Showing posts with label kerala. Show all posts
Showing posts with label kerala. Show all posts

Saturday, June 23, 2007

God's Own Country - Kerala, India

Kerala (Malayalam: കേരളം; Kēraḷaṁ) 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.

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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.

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 — to the east. Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes 74°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. Geologically, pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene formations compose the bulk of Kerala's terrain.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Kerala......! " God's Own Country"

Kerala, formed in 1956, is one of the smallest states in the Republic of India. The state has 14 districts and the capital is in Thiruvananthapuram. Kerala is a land of great natural beauty. The country has the highest rate of literacy (100%) among Indian states.Graced by the Arabian Sea on the west, the Western Ghats on the east and networked by forty-four rivers, Kerala lies on the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. Kerala is a land of great natural beauty. It is the ideal place to visit during your tour to South India.


The ancient history of Kerala is shrouded in the mists of tradition. The most popular legend would have it that the land crust that forms the state was raised from the depths of the ocean by Parasurama, the Brahmin avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu and hence the sobriquet - "God's own Country". Thus during your tour to Kerala you get an opportunity to be a part of this culturally rich country.


Today, Kerala is one of the best-known tour destinations in the world tourism map. From mind-blowing landscapes to infinite intriguing customs, high-intensity cultural life to the educated public, holidays and tour in Kerala is a unique experience in itself.


Kerala is also famous for spices. Coz of dis Kerala is also known as Spice Garden.


About Kerala

Capital - Thiruvananthapuram
Area - 38,863 Sq. Km
Length - 575 km
Language - Malayalam, English
Location - South west tip of the India's main land
Time - GMT +5.30
Currency - Indian Rupees
Weather - Tropical
Summer - February - May (24 - 33 degree Celsius)
Winter - October - January (22 - 28degree Celsius)
Monsoon - June - September (22 - 28 degree Celsius)
High Season - December - May
Number of Districts - Fourteen
Population - 29,011,237 lakhs as per the 1991 census (20.011237 Millions)
Density of population - 749 per sq kms; second largest in India
Kerala's share in the national Population - 3.44 percent
District average - 20.78 lakhs (2.078 millions)
Sex ration - 1036 women for 1000 men.
Study prediction - Zero population growth in three decades
Average size of Family - 5.3 person
Literacy rate - 89.81 per cent
Male literacy rate - 93.62 per cent
Female literacy rate - 86.17 per cent
Major Port - Kochi
Airports - Thiruvanananthapuram, Nedumbassery, Kozhikode
Road - State owned bus, private bus, tourist taxi, regular taxi, auto rickshaw, private vehicles,erry services. The State is linked with railways.
Beaches - Kovalam, Varkala, Cherai, Alleppey, Kappad, Shanghumugham, Thirumullavaram and Bekal
Sanctuaries - Periyar, Thekkady, Aralam, Parambikulam, Wayanad, Idukki, Silent Valley, Thattekad, Eravikulam, Chinnar, Peppara, Peechi-Vazhani, Neyyar and Kumarakom
Hill Stations - Ponmudi, Peermade, Thekkady, Munnar, Wayanad and Devikulam
Cash Crops - Rubber, Coffee, Tea, Cardamom, Pepper and Cashew Other products Coir, Handloom, Handicrafts, Metal Mirror and fibre products.