Kerala: Encyclopedia - Kerala

Kerala

Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം — Keralam) is a state on the southwestern coast of India. The state is located on the tropical Malabar Coast and borders Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka to the northeast. Kerala has a population of some 3.18 crore people;^[1] with 819 persons per km², it is among India's most densely populated regions.^[2] Kerala is also known for being the most literate state in India, with a literacy rate of 89.8%.^[3]

Accounts of the etymology underlying "Kerala" conflict. The most prevalent theory is that of an imperfect portmanteau that fuses kera ("coconut palm tree") and alam ("land" or "location"). Natives of Kerala — "Keralites" — refer to their land as Keralam. This variant may originate from chera alam ("land of the Cheras"). The Cheras comprised an ancient Tamil dynasty that had ruled Kerala since the beginning of recorded history.

Kerala - History

Kerala - Ancient

Traditional Keralite legend proclaims that Parasurama, an avatar of Mahavishnu, threw his battle axes into the sea as penance and unction for his part in his sanguinary conflict with and annihilation of the Kshatriyas. As the ocean took in his axes, a new crescent-shaped land bounded by what is now Gokarnam in the north and Kanyakumari in the south foamed and arose from the waters. "God's own country", Kerala's sobriquet since ancient times, derives from this legend.^[4][5] The earliest written record mentioning Kerala is contained in the Sanskrit epic known as the Aitareya Aranyaka. Later, such figures as Katyayana (circa 4th century BC) and Patanjali (circa 2nd century BC) exhibited in their writings a casual familiarity with Kerala's geography. Ancient Roman Natural philosopher Pliny the Elder mentions in his Naturalis Historia (N.H. 6.26) a Muziris (probably modern-day Kodungallur or Pattanam) as India's first port. Later, the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea notes that "both Muziris and Nelkunda (modern Kottayam) are now busy places".

Malayalam, Kerala's main native language, originated as an offshoot of Tamil, the principal native language of neighboring Tamil Nadu. Malayalam (from the Tamil: mala ("mountain") and alam ("location")) as a composite phrase means the "living/inhabitants in mountain". This phrase, which in earlier times implied the geographical location of the region, was later replaced by Kerala. Thus, what is now Kerala was once simply another region inhabited mainly be Tamil-speakers; however, Kerala and Tamil Nadu diverged into linguistically separate regions by the early 14th century. The ancient Chera empire, whose court language was Tamil, ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi. 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, subsequently evolved sometime during the 8th–14th centuries. Meanwhile, both Buddhism and Jainism reached Kerala in this early period. As in other parts of ancient India, Buddhism and Jainism co-existed with early Shaivite tribal beliefs during the first five centuries. It was only after the "Sangam" period that Kerala saw large-scale immigration of Brahmins from the north. These influxes may have coincided during the Kalabhra, Rashtrakuta, Chalukya, Pallava and Hoysala invasions. By the 8th and 9th centuries, 2nd Chera kings inclined to Vaishnavism and some of them wrote great literary works in the stream of Vishnu Bhakthi. When Hinduism was revived by intellectuals like Shankara and by Bhakti movements all over India, Buddhism and Jainism merged into their mother religion.

Kerala - Overseas contact

Jewish people, fleeing persecution in their homeland, migrated to Kerala in the early centuries. Arab merchants founded Kerala's early Muslim community, the Mappilas, in the 8th century. According to some the history of Christianity in Kerala dates back to the arrival of St. Thomas the Apostle at Kodungallur in A.D. 52. For a long time this was disputed. However in 2002 The British researcher William Dalrymple travelled across the Arabian Sea to Kerala in a boat similar to those mentioned in ancient Jewish and Roman texts and showed how the Nasrani-Jewish people had travelled to Kodungalloor. He followed the same course as mentioned in the Acts of Thomas, a copy of which survives in a monastery on Mount Sinai. A Christian-Jewish community was later established by a contingent of Jewish Nasranis led by Knai Thoma (Thomas of Cana) who arrived in 345. Cheraman Perumal, the then king of Malabar issued a proclamation giving land and privileges to the Knanaya Yehudeya(Jewish)-Nasranis on copper plates on a Saturday in March (Kumbham 29), 345. This was followed by another round of migration from Syria recorded in the Tharisappally records from around the 8th century. When the Portuguese arrived in the early 1500s, they tried to impose Roman Catholicism on the original Syrian-Christian (Nasrani) people. A section of Nasranis (also called Syrian-Christians in Kerala) resisted the conversion attempts of the Portuguese to bring them under Romans or the Pope with Latin rite, and remained faithful to ancient Hebrew-Jewish traditions using original Syriac/Aramaic language for their liturgy.

The story of St. Thomas visiting Kerala is disputed by many historians from India and abroad. Since the 16th century to modern times many historians and writers (including Anacalypsis by Sir Godfrey Higgins, Suns of God by Acharya S, and The Pagan Christ by Reverend Tom Harpur) have documented that when the Portuguese Christian missionaries arrived in southern India they found a sect who worshipped a god named “Tamus or Tammuz” and whose basic stories was nearly identical to Biblical tales although the object of adoration of this sect was actually Tamus (an avatar of Krishna). Tamus or Krishna is also known as Kannan or Kannaya in South India. The worship of the Tammuz in South India goes back thousands of years. The followers of the Tammuz spoke the language Tamul or Tamil.

Kerala - Colonial

Vasco da Gama's voyage to Kerala from Portugal in 1498 was largely motivated by Portuguese determination to break the Arabs' control over trade of spices grown in Kerala. The spice trade with the Middle East pre-dates Islam. Da Gama established India's first Portuguese fortress at Cochin (Kochi) in 1503 and, taking advantage of rivalry between the royal families of Calicut and Cochin, ended the Arab monopoly. Conflicts between Calicut and Cochin, however, provided an opportunity for the Dutch to come in and finally expel the Roman Catholic Portuguese from their forts.

The Dutch were, in turn, routed by the Travancore (Thiruvithamcoore) ruler Marthanda Varma at the Battle of Kulachal in 1741. Hyder Ali of Mysore conquered northern Kerala in the 18th century, capturing Kozhikode in 1766. Hyder Ali and his successor, Tipu Sultan, came into conflict with the British, and the four Anglo-Mysore wars were fought across southern India in the latter half of the 18th century. Tipu Sultan ceded Malabar District to the British in 1792, and South Kanara, which included present-day Kasargod District, in 1799. The British concluded treaties of subsidary alliance with the rulers of Cochin (1791) and Travancore (1795), and they became princely states of British India, maintaining local autonomy in return for a fixed annual tribute to the British. Malabar and South Kanara districts were part of British India's Madras Presidency.

Organised expressions of discontent with British rule were relatively infrequent in Kerala. Uprisings of note include the rebellion by Pazhassi Raja, Veluthampi Dalawa, and the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt of 1946. Mass protests were mainly directed at established social evils such as untouchability. The non-violent and largely peaceful Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924 was instrumental in securing entry to the public roads adjacent to the Vaikom temple for people belonging to backward castes. In 1936, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balaramavarma Maharaja, ruler of Travancore issued the Temple Entry Proclamation, declaring the temples of his kingdom open to all Hindu worshippers, irrespective of caste.

Kerala - Modern post-colonial

After India's independence in 1947, the princely states of Thiruvithamcoore and Kochi were merged to form the province (after 1950 a state) of Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949. Madras Presidency became India's Madras State.

The state of Kerala was created on November 1, 1956 when Malabar District was merged with Tranvancore-Cochin state and Kasargod taluk of South Kanara District to form the State of Kerala, based on the recommendations of the State Reorganisation Commission set up by the Government of India.^[6] Elections for the new Kerala Legislative Assembly were held in 1957; this resulted in the formation of a communist-led government^[6] headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad. Many Indians consider this the first democratically elected communist government^[7] in the world; however, both San Marino (in 1948) and Guyana (in 1953) had elected communists to power years earlier. Radical reforms introduced by the Namboodiripad government in favour of farmers and labourers helped change, to a great extent, the iniquitous the social order that had prevailed in Kerala for centuries.

Kerala - Geography

Kerala is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats on the east. The states of Karnataka in the north and Tamil Nadu in the east are Kerala's immediate neighbours. Mahe, a part of the union territory of Pondicherry, is an enclave within Kerala.

Geographically Kerala is divided into three regions:

• Highland or Mountain region
• Midland or the rolling hills
• Lowland or the coastal plain land

There are 44 rivers flowing through Kerala, most of them are small and entirely fed by the Monsoons. The Kerala Backwaters, an interconnected system of brackish water lakes and river estuaries, lies behind the coast and runs virtually the length of the state.

Kerala - Administration

Kerala is divided into 14 districts. They are (from north to south) Kasargod, Kannur (Cannanore), Wayanad (Wynad), Kozhikode (Calicut), Malappuram, Palakkad (Palghat), Thrissur (Trichur), Ernakulam (Cochin), Idukki, Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam (Quilon) and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)

Thiruvananthapuram is the state capital. Kochi is the largest city and considered the commercial capital of the state.

Kerala - Politics

Kerala gained the distinction, in 1957, of having democratically elected a Communist government, one of few anywhere in the world. Kerala has a reputation as one of the most left-wing states in India. The people of Kerala are very politically aware and are more active participants in the political process than those in the rest of the country. Today the political life of Kerala is dominated by two alliances, the United Democratic Front (led by the Indian National Congress) and the Left Democratic Front (led by CPI(M)). Currently UDF in which the Congress (I) is the largest coalition partner, controls the government.

Oommen Chandy is the current Chief Minister of Kerala.

List of Famous Politicians of Kerala

Kerala - Arts

Kerala's artistic traditions include such classical forms as Koodiyattom (a UNESCO-designated Human Heritage Art), Kathakali, Kerala Natanam, Koothu, Mohiniyaattam, Thullal, Padayani and Theyyam, Kerala has several folk art forms performed by people in various regions of the state. The region also has a tradition of Christian and Muslim performing arts. Most of these art forms have become artifacts of the past showcased in tourism fares or youth festivals, as contemporary art forms weave their own identity according to changing needs. Mimicry and parody have gained considerable mass appeal in recent years. Though sometimes risque and often politically incorrect, these devices are used by artists to mock socioeconomic elites. Malayalam cinema is another mode of popular artistic expression, and films of Keralite provenance exhibit a quite distinct nature from those made in Bollywood or Hollywood.

Carnatic music, which is endemic to South India, dominates Keralite classical music. Swathi Thirunal, a past king of Travancore as well as a music composer, was instrumental in popularising carnatic music in Kerala. Additionally, Kerala has its own native music system, sopanam, which is a lugubrious and step-by-step rendition of raga-based songs. This is the music style used in Kathakali. As in the rest of India, Indian film songs are the major outlet for popular music.

Melam (including the Paandi and Panchari variants) are styles of percussive music performed — using an instrument known as the chenda — during temple-centered festivals. Up to 150 musicians may comprise the ensembles staging a given performance; each performance, in turn, may last up to four hours. Meanwhile, Panchavadyam is a differing type of percussion ensemble consisting of five types of percussion instruments utilised by some one hundred artists in major festivals. In addition to these major percussion orchestras, there are other varieties of percussion instruments / percussion methods associated with different folk and classical art forms of Kerala — all of them unique and found to be used only in this region.

Apart from such performing arts, Kerala has made its mark in fine arts as well. Modern Indian art scenario is blessed with the presence of Kerala. However these artists have not been successful in invoking mass appeal as other artforms do.

Kerala - Society and social development

Kerala - Demographics

Malayalam is the official language of Kerala. A large number of Tamil speaking people are present in the state, perhaps the biggest Tamil population outside Tamil Nadu.

The major religions followed^[1] in Kerala are Hinduism (56.1%), Islam (24.7%), and Christianity (19%). Kerala also had a tiny Jewish population till recently, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The state has many famous temples, churches, and mosques. The synagogue in Kochi is the oldest in the British Commonwealth.

Kerala - Social development

Kerala ranks highest in India with respect to social development indices such as elimination of poverty, primary education and healthcare. Kerala has one of the most secular populations in India though, of late, there have been disruptive influences from religious extremist organisations.

Kerala was declared the world's first "baby-friendly state" under WHO-UNICEF's Baby Friendly Hospital initiative. The state is known for Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine which has found a new market in the growing tourist industry.

As per the 2001 census, Kerala is the only state in India with a female-to-male ratio higher than 0.99 (the ratio for Kerala is 1.058 while the national figure is 0.933). However, the ratio for the 0-9 age group is 0.963, which is not significantly higher than the national figure of 0.928. It is the only state in India to have sub-replacement fertility.

The literacy rate in Kerala is the highest among Indian states, and so is the unemployment rate. Education and early influences of Arabs, Jews, Chinese and Portuguese have also made Kerala one of the most religiously diverse states in India. Ironically, Kerala is also noted as the state with the highest suicide rate in India.

Kerala - Malayalam calendar

Kerala has an ancient solar calendar called the Malayalam calendar which is used by various communities primarily for agircultural activities and religious functions. Kerala has its own form of martial art, Kalarippayattu. Theyyam and Poorakkali are popular ritual arts of North Malabar, the northern part of Kerala. Oppana is most popular among Mappilas, the Muslim community in Malabar. This is a group dance that is performed by clapping hands and singing ishaland it is generally performed at weddings.

Kerala - Festivals

Keralites celebrate Onam, Eid-ul-Fitr, Christmas, Easter, Deepavali,Bakrid and Vishu.

Kerala - Onam

Onam, associated with the legend of Mahabali is a state festival. It comes in the month of "Chingam" according to Malayalam calendar. It comes at the time of harvest and is celebrated through out kerala

Kerala - Eid-ul-Fitr

Kerala - Christmas

Christmas is celebrated just as in any other place in the world, with lots of cakes and singing. Being the tropic, Kerala has no snow. Cotton is hung on Chirstmas trees to simulate the feeling of snow.

Kerala - Deepavali

Kerala - Bakr-id

Kerala - Vishu

Vishu is a festival held in the state of Kerala (and adjoining areas of Tamil Nadu) in India around the first day in the Malayalam month of Medam (March – April). Though this is not the New Year's Day in the Malayalam Calendar, people of Kerala consider Vishu the beginning of a new year.

Kerala - Economy

Agriculture dominates the Keralite economy. Kerala lags behind many other Indian states and territories in terms of per capita GDP (Kerala's is 11,819 INR^[8]) and economic productivity. However, Kerala's Human Development Index and standard of living statistics are the best in India. Indeed, with respect to selected development indices, Kerala rivals many developed countries. This seeming paradox — low GDP and productivity figures juxtaposed with relatively high development figures — is often dubbed the "Kerala Phenomenon" or the "Kerala Model" of development by economists, political scientists, and sociologists. This phenomenon arises mainly from Kerala's unusually strong service sector.

Kerala's economy can be best described as a democratic socialist welfare economy. However, Kerala's emphasis on social welfare has resulted in slow economic progress compared to neighboring states (particularly Karnataka). Relatively few major industries are headquartered in Kerala. Remittances from Keralites working abroad, mainly in the Middle East, make up over 20% of State Domestic Product (SDP). (For details, See Kannan K.P. and Hari K.S, 2002, Kerala's Gulf Connection, Emigration, Remittances and their Macro Economic Impact, 1997-2000, Working Paper 328, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum.)

Coconut, tea, coffee, rubber, cashew, and spices — including pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg — comprise a critical agricultural sector. Much of Kerala's agriculture is in the form of home gardens.

The livestock sector plays a vital role in the economy of Kerala, and offers great potential for alleviating poverty and unemployment in rural areas. The majority of livestock owning farmers are small and/or marginal or even landless. In view of its suitability for combination with the crop sub-sector and its sustainability as a household enterprise with the active involvement of the farm women, livestock rearing is emerging as a very popular supplementary vocation in the small farm segment. Rural women play a significant role in the development of the livestock sub-sector and are involved in operations such as feeding, milking, breeding, management, health care and running micro-enterprises. It is estimated that about 32 lakh (3.2 million) out of the total number of 55 lakh (5.5 million) households in Kerala are engaged in livestock rearing for supplementing their income. The homestead settlement pattern, the relatively high level of literacy - particularly among women, the highly favourable agroclimatic conditions conducive for biomass production and the long tradition in livestock rearing are inherent strengths which the Kerala economy possesses in favour of livestock rearing. There is a Livestock department is in Keralam for promoting livestock in Kerala. This advocate farmers on their issues. Kerala livestock development board took the initiative to produce the cattle breed "Sunandini".

Kerala - Tourism

Kerala is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and foreign travellers. Among the tourist attractions are great beaches (Kovalam, Cherai and Varkala), serene hill stations (Ponmudi and Munnar), wildlife sanctuaries (Periyar and Eravikulam) and beautiful backwaters (Alleppey, Kumarakom, and Punnamada), as also the marvel of Kerala building art revealed through Padmanabhapuram Palace, Padmanabhapuram. The tourism department of the state calls Kerala God's Own Country. National Geographic described Kerala as one of the 50 must-see destinations of a lifetime. Kochi, the commercial capital of the state, is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Alappuzha, the first planned town in Kerala, is called the "Venice of the East". Tourism plays an important role in the state's economy.

Kerala - Road network

India has more than 3.3 million km of road network at present making it one of the largest in the world. Length of roads in Kerala is 145704 km (4.2 percent of that in India). Kerala has 4.62 km of road per thousand population, against the national figure of 2.59 km. Road network in Kerala has the distinction of achieving connectivity to all the villages in Kerala. But as the villages are relatively large compared to other states, the development has not ensured connectivity of all the habitats. Main arterial roads are built and maintained by the Kerala Public Works Department.

Traffic in Kerala has been growing at a rate of 10 to 11 percent every year, resulting in excessive pressure on the roads. Total road length in Kerala increased by 5 percent during 2003-2004. The road density in Kerala is nearly four times the national average, and is a reflection of the unique settlement patterns in the State.

National Highways form the prime arterial routes in India, spanning 58,112 km throughout the country and cater to about 45 percent of the total road transport demand. The National Highway network in Kerala is 1524 km, only 2.6 percent of the national total. There are eight National Highways in the State.

A major challenge has been taken by the state government for the upgrading and expansion of important roads to the standards prescribed by the Indian Road Congress for each category of road. Upgrading and maintenance of 1600 km of state highways and major district roads have been taken up under the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). The much applauded GIS based Road Information & Management Project(RIMS) is developed under KSTP.

Kerala - Trivia

• Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize winning novel The God of Small Things is set in Kerala.
• Salman Rushdie's novel The Moor's Last Sigh begins in the coastal area of Kerala (Mattanchery) and talks about the spice business.
• The town of Alleppey was featured on the American reality show The Amazing Race.
• Kerala is picked by National Geographic as 50 Places of a Lifetime, the only other place in India being the Taj Mahal.
• Kerala has the lowest infant mortality rate among the states in India, almost one-third of the national figure.
• Kerala has the highest life expectancy among the Indian States, with the life expectancy for males and females both being over 70.
• Kerala is said to have the highest density of telephone connections, vehicles, primary health centers and government run schools among the states in India

Kerala - Related topics

• List of famous Keralites
• Districts of Kerala
• Local Body Election in Kerala
• Malayalam
• Poorams
• Pachakam

Kerala - Notes

1. ^ ^1.1 (Office of the Registrar General (India) 2001b).
2. ^ ^2.1 (Office of the Registrar General (India) 2001).
3. ^ ^3.1 (Office of the Registrar General (India) 2001c).
4. ^ ^4.1 (Government of Kerala 2005).
5. ^ ^5.1 (Government of Travancore 1906, pp. 210–212).
6. ^ ^6.1 6.2 (Plunkett, Cannon & Harding 2001, p. 24).
7. ^ ^7.1 (Jose 1998).
8. ^ ^8.1 (Raman 2005).

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Kerala", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki