The Palm-Fringed Paradise...
Kerala is an enchanting mosaic of coconut groves and paddy fields, wide beaches, and labyrinthine backwaters, sacred temples, sloppy green gardens, the mesmerising greens of the tea estates and coffee plantations, verdant hills and rainforests. Generally termed as "God's Own Country", the state has its own culture and traditions. Keralam means "The Land of Coconut", a centre of commercial trade with Greeks, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British. The capital city of Kerala is Thiruvananthapuram and the principal language is Malayalam. The largest city is Ernakulam - Kochi.
Located on the Malabar Coast, it has unique culture and transitions coupled with varied demographics. From hill stations to beaches and wild life sanctuaries to backwaters, Kerala is fast emerging as one of the tourism hotspots of the World.
Kerala is well known for its Ayurvedic Treatment with herbal oils. People from many places take the Ayurvedic massage helps one to relieve from the body pains and makes the body physically fit.
The Performing Arts of Kerala are Kathakali, a form of dance drama, the most celebrated of all dance forms of Kerala, Mohiniyattam - One of the eight classical dance forms of India. Theyyam is the dance of tribal community and Kalaripayattu - One of the oldest form of Martial art in the World.
An intricate network of innumerable lagoons, lakes, canals and estuaries, the backwaters lace the interiors of Kerala. The largest backwater stretch in Kerala is the Vembanad Lake. There are many Houseboats named as "Kettuvallam" used to transport rice in early days. Now a days houseboats were used by the tourist to stay a night and get an unforgettable experience. The popular Chundan Vallam or the snake boat is a beaked boat mainly used for the famous snake boat races. The Nehru Trophy Snake Boat race held every year in the month of August.
One of the main items of trade in Kerala is spices. Since times immemorial, Kerala has been a major supplier of pepper, cardamom, ginger, cloves and cinnamon to rest of the World.
The Cuisine of Kerala sees a unique blend of indigenous and foreign tastes because they had trade contacts with Greek, Romans and Arabs.