Location of Kerala in India
Coordinates 8°28′N 76°57′E / 08.47°N 76.95°E / 08.47; 76.95
Country India
Region South India
District(s) 14
Established 1 November 1956
Capital Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Largest city Thiruvananthapuram
Governor R. S. Gavai
Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan
Legislature (seats) Unicameral (141‡)
Population
• Density 31,948,619 (12th) (2001[update])
• 819 /km2 (2,121 /sq mi)
Literacy 91[1]%
Official languages Malayalam
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2 IN-KL
Portal: Kerala
Kerala is a state located in southwestern India. The state was created in 1956 on a
linguistic basis, bringing together those places where Malayalam formed theprincipal language. Kerala is famous for its sprawling backwaters and lushgreen vegetation. Kerala is generally referred to as a tropical paradise of waving palms and wide sandy beaches. Neighbouring states are Karnataka to the north and Tamil Nadu to the south and the east. The state is bordered by the Arabian sea towards the west. Thiruvananthapuram, located at the southern tip of the state forms the capital while Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kannur, Alapuzha, Manjeri and Palakkad form other major trading and activity centres.
The state has a 91 percent literacy rate,the highest in India. A survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country.Kerala has witnessed significant migration of its people, especially to the Persian Gulf countries, starting with the Kerala Gulf boom, and is uniquely dependent on remittances from its large Malayali expatriate community.Kerala has the lowest rate of population growth in India, with a fertility rate of 1.6 per woman and it boasts a higher Human Development Index than most other states in India.
Kerala is also considered to be the global capital of Ayurveda.
The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology. Keralam may stem from an imperfect Malayalam portmanteau fusing kera ("coconut tree") and alam ("land" or "location").Kerala may represent the Classical Tamil chera-alam ("declivity of a hill or amountain slope")or chera alam ("Land of the Cheras").Natives of Kerala, known as Malayalis or Keralites, refer to their land as Keralam.
The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology. Keralam may stem from an imperfectMalayalam portmanteau fusing kera ("coconut tree") and alam ("land" or"location").Kerala may represent the Classical Tamil chera-alam ("declivity of a hill or amountain slope")or chera alam ("Land of the Cheras").Natives of Kerala, known aMalayalis or Keralites, refer to their land as Keralam.
Around 1 BC the region was ruled by the Chera Dynasty, which traded with theGreeks, Romans and Arabs. The Tamil Chera dynasty, Ays and the Pandyan Kingdowere the traditional rulers of Kerala whose patriarchal dynasties ruled until the 14thcentury AD. Pliny the Elder who visited Kerala in the first century AC reported in hisbook Natural History (Pliny) that the Northern Kerala was ruled by the Chera Kingswhile the southern Kerala was ruled by Pandyan Kingdom who had the capital at Nelcynda with port at Porakkad (Ambalapuzha).
The ancient Cheras, whose mother tongue and court language was ancient Tamil,ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi. Cheras were constantly at war with the neighbouring Chola and Pandya kingdoms.A Keralite identity, distinct from the Tamils and associated with the second Chera empire, became linguistically separate under the Kulasekhara dynasty (c. 800–1102).But the Malayalam during Chera period was purely Dravidian. Perumal Thirumozhi written by Kulasekhara Azhwar himself is in classic Tamil.The Dravidian Villavar tribe which established the Chera Kingdom were Patriarchal in descendency. Ay kings ruled southern Kerala. The Later Chera
Kingdom otherwise called the Kulasekhara dynasty was founded by King Kulasekhara Alwar who is considered as a Vaishnavaite saint. After the repeated attacks of Rashtrakutas in the end of first millennium the northernmost portions of Kerala. Later Chera dynasty came to an end weakened by the Rashtrakuta and Chola invaders.
The Chera kings' dependence on trade meant that merchants from West Asia and Southern Europe established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala.The west Asian-semitic Jewish, Christian, and Muslim immigrants established Nasrani Mappila, Juda Mappila and Muslim Mappila communities.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 AD to proselytize amongst Kerala's Jewish settlements though controversy exists whether he visited Taxila the capital of Gondophares or Kerala or both.Muslim merchants (Malik ibn Dinar) settled in Kerala by the 8th century AD and introduced Islam. After Vasco Da Gama's arrival in 1498, the Portuguese gained control of the lucrative pepper trade by subduing Keralite communities and commerce.
The Tabula Peutingeriana is the only known surviving map of the Roman cursus
publicus. Kerala is seen at the eastern part of the then known world. In it, Muziris,
temple of Augustus, Mountains that give birth to elephants (Sahya Parvatham or
Western Ghats), are clearly marked.
Conflicts between Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kochi (Cochin) provided an opportunity for the Dutch to oust the Portuguese. In turn, the Dutch were ousted by Marthanda
Varma of the Travancore Royal Family who routed them at the Battle of Colachel in 1741. In 1766, Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore invaded northern Kerala, capturing Kozhikode in the process. In the late 18th century, Tipu Sultan, Ali’s son and successor, launched campaigns against the expanding British East India Company, resulting 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). Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency.
Kerala was comparatively peaceful under the British Raj; only sporadic revolts suchas the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and the Dewan of Travancore Velayudan Thampi Dalava, Kozhikode navarch Kunjali Marakkar, and Pazhassi Raja, among others, vied for greater autonomy or independence.Many actions, spurred by such leaders as Vaikunda Swami,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. The 1921 Moplah Rebellion involved Mappila Muslims rioting against 'Janmi' system and the British Raj.
After India gained its independence in 1947, Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin on 1 July 1949. On 1 January 1950 (Republic Day), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. The Madras Presidency was organised to form Madras State several years prior, in 1947. Finally, the Government of India's 1
November 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated the state of Kerala,incorporating Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four 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 first held in 1957. These resulted in a communist-led government through ballot—the world's first of its kind—headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad.Subsequent social reforms favoured tenants and labourers.
Geography
Varkala beach
A sunset in the Backwaters of Kerala
Munnar hill stationMain article: Geography of Kerala
Kerala is wedged between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats (also called
Sahya Parvatham). Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes74°52' and 72°22',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.Pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene geological formations compose the bulk of Kerala’s terrain.
Eastern Kerala consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys immediately west of the Western Ghats' rain shadow. Forty one of Kerala’s west-flowing rivers, and three of its east-flowing ones originate in this region. 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 comprising central Kerala,dominated by rolling hills and valleys.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.
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.[39] 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), the Valapattanam (129 km) and the Achankovil (128 km).
The average length of the rivers of Kerala is 64 km. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by monsoon rains.[37] 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, such as sand mining and pollution.The state experiences several natural hazards such as landslides, floods, lightning and droughts. The state was also affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean.
Coordinates 8°28′N 76°57′E / 08.47°N 76.95°E / 08.47; 76.95
Country India
Region South India
District(s) 14
Established 1 November 1956
Capital Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Largest city Thiruvananthapuram
Governor R. S. Gavai
Chief Minister V. S. Achuthanandan
Legislature (seats) Unicameral (141‡)
Population
• Density 31,948,619 (12th) (2001[update])
• 819 /km2 (2,121 /sq mi)
Literacy 91[1]%
Official languages Malayalam
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2 IN-KL
Portal: Kerala
Kerala is a state located in southwestern India. The state was created in 1956 on a
linguistic basis, bringing together those places where Malayalam formed theprincipal language. Kerala is famous for its sprawling backwaters and lushgreen vegetation. Kerala is generally referred to as a tropical paradise of waving palms and wide sandy beaches. Neighbouring states are Karnataka to the north and Tamil Nadu to the south and the east. The state is bordered by the Arabian sea towards the west. Thiruvananthapuram, located at the southern tip of the state forms the capital while Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kannur, Alapuzha, Manjeri and Palakkad form other major trading and activity centres.
The state has a 91 percent literacy rate,the highest in India. A survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country.Kerala has witnessed significant migration of its people, especially to the Persian Gulf countries, starting with the Kerala Gulf boom, and is uniquely dependent on remittances from its large Malayali expatriate community.Kerala has the lowest rate of population growth in India, with a fertility rate of 1.6 per woman and it boasts a higher Human Development Index than most other states in India.
Kerala is also considered to be the global capital of Ayurveda.
The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology. Keralam may stem from an imperfect Malayalam portmanteau fusing kera ("coconut tree") and alam ("land" or "location").Kerala may represent the Classical Tamil chera-alam ("declivity of a hill or amountain slope")or chera alam ("Land of the Cheras").Natives of Kerala, known as Malayalis or Keralites, refer to their land as Keralam.
The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology. Keralam may stem from an imperfectMalayalam portmanteau fusing kera ("coconut tree") and alam ("land" or"location").Kerala may represent the Classical Tamil chera-alam ("declivity of a hill or amountain slope")or chera alam ("Land of the Cheras").Natives of Kerala, known aMalayalis or Keralites, refer to their land as Keralam.
Around 1 BC the region was ruled by the Chera Dynasty, which traded with theGreeks, Romans and Arabs. The Tamil Chera dynasty, Ays and the Pandyan Kingdowere the traditional rulers of Kerala whose patriarchal dynasties ruled until the 14thcentury AD. Pliny the Elder who visited Kerala in the first century AC reported in hisbook Natural History (Pliny) that the Northern Kerala was ruled by the Chera Kingswhile the southern Kerala was ruled by Pandyan Kingdom who had the capital at Nelcynda with port at Porakkad (Ambalapuzha).
The ancient Cheras, whose mother tongue and court language was ancient Tamil,ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi. Cheras were constantly at war with the neighbouring Chola and Pandya kingdoms.A Keralite identity, distinct from the Tamils and associated with the second Chera empire, became linguistically separate under the Kulasekhara dynasty (c. 800–1102).But the Malayalam during Chera period was purely Dravidian. Perumal Thirumozhi written by Kulasekhara Azhwar himself is in classic Tamil.The Dravidian Villavar tribe which established the Chera Kingdom were Patriarchal in descendency. Ay kings ruled southern Kerala. The Later Chera
Kingdom otherwise called the Kulasekhara dynasty was founded by King Kulasekhara Alwar who is considered as a Vaishnavaite saint. After the repeated attacks of Rashtrakutas in the end of first millennium the northernmost portions of Kerala. Later Chera dynasty came to an end weakened by the Rashtrakuta and Chola invaders.
The Chera kings' dependence on trade meant that merchants from West Asia and Southern Europe established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala.The west Asian-semitic Jewish, Christian, and Muslim immigrants established Nasrani Mappila, Juda Mappila and Muslim Mappila communities.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 AD to proselytize amongst Kerala's Jewish settlements though controversy exists whether he visited Taxila the capital of Gondophares or Kerala or both.Muslim merchants (Malik ibn Dinar) settled in Kerala by the 8th century AD and introduced Islam. After Vasco Da Gama's arrival in 1498, the Portuguese gained control of the lucrative pepper trade by subduing Keralite communities and commerce.
The Tabula Peutingeriana is the only known surviving map of the Roman cursus
publicus. Kerala is seen at the eastern part of the then known world. In it, Muziris,
temple of Augustus, Mountains that give birth to elephants (Sahya Parvatham or
Western Ghats), are clearly marked.
Conflicts between Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kochi (Cochin) provided an opportunity for the Dutch to oust the Portuguese. In turn, the Dutch were ousted by Marthanda
Varma of the Travancore Royal Family who routed them at the Battle of Colachel in 1741. In 1766, Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore invaded northern Kerala, capturing Kozhikode in the process. In the late 18th century, Tipu Sultan, Ali’s son and successor, launched campaigns against the expanding British East India Company, resulting 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). Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency.
Kerala was comparatively peaceful under the British Raj; only sporadic revolts suchas the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar uprising and the Dewan of Travancore Velayudan Thampi Dalava, Kozhikode navarch Kunjali Marakkar, and Pazhassi Raja, among others, vied for greater autonomy or independence.Many actions, spurred by such leaders as Vaikunda Swami,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. The 1921 Moplah Rebellion involved Mappila Muslims rioting against 'Janmi' system and the British Raj.
After India gained its independence in 1947, Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin on 1 July 1949. On 1 January 1950 (Republic Day), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. The Madras Presidency was organised to form Madras State several years prior, in 1947. Finally, the Government of India's 1
November 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated the state of Kerala,incorporating Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four 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 first held in 1957. These resulted in a communist-led government through ballot—the world's first of its kind—headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad.Subsequent social reforms favoured tenants and labourers.
Geography
Varkala beach
A sunset in the Backwaters of Kerala
Munnar hill stationMain article: Geography of Kerala
Kerala is wedged between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats (also called
Sahya Parvatham). Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes74°52' and 72°22',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.Pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene geological formations compose the bulk of Kerala’s terrain.
Eastern Kerala consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys immediately west of the Western Ghats' rain shadow. Forty one of Kerala’s west-flowing rivers, and three of its east-flowing ones originate in this region. 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 comprising central Kerala,dominated by rolling hills and valleys.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.
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.[39] 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), the Valapattanam (129 km) and the Achankovil (128 km).
The average length of the rivers of Kerala is 64 km. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by monsoon rains.[37] 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, such as sand mining and pollution.The state experiences several natural hazards such as landslides, floods, lightning and droughts. The state was also affected by the 2004 Indian Ocean.
