in two of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. He ultimately ceded Malabar District and South Kanara to the Company in the 1790s. The Company then forged tributary alliances with Kochi (1791) and Travancore (1795). Meanwhile, Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency.

Memorial of Veera Pazhassi Raja (the "Lion of Kerala") in Mananthavady, Wayanad.

Kerala saw comparatively little defiance of the British Raj — nevertheless, several rebellions occurred, including the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar revolt. Many actions, spurred by such leaders as Sree Narayana Guru and Chattampi Swamikal, instead protested such conditions as untouchability; notable was the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraham. In 1936, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma of Travancore issued the Temple Entry Proclamation that opened Hindu temples to all castes; Cochin and Malabar soon did likewise. In 1921, sectarian violence erupted in Kerala, with conflicts between militant Muslims on one hand and Hindus and the British Raj government on the other. The conflict became known as the Moplah Rebellion.
After India's independence in 1947, Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949. On January 1, 1950 (Republic Day), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. Meanwhile, the Madras Presidency had become Madras State in 1947. Finally, the Government of India's November 1, 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated the new Kerala state, incorporating Malabar District, Travancore-Cochin (excluding 4 southern Taluks which were merged with Tamil Nadu), and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara. A new Legislative Assembly was also created, for which elections were held in 1957. These resulted in a communist-led government — one of the world's earliest — headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad. Subsequent social reforms favoured tenants and labourers.[16][17] This facilitated, among other things, improvements in living standards, education, and life expectancy.

Geography

Agroecological zones of Kerala.
Kerala’s 38,863 km² landmass (1.18% of India) is wedged between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats — identified as one of the world's twenty-five biodiversity hotspots[18] — to the east. Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes 74°52' and 72°22',[19] Kerala is well within the humid equatorial tropics. Kerala’s coast runs for some 580 km (360 miles), while the state itself varies between 35 and 120 km (22–75 miles) in width. Geographically, Kerala can be divided into three climatically distinct regions: the eastern highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the central midlands (rolling hills), and the western lowlands (coastal plains). Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala lies near the centre of the Indian tectonic plate; as such, most of the state is subject to comparatively little seismic and volcanic activity.[20] Geologically, pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene formations compose the bulk of Kerala’s terrain.
Eastern Kerala lies immediately west of the Western Ghats's rain shadow; it consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys. 41 of Kerala’s west-flowing rivers, and 3 of its east-flowing ones originate in this region. Here, the Western Ghats form a wall of mountains interrupted only near Palakkad, where the Palakkad Gap breaks through to provide access to the rest of India. The Western Ghats rises on average to 1,500 m (4920 ft) above sea level, while the highest peaks may reach to 2,500 m (8200 ft). Just west of the mountains lie the midland plains composing central Kerala; rolling hills and valleys dominate.[19] Generally ranging between elevations of 250–1,000 m (820–3300 ft), the eastern portions of the Nilgiri and Palni Hills include such formations as Agastyamalai and Anamalai.

A cheena vala (fishing net) in the Backwaters region of Kollam.

Kerala’s western coastal belt is relatively flat, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals, lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters. Lake Vembanad — Kerala’s largest body of water — dominates the Backwaters; it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is more than 200 km² in area. Around 8% of India's waterways (measured by length) are found in Kerala.[21] The most important of Kerala’s forty four rivers include the Periyar (244 km), the Bharathapuzha (209 km), the Pamba (176 km), the Chaliyar (169 km), the Kadalundipuzha (130 km) and the Achankovil (128 km). The average length of the rivers of Kerala is 64km. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by monsoon rains.[19] These conditions result in the nearly year-round water logging of such western regions as Kuttanad, 500 km² of which lies below sea level. As Kerala's rivers are small and lack deltas, they are more prone to environmental factors. Kerala's rivers face many problems, including summer droughts, the building of large dams, sand mining, and pollution.

With 120 – 140 rainy days per year, Kerala has a wet and maritime tropical climate influenced by the seasonal heavy rains of the southwest summer monsoon.[22] In eastern Kerala, a drier tropical wet and dry climate prevails. Kerala's rainfall averages 3,107 mm annually. Some of Kerala's drier lowland regions average only 1,250 mm; the mountains of eastern Idukki district receive more than 5,000 mm of orographic precipitation, the highest in the state. In summers, most of Kerala is prone to gale force winds, storm surges, cyclone-related torrential downpours, occasional droughts, and rises in sea level and storm activity resulting from global warming.[23][24][25] Kerala’s maximum daily temperature averages 36.7 °C; the minimum is 19.8 °C. Mean annual temperatures range from 25.0 – 27.5 °C in the coastal lowlands to 20.0 – 22.5 °C in the highlands.

Flora and fauna

A river in the Marayoor region of northwestern Idukki district.

Much of Kerala's notable biodiversity is concentrated and protected in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in the eastern hills. Almost a fourth of India's 10,000 plant species are found in the state. Among the almost 4,000 flowering plant species (1,272 of which are endemic to Kerala and 159 threatened) are 900 species of highly sought medicinal plants.[27][28] Its 9,400 km² of forests include tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests (lower and middle elevations — 3,470 km²), tropical moist and dry deciduous forests (mid-elevations—4,100 km² and 100 km², respectively), and montane subtropical and temperate (shola) forests (highest elevations — 100 km²). Altogether, 24% of Kerala is forested.[29] Two of the world’s Ramsar Convention listed wetlands — Lake Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands — are in Kerala, as well as 1455.4 km² of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Subjected to extensive clearing for cultivation in the 20th century,[30] much of Kerala's forest cover is now protected from clearfelling. Kerala's fauna are notable for their diversity and high rates of endemism: 102 species of mammals (56 of which are endemic), 476 species of birds, 202 species of freshwater fishes, 169 species of reptiles (139 of them endemic), and 89 species of amphibians (86 endemic).[28] These are threatened by extensive habitat destruction (including soil erosion, landslides, salinization, and resource extraction).[31]

A Grizzled Giant Squirrel in Marayoor, Idukki.

Eastern Kerala’s windward mountains shelter tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests, which are common in the Western Ghats. Here, sonokeling (Indian rosewood), anjili, mullumurikku (Erythrina), and Cassia number among the more than 1,000 species of trees in Kerala. Other plants include bamboo, wild black pepper, wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm (a type of climbing palm), and aromatic vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides).[29] Living among them are such fauna as Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard (Panthera pardus), Nilgiri Tahr, Common Palm Civet, and Grizzled Giant Squirrel.[29][32] Reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python, and crocodile. Kerala's birds are legion—Peafowl, the Great Hornbill, Indian Grey Hornbill, Indian Cormorant, and Jungle Myna are several emblematic species. In lakes, wetlands, and waterways, fish such as kadu (stinging catfish and Choottachi (Orange chromide — Etroplus maculatus; valued as an aquarium specimen) are found.
Subdivisions

Kerala's districts, shaded by population per km².
Kerala's fourteen districts are distributed among Kerala's three historical regions: Malabar (northern Kerala), Kochi (central Kerala), and Travancore (southern Kerala). Kerala's modern-day districts (listed in order from north to south) correspond to them as follows:

Malabar: Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad
Kochi: Thrissur, Ernakulam
Travancore: Idukki, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram
Mahe, a part of the Indian union territory of Puducherry, is a coastal exclave surrounded by Kerala on all of its landward approaches. Thiruvananthapuram is the state capital and most populous city.[35] Kochi is the most populous urban agglomeration[36] and the major port city in Kerala. Kozhikode, Palakkad, Kollam and Thrissur are the other major commercial centres of the state. The High Court of Kerala is situated at Ernakulam. Kerala's districts, which serve as the administrative regions used for taxation purposes, are further subdivided into a total of 63 taluks; these have fiscal and administrative powers over settlements within their borders, including maintenance of local land records.

Government and administration

The Legislative Assembly Building in Trivandrum.
Like other Indian states, the constitutional head of state is the governor, who is appointed by the President of India. Like most other states, Kerala has a unicameral legislature consisting of directly elected members. The Chief Minister is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. The governor appoints a council of ministers at the advice of the Chief Minister. Kerala has 140 Assembly constituencies and sends 20 members to the Lok Sabha. Auxiliary authorities known as panchayats govern local affairs at micro level.

Currently, the Left Democratic Front (LDF) is the ruling coalition in government and V.S. Achuthanandan of the CPI(M) is the Chief Minister.

The Kerala High Court in Ernakulam.
The judiciary comprises of the Kerala High Court and a system of lower courts. The High Court of Kerala is the highest court for the state, and the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.
The state's 2005 – 2006 budget was 219 billion INR.[37] Its 2005 tax revenues (excluding income from the Union tax pool) amounted to 111,248 million INR, while non-tax revenues totalled 10,809 million INR.[38] Kerala's high ratio of taxation to gross state domestic product (GSDP) has not alleviated chronic budget deficits and unsustainable levels of government debt, impacting social services.[39]

Economy

Tea gardens in eastern Kerala.
Since its incorporation as a state, Kerala's economy largely operated under welfare based democratic socialist principles. Nevertheless, the state is increasingly liberalising its economy, thus moving to a more mixed economy with a greater role played by the free market and foreign direct investment. Kerala's nominal gross domestic product (as of 2004–2005) is an estimated 89451.99 crore INR,[40] while recent GDP growth (9.2% in 2004 – 2005 and 7.4% in 2003 – 2004) has been robust compared to historical averages (2.3% annually in the 1980s and between 5.1%[41] and 5.99%[42] in the 1990s).[41] Nevertheless, relatively few major corporations and manufacturing plants choose to operate in Kerala.[43] This is mitigated by remittances sent home by overseas Keralites, which contributes around 20% of state GDP.[44] Kerala's per capita GDP of 11,819 INR[45] is significantly higher than the all India average,[41] although it still lies far below the world average. Additionally, Kerala's Human Development Index and standard of living statistics are the nation's best.[46] This apparent paradox — high human development and low economic development — is often dubbed the Kerala phenomenon or the Kerala model of development,[47][48] and arises mainly from Kerala's strong service sector.

The Technopark, located in Thiruvananthapuram.

The service sector (including tourism, public administration, banking and finance, transportation, and communications — 63.8% of statewide GDP in 2002 – 2003) along with the agricultural and fishing industries (together 17.2% of GDP) dominate Kerala's economy.[42][49] Nearly half of Kerala's people are dependent on agriculture alone for income.[50] Some 600 varieties[18] of rice (Kerala's most important staple food and cereal crop[51]) are harvested from 310,521 ha (a decline from 588,340 ha in 1990[51]) of paddy fields; 688,859 tonnes are produced per annum.[50] Other key crops include coconut (899,198 ha), tea, coffee (23% of Indian production,[52] or 57,000 tonnes[53]), rubber, cashews, and spices—including pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Around 10.50 lakh (1.050 million) fishermen haul an annual catch of 6.68 lakh (668,000) tonnes (1999–2000 estimate); 222 fishing villages are strung along the 590 km coast, while an additional 113 fishing villages are spread throughout the hinterland. Traditional industries manufacturing such items as coir, handlooms, and handicrafts employ around ten lakh (one million) people. Around 1.8 lakh (180,000) small-scale industries employ around 909,859 Keralites, while some 511 medium and large scale manufacturing firms are located in Kerala. Meanwhile, a small mining sector (0.3% of GDP)[49] involves extraction of such materials as ilmenite (136,908.74 tonnes in 1999–2000), kaolin, bauxite, silica, quartz, rutile, zircon, and sillimanite.[50] Home gardens and animal husbandry also provide work for hundreds of thousands of people. Chhattisgarh is planning a massive Jatropha planting compaign to employ farmers as well as to achieve biofuel sef-sufficiency.[54] Other significant economic sectors are tourism, manufacturing, and business process outsourcing. Kerala's unemployment rate is variously estimated at 19.2%[55] and 20.77%,[56] although underemployment of those classified as "employed", low employability of many job-seeking youths, and a mere 13.5% female participation rate are significant problems. Estimates of the statewide poverty rate range from 12.71%[59] to as high as 36%.

Transport

Marine drive waterfront walkway at Kochi.
Kerala has 145,704 km of roads (4.2% of India's total). This translates to about 4.62 km of road per thousand population, compared to an all India average of 2.59 km. Virtually all of Kerala's villages are connected by road. Traffic in Kerala has been growing at a rate of 10 – 11% every year, resulting in high traffic and pressure on the roads. Kerala's road density is nearly four times the national average, reflecting the state's high population density. India's national highway network includes a Kerala wide total of 1,524 km, which is 2.6% of the national total. There are eight designated national highways in the state. Upgrading and maintenance of 1,600 km of Kerala state highways and major district roads have been taken up by the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP), which includes the GIS-based Road Information and Management Project (RIMS). Most of Kerala's west coast is accessible through two National Highways, NH 47, and NH 17.

The state has major international airports at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode that link the state with the rest of the nation and the world. The Cochin International Airport at Kochi is the first international airport in India to be built without Central Government funds. The backwaters traversing the state are an important mode of inland navigation. The Indian Railways' Southern Railway line runs throughout the state, connecting all major towns and cities except the highland districts of Idukki and Wayanad.The major Railway stations in Kerala are Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam, Kozhikode, Shoranur and Palakkad.

Demographics
Keralite youths play football on a beach.
The 3.18 crore (31.8 million) of Kerala’s compound population is predominantly of Malayali Dravidian ethnicity, while the rest is mostly made up of Indo-Aryan, Jewish, and Arab elements in both culture and ancestry (both of which are usually mixed). Kerala is also home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace), who are mostly concentrated in the eastern districts.[62][63] Malayalam is Kerala's official language; Tamil and various Adivasi languages are also spoken by ethnic minorities. Kerala is home to 3.44% of India's people, and at 819 persons per km²[64] its land is three times as densely settled as the rest of India. However, Kerala's population growth rate is India's lowest[65] – Kerala's decadal growth (9.42% in 2001) is less than half the all India average of 21.34%.[66] Additionally, whereas Kerala's population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 — adding 156 lakh (15.6 million) people to reach a total of 291 lakh (29.1 million) residents in 1991 — the population stood at less than 320 lakh (32 million) by 2001. Kerala's people are most densely settled in the coastal region, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated.[19]
Women comprise 51.42% of the population.[67] Kerala's principal religions are Hinduism (56.1%), Islam (24.7%), and Christianity (19%).[68] Remnants of a once substantial Cochin Jewish population also practice Judaism. In comparison with the rest of India, Kerala experiences relatively little sectarianism. Nevertheless, there have been signs of increasing influences from religious extremist organisations.[69][70]

A Malayali woman wearing a neryathu known as Set Sari.

Kerala's society is less patriarchical than the rest of the Majority World.[71][72] Certain Hindu communities (such as the Nairs), Travancore Ezhavas and the Muslims around Kannur used to follow a traditional matrilineal system known as marumakkathayam which has in the recent years (post Indian independence) ceased to exist. Christians, Muslims, and some Hindu castes such as the Namboothiris and the Ezhavas follow makkathayam, a patrilineal system.[73] Kerala's gender relations are among the most equitable in India and the Majority World.[74][75] However, this too is coming under threat, from such forces as patriarchy-enforced oppression of women.

Most Keralites, such as this fisherman, live in rural areas.
Kerala's human development indices — elimination of poverty, primary level education, and healthcare — are among the best in India. For example, Kerala's literacy rate (91%)[76] and life expectancy (73 years)[76] are now the highest in India. Meanwhile, Kerala's rural poverty rate fell from 69% (1970–1971) to 19% (1993–1994), while the overall (urban and rural) rate fell 36% between the 1970s and 1980s.[77] By 1999–2000, the rural and urban poverty rates dropped to 10.0% and 9.6% respectively.[78] These changes stem largely from efforts begun in the late 19th century by the kingdoms of Cochin and Travancore to boost social welfare.[79][80] This focus was maintained by Kerala's post independence government.[46][48] However, Kerala's unemployment and suicide rates are high by Indian standards. Kerala's above-unity female-to-male ratio — 1.058 — also distinguishes it from the rest of India.[76][81] The same is true of its sub-replacement fertility level and infant mortality rate (estimated at 12[43][82] to 14[83] deaths per 1,000 live births). However, Kerala's morbidity rate is higher than that of any other Indian state — 118 (rural Keralites) and 88 (urban) per 1,000 people. The corresponding all India figures are 55 and 54 per 1,000, respectively.[83] Kerala's 13.3% prevalence of low birth weight is substantially higher than that of First World nations.[82] Further, outbreaks of water-borne diseases including diarrhoea, dysentery, hepatitis, and typhoid,[84] among the more than 50% of Keralites who rely on some 30 lakh (3 million)[85] water wells[86] constitutes another problem, a situation only exacerbated by the widespread lack of sewerage.[86]

Kerala's healthcare system has garnered international acclaim, with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) designating Kerala the world's first "baby-friendly state". For example, more than 95% of Keralite births are hospital-delivered. Aside from ayurveda (both elite and popular forms),[87] siddha, and unani, many endangered and endemic modes of traditional medicine, including kalari, marmachikitsa,[88] and vishavaidyam, are practiced. These propagate via gurukula discipleship,[89] and comprise a fusion of both medicinal and supernatural treatments,[90] and are partly responsible for drawing increasing numbers of medical tourists. A steadily aging population — 11.2% of Keralites are over age 60[46] — and low birthrate[71] (18 per 1,000) make Kerala one of the few regions of the Third World to have undergone the "demographic transition" characteristic of such developed nations as Canada, Japan, and Norway.
In 1991, Kerala had the lowest TFR (Children born per women) in the whole of India. Hindus had a TFR of 1.66, Christians had 1.78 and Muslims had 2.97.
Culture & arts

Kalarippayattu, an ancient martial art, is experiencing a revival. Here, experts use kettukari (cane staffs) in the kolthari style of combat.
Kerala's culture is a blend of Dravidian and Aryan influences, deriving from both a greater Tamil-heritage region known as Tamilakam and southern coastal Karnataka. Later, Kerala's culture was elaborated upon through centuries of contact with neighboring and overseas cultures.[92] Native performing arts include koodiyattom, kathakali – from katha ("story") and kali ("performance") – and its offshoot Kerala natanam, koothu (akin to stand-up comedy), mohiniaattam ("dance of the enchantress"), thullal, padayani, and theyyam. Other arts are more religion and tribal themed. These include chavittu nadakom, oppana (originally from Malabar), which combines dance, rhythmic hand clapping, and ishal vocalisations. However, many of these artforms largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not as popular among most ordinary Keralites. These people look to more contemporary art and performance styles, including those employing mimicry and parody. Additionally, a substantial Malayalam film industry effectively competes against both Bollywood and Hollywood.

Koodiyattam performance by Guru Padma Shri Mani Madhava Chakyar.
Malayalam literature is ancient in origin, and includes such figures as the 14th-century Niranam poets (Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar), whose works mark the dawn of both modern Malayalam language and indigenous Keralite poetry. The "triumvirate of poets" (Kavithrayam), Kumaran Asan, Vallathol Narayana Menon, and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, are recognised for moving Keralite poetry away from archaic sophistry and metaphysics, and towards a more lyrical mode. In the second half of the 20th century, Jnanpith awardees like G Sankara Kurup, S. K. Pottakkat, and M. T. Vasudevan Nair have added to Malayalam literature. Later, such Keralite writers as O. V. Vijayan, M. Mukundan, and Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy have gained international recognition.

A mohiniaattam performance.
Kerala's music also has ancient roots. Carnatic music dominates Keralite traditional music. This was the result of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma's popularisation of the genre in the 19th century.[93][94] Raga-based renditions known as sopanam accompany kathakali performances. Melam (including the paandi and panchari variants) is a more percussive style of music; it is performed at Kshetram centered festivals using the chenda. Melam ensembles comprise up to 150 musicians, and performances may last up to four hours. Panchavadyam is a different form of percussion ensemble, in which up to 100 artists use five types of percussion instrument. Kerala has various styles of folk and tribal music. The popular music of Kerala is dominated by the filmi music of Indian cinema. Kerala's visual arts range from traditional murals to the works of Raja Ravi Varma, the state's most renowned painter.
Kerala has its own Malayalam calendar, which is used to plan agricultural and religious activities. Kerala's cuisine is typically served as a sadhya on green banana leaves. Such dishes as idli, payasam, pulisherry, puttucuddla, puzhukku, rasam, and sambar are typical. Keralites — both men and women alike — traditionally don flowing and unstitched garments. These include the mundu, a loose piece of cloth wrapped around men's waists. Women typically wear the sari, a long and elaborately wrapped banner of cloth, wearable in various styles.

Keralite elephants at the Thrissur Pooram.

Several ancient ritualised arts are Keralite in origin. These include kalaripayattu — kalari ("place", "threshing floor", or "battlefield") and payattu ("exercise" or "practice"). Among the world's oldest martial arts, oral tradition attributes kalaripayattu's emergence to Parasurama. Other ritual arts include theyyam and poorakkali. However, Keralites are increasingly turning to more modern activities like cricket, kabaddi, soccer, and badminton. Dozens of large stadiums, including Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Thiruvananthapuram's Chandrashekaran Nair Stadium, attest to the mass appeal of such sports among Keralites. Television (especially "mega serials" and cartoons) and the Internet have impacted Keralite culture. Yet Keralites maintain high rates of newspaper & magazine subscriptions, host a sizeable "people's science" movement, and participate in such activities as writers' cooperatives.

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"KERALA"

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Elephants in Kerala culture

Monday, November 24, 2008

"GOD'S OWN COUNTRY"

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