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Kerala-God's Own Country

Kerala is a small state on the southern part of India, formed on November 1st 1956. The state is well known for its greenery and natural beauties. Even the name "Kerala" denotes the greenery of the state, as the name is derived from the word "kera", which means coconut and "alam", which means land/location and the name Kerala thus implies the land of coconut trees. The state is also known as "God's own Country" with regards to its scenic natural diversity. During the 3rd century BC, it was an independent Dravidian kingdom known as "Keralaputra". The Kulashekhara dynasty ruled the region in the 9th - 12th centuries, when the regional Malayalam language took hold; it is still the dominant language. Portuguese intervention from 1498 was followed by Dutch rule in the 17th century. The Dutch were ousted in 1741 by the princely state of Travancore, which itself in the 1790s came under British protectorate status. The Kerala state is well known for its geographical features, which attracts a lot of tourists from all over the world. This unique feature of Kerala has made the National Geographical Channel ranked the state in the worlds must visit 50 places. The geographically blessed state of Kerala is networked with 44 rivers, hundreds of lake/ponds, the long shore line with Arabian Sea on the west, the enchanting hills with the Western Ghats on the east of the state. The state also renowned for its gorgeous backwaters, calm climate, lush hill stations, water falls, exotic wild life, spice & rubber plantations, paddy fields etc. The art forms, historical monuments, festivals etc defines the cultural background of the state. Kerala is also famous for its educational achievements, a 100% literate state, is the only one in the entire India. The state is well known for its highest physical quality of life in the country.

Modern day Kerala came into being in 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act when the princely states of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar merged into one. In the first Assembly elections, the communists, under the leadership of EMS Namboodaripad came to power - the first time communists ever captured power through the democratic process. Since then, the communists and the Congress have ruled over the state on equal intervals. 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 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 - one of the world's earliest - headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad. Subsequent social reforms favoured tenants and labourers. This facilitated, among other things, improvements in living standards, education, and life expectancy.

Basic facts about Kerala:

South - Western tip of India.
8° 18' & 12° 48' north latitude 
and 
74° 52' & 77° 24' east longitude     

Kerala stretches for about 580 Kms along the coastline of Arabian sea on the west. The majestic height of the Western Ghats acts as the boundary wall along the eastern side of the state. The width of the state varies throughout the land, its about 120 kms at the maximum and 30 kms is the minimum width. Kerala is bordered by the Arabian Sea on the west and Indian Ocean on the southern tip, Karnataka state on the north and Tamil Nadu on the east. Lakshadeep, Srilanka and Maldives are the neighboring islands of Kerala.

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. 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.[20] 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. The most important of Kerala's forty four rivers include the Periyar (244 km), Bharathapuzha (209 km), Pamba (176 km), Chaliyar (169 km), Kadalundipuzha (130 km) and 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.

Mahe is the only union territory in the state. Mahe is a small town with area of 9 sq. km and is known as "Mayyazhi" in Malayalam which means "eyebrow of the sea". Mahe is now a municipality, with two-assembly constituency, in the Mahe district of Union Territory of Puduchery (earlier known as Pondichery, located at the eastern coast of India, in Tamil Nadu). Mahe was famous for its French colonies. The Kannur district of Kerala surrounds the district on three sides and one side by the Arabian Sea.

The French East India Company, a commercial enterprise founded in 1664 to compete with the British and Dutch East India Companies, constructed a Fort on Mahe in 1724. Mahe remained under French Jurisdiction until 13 June 1954.

		Southwest Monsoons ( June - September )
		North east Monsoons ( October, November )
		Winter ( December - February )
		Summer ( March - May )

		

1. University of Kerala, Trivandrum
2. Cochin University of Science and Technology, Cochin
3. University of Calicut, Kozhikode
4. Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam
5. Kannur University, Kannur
6. Kerala Agricultural University, Trissur
7. Sree Shankarachaarya University of Sanskrit, Kalady
8. Shree Chitra Thirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum

The malayalam calendar was started in A.D. 825. Kollavarsham also has 12 months, closely matching with the Roman calendar. The calendar year begins in August - September with "Chingam" as the first month.

1. Chingam
2. Kanni
3. Thulam
4. Vrischikom
5. Dhanu
6. Makarom
7. Kumbham
8. Meenom
9. Medom
10. Idavom
11. Mithunom
12. Karkidakom