Kerala, popularly known as God's own Country is situated in the south west corner of India. It is the highest litearate state in the country and plays a vital role towards the national integration. Coupled with hill stations, backwaters, beaches and lush greenary, it is an ideal destination to do your holiday. It is the first Baby friendly state in the world declared by UNESCO.National Geographic traveller has declared Kerala as one of the ten paradises in the world.

The state constitute 14 districts and Thiruvananthapuram is the capital.Neighbouring states are Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.Eventhough it is a small state, it maintains a unique culture.

Having isolated with Western Ghats on East and Arabian Sea on West, it maintains a distinctiveness in language, dress, culture and institutions.Dhothi and Shirt is the common dress code of men. For women, its Saree and Salwars.. Major religions which practised are Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Time tested religious harmony is another facet of Kerala. This is because of high literacy,tolerance by religious leaders and social awareness among people. Prominent religious leaders like Sree Narayana Guru, Mannath Padmanabhan have always been on the forefront of this spirit. It is also the bed of Communism which plays a crucial role in Kerala politics.

Kerala is the land of performing arts which have been internationally acclaimed. KATHAKALI, the well known dance form, explores varied emotion and sensitivity through facial expressions and body language. Ottamthullal, Chakyar Koothu, Krishnanattam, Padayani, Pavakathakali, Theyyam, Velakali, Thiruvathirakali, Kolkali, Mohiniyattam etc are the other famous art forms. KALARIPPAYATT, the traditional martial art of Kerala gives you both mental and physical fitness.

Malayalam is the official language and widely spoken. English is also accepted and is the medium of instruction in colleges. Educational system is also on par with the best standard and malayalees give due weitage to education. Kerala University, Mahatama Gandhi University, Kannur University, Cochin University, Sanskrit University, Calicut University and Agricultural University are the universities.Because of its social equality tradition, girls are not discriminated in education and basic education is provided to bottom and weak section of the society.

Having inherited with rich culture and tradition, Kerala is on the top chart of Literature and Art. Malayalam film industry produces films of international standard and are widely acclaimed. Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Shaji N karun, T V Chandran, G Aravindan are well known film directors. Mammooty, Mohanlal, Suresh Gopi, Murali, Sreenivasan etc are gifted artists who won several awards. Arundhathi Royi, the Booker price winner also hails from Kerala. Ayyappa Panicker, Kamala Surayya, Kovilan, Kumaranasan, Sukumar Azhikode, Zacharia, M T Vasudevan Nair, O V Vijayan, Sugathakumari, Ulloor, Vallathol,Mohammed Bashir, M Mukundan etc are among famous writers of Kerala.

For the tourist, Kerala provides unlimited opportunity to mingle with nature. Backwaters, sandy beaches, wildlife sancturies, high mountain peaks, plantations etc gives charming and nourishing experience. Thekkady, Munnar, Peermade, Devikulam, Vagamon etc are popular hill stations.

Kovalam, the world famous beach is situated near to capital Thiruvanthapuram.

Azure water and favorable climate make Kovalam a favorite year-round spot for swimming. Ayurveda is another attraction of Kerala, which gives Mental and Physical happiness and relaxation.

Some of the worthy sites regarding Kerala are provided here.

kol.to

kerala.com

Tourism