A Descriptive Definition
Stretching across nearly 400 km along the western coast of the country, Kerala has always been the ideal place for tourists. One does not know when the first visitor arrived here. There are the Chinese fishing nets, there are the unique shaped prayer houses that do not conform to the general places of worship elsewhere in the country. there are diverse culinary cultures that must have been left by visitors of an earlier era. Cut off from the rest of the country by the western ghats the state has been more open to influences from across the seas.The architecture of the state's capital, Thiruvananthapuram, is an example of this unique confluence of styles and cultures. The sloping tiles and pagoda-shaped rooftops are blended with colonnade and pillars of the Greek and later British pattern. A leisurely paced city with its winding streets and vestiges of regal splendor, it has not been touched by the bustle of a modern metropolis.
The language Malayalam is an example of this absorption. Highly influenced by Sanskrit and Tamil, it has also borrowed extensively from languages like Portuguese and Arabic. Though the majority of the people are adherents to the indigenous Hindu denomination, there are substantial sections which follow the Christian and Islamic faiths. The first apostle of Jesus, St. Thomas, had landed in Kerala. The Arab traders who had been coming to Calicut and other ports of the state also brought the message of Islam as soon as it was propounded in Arabia.
An extrovert people Malayalis were always keen to absorb any idea that appealed to them. This has led to the flowering of many cultures and schools of thought. Kerala had also the first democratically elected Communist government in the world. As a result of this exposure there is a high degree of awareness as well as political consciousness. No wonder the literacy rate is the highest in India. And along with it the emancipation of women. Women in Kerala always enjoyed a privileged status, possibly due to the matrilineal custom practiced among certain sections. There are also people living in the high ranges who have been cut off from civilisation. The tribals of Wynad represent the other end of the spectrum.
The topography of this long stretch of land, 20 miles to 75 miles wide, reflects this diversity. Apart from the coconut fringed coastal areas there are highlands that nestle the sides of the Western ghats. In between are the fertile rice growing areas. The crops grown here also are varied. Famed for its spices, Kerala grows plantation crops like tea and rubber as also exotic imported varieties like tapioca, cocoa and cashew.
Tags :
