Kerala is a state on the tropical
Malabar Coast of southwestern India. To its east and northeast, Kerala borders
Tamil Nadu and Karnataka; to its west and south lie the Indian Ocean islands
of Lakshadweep and the Maldives, respectively. Kerala envelops Mahé, a coastal
exclave of Pondicherry. Kerala is one of four states that comprise the linguistic-cultural
region known as 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 Nair- Namboothiri Brahminical city-states became major powers in the region. Early contact with overseas lands culminated in struggles between colonial and native powers. 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.
The etymology of the name "Kerala" is disputed. The prevailing theory states that it is an imperfect portmanteau that fuses kera ("coconut palm tree") and alam ("land" or "location"). Natives of Kerala — "Keralites" or "Malayalees" — thus refer to their land as Keralam. Other theories have the name originating from the phrase chera alam ("Land of the Chera"). The Kerala tourism industry has adopted the slogan "God's own country".
Kerala is famous for its festivals that are celebrated year round, Kerela has multi cultures. Kerela's culture is distinct and unique and that has made it popular to tourists from around the world.
Kerala History
According to legend, Kerala was created by an act of Parasurama, an avatar of Mahavishnu. During prehistoric times, Kerala's rainforests and wetlands — then thick with malaria-bearing mosquitoes and man-eating tigers — were largely avoided by Neolithic humans. The first evidence of habitation dates to the 10th century BCE, when pottery and granite burial monuments (resembling those of Western Europe and the rest of Asia) were left behind. These were produced by speakers of a proto-Tamil language from northwestern India, suggesting that Kerala and Tamil Nadu once shared a common language, ethnicity and culture; this common area is known as Tamilakam. Kerala then 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 during the 8th–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 all displayed familiarity with Kerala.
The dependence of the Chera kings on trade with West Asia meant merchants from these regions were allowed to establish trading outposts and settlements on Kerala's shores. Many of them - especially the Jews and early Christians - arrived here to escape religious persecution. The constant contact, settling and patronizing over millennia of these peoples resulted in the thriving Nasrani Mappila and Muslim Mappila communities of the Malabar Coast. According to several scholars, the Jews first arrived in Kerala in 573 BCE, thirteen years before the destruction of the first temple of King Solomon of Israel. The works of scholars and several Eastern Christianity writings states that Thomas the Apostle visited Muziris or kodungallur in Kerala in 52 CE to proselytize amongst the Jewish settlements and trading posts of the Malabar coast. [9] 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. With Vasco Da Gama's arrival in (May 20)1498, the Portuguese sought to control the lucrative pepper trade by harassing the Mappila communities, attacking West Asian shipping to Kerala's shores and forcing the Nasrani community into obedience to Europe.
The modern day Kerala historically largely isolated from India. The Mauryans & Great Mughals empires reached only upto the borders of present day Kerala.
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). The Dutch commander Captain Eustance De Lenoy was captured, and Marthanda Varma agreed to spare the Dutch captain's life on condition that he joined his army and trained his soldiers on modern lines. 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 growing British East India Company; these resulted in two of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. However, Tipu Sultan was ultimately forced to cede Malabar District and South Kanara, (including today’s Kasargod district) to the Company in 1792 and 1799, respectively. The Company then forged tributary alliances with Kochi (1791) and Travancore (1795). Meanwhile, Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency.
Kerala saw little mass defiance against the British Raj— nevertheless, several rebellions occurred, including the October 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar revolt. Many mass actions — spurred by such leaders as Narayana Guru and Chattampi Swamikal — instead protested such social mores as untouchability; these included the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraham, and the Guruvayoor Satyagraha (1931-32). On November 12, 1936, the Maharaja of Travancore, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma, issued his famous Temple Entry Proclamation which opened the doors of Hindu temples to Hindus of all castes. Ten years later. Cochin and Malabar also enacted their versions of laws on temple entry for Dalits.
After India's independence in 1947, the princely states of Travancore and Cochin were merged to form the province of Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949. The King of Travancore, His Highness Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma served as the Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from July 1, 1949 until October 31, 1956. On 1950-01-26 (the date India became a republic), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. In the same time, the Madras Presidency became Madras State in 1947. Finally, the Government of India's November 1, 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated a new state — Kerala — incorporating Malabar District, Travancore-Cochin (excluding 4 southern Taluks which was 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 introduced by Namboodiripad's administration — and continued by subsequent governments — favoured tenants and labourers. This facilitated, among other things, improvements in living standards, education, and life expectancies.
