Kerala-Location

Kerala is a state located in southwestern India. It is bordered on the north by Karnataka state, on the east by Tamil Nadu state, and on the south and west by the Arabian Sea. The state extends between the latitude 10°00 North and longitude 76°25 East.

Kerala was formed in 1956. The state has been divided into 14 districts. The capital of the state is Trivandrum. It is also called Thiruvananthapuram and is located at the southern tip of the state. The state has an area of about 38,863 Sq. Kms. Malabar coast is the site of Kerala location, with the Western Ghats running along its length. Geographically Kerala is a tropical region. Its location gives its unique climate and geographical features. In Kerala, February - May (24 - 33 Dg. C) are the months of summer season, June - September(22 - 28 Dg. C) is the monsoon season and October - January (22 - 32 Dg. C) is the winter season.

The name Kerala has an uncertain etymology. The word Kerala is derived from the Sanskrit word “Keralam”. The word Keralam is derived from two words “kera” which means “coconut tree” and “alam” which means “abode of”. Malayam is the official language of Kerala. Natives of Kerala, known as Malayalis or Keralites, refer to their land as Keralam. The religions in Kerala are Hinduism, Christianity, Islam.

The first recorded history of Kerala appears in the inscriptions of the Mauryan Emperor, Ashoka (269-232 b.c.).In these inscriptions, Ashoka refers to four independent kingdoms that lay to the south of his empire. These were the kingdoms of the Cholas, the Pandyas, the Keralaputrasand the Satiyaputras.Among them, the Keralaputras or the Cheras, as they were called, reigned over Malabar, Cochin and North Travancore – all part of present-day Kerala. They managed to maintain their independence because they were on good terms with the Great Maurya. Otherwise, Ashoka, who was a great empire builder, would surely have attempted to bring these kingdoms under his tutelage. The four South Indian Kingdoms extended a hand of friendship towards the Mauryas. It was really Hobson’s choice for them, having already experienced the Mauryan onslaught during the reign of Ashoka’s predecessor, Bindusara (297-272 b.c.).

Agriculture is very important to this fertile region. The principal agricultural products of the state are rice, tapioca, coconut, areca nuts, oilseeds, pepper, sugarcane, rubber, tea, coffee, and cardamom.Other manufactures are tiles, textiles, ceramics, fertilizers and chemicals, and glass. In addition, numerous factories process. Kerala is generally referred to as a tropical paradise of waving palms and wide sandy beaches. It boasts of a higher Human Development Index than most other states in India. Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam, Thrissur, Kottayam, Kannur, Alapuzha and Palakkad form other major trading and activity centres. Kochi is regarded as the “Queen of the Arabian Sea.

Kerala is jewel in the crown of Indian tourism with coastal paradise, waterways, Ayurveda resorts, backwater resorts, hill stations, eco-tourism, monuments, spectacular art forms, rejuvenating health packages, exotic wildlife, religious places, beaches, spice plantations and year-round festivals and rightly called by various connotations like the “God’s own country”, “ten paradises of the world" and “50 places of a lifetime”. Kovalam Beach is famous in the world for its sunbathing in sandy beach, Backwaters around Allapuzha, Kumarakom is famous for its swaying palm trees, green paddy fields and waterways and Kairali Ayurvedic Health Resorts which is famous across the world for its Ayurvedic healing and rejuvenation.