| Kerala Travel Guide |
|
"Kerala – The God’s Own Country!!"
|
| |
| General Information |
Kerala is a captivatingly beautiful, emerald green land, bordered by the Western Ghats on one side and the Arabian Sea on the other. Kerala can be called tourist bliss. There are many matchless reasons to call Kerala a paradise. A calm environment, sun kissed beaches, emerald backwaters, tranquil hill stations, out of the ordinary wildlife and spectacular waterfalls makes Kerala a true heaven on Earth. In the words of Sreedhara Menon “Its unique geographical position and peculiar physical features have invested Kerala with a distinct individuality.” |
|
History |
| Archaeologists deem that the initial populace of Kerala was the colony of the hunter-gatherers, the ting Negrito people. The Dravidians drifted to the southwards, carrying their civilization with them, though leaving their substantial cultural contribution on their successors, the Aryans (Indo - Iranians). But Kerala is still strappingly predisposed by the Dravidian culture. Jewish and Arabs trade's were the first to come to Kerala sailing in the ships to set up trading stations. Portuguese exposed the sea route to India from Europe when Vasco da Gama landed with his ship near Kappad in Calicut in AD 1498. The first recorded history of Kerala appears in the inscriptions of the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka (269-232 b.c.) |
|
Geography |
The lovely land of Kerala is strewn in the area of 38863 Sq. Kms. This is just 1.3 percent of the total area of India. It is situated at the southern west tip of India. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu are the neighbouring states of Kerala. Kerala is sandwiched between the tall mountains and deep sea. |
| |
Climate/Temperature |
| Kerala experiences a tropical climate in almost all the parts of the land. The temperature remains moderate throughout the year with the maximum temperature reaching to about 32’C and minimum of 20 ‘C. Due to the proximity of the sea the temperature never touches the extremes. Most of the year the temperature is pleasant. Also, Kerala does not have a dry spell as in rest of the India. Monsoon season arrives in the first week and June and stretches up to September. Winter is from October to January. During the winter season the temperature drops a little bit. |
|
Religions |
There are mainly three religions in Kerala - Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. |
|
Languages Spoken |
The principal language spoken in the emerald land of Kerala is Malayalam. Some of the people also speak Hindi. English is the official language used in the state. |
|
People / Population |
The population of Kerala is about 3,1838,619. The male population and female population have not much of a difference. The female population is about 16,369,955 and the male population is approximately 15,468,664.The over all literacy rate in Kerala is maximum as compared to other states of India. The literacy rate in Kerala is about 90.92%. |
|
Places to Visit / Attractions |
Kerala is probably one of the greenest places you will ever see. The major tourist attractions in the silver land of Kerala are:
- Cannanore: There is a fort, beach and palace here to view. .
- Alleppey: The Venice of India, Onam snake boat race.
- Kottayam: There are churches, Syrian Christian pilgrimage center and a cultural center
- Kovalam: This is a famous beach resort
- Munnar: the beautiful hill station. There is a golf course also here.
- Sulthanbatheri: Hill station, fort.
- Trivandrum: Temples, Palaces, zoo, Art gallery, museum, golf course.
|
|
Adventure Sports |
The Native people of Kerala are lovers of sports. They enjoy various types of water sports available in the state. Kerala is a place that boosts of hosting 44 rivers, umpteenth number of lakes and lagoons. It is rather inevitable that such a water filled place is a hub for numerous water sports. The adventurous water sports offered by the Fascinating Kerala are Canoeing, Scuba Diving, Catamaran Sailing, Para Sailing, Kayaking, Snorkeling and Wind Surfing. |
