A Kingdom of dance, drama, colour and music- Kerala

Kerala, a blend of different ethnic cultural and religious groups is a land of absolute beauty and rich tradition.
This land is a thin slice of heaven and is called by many as the “God’s own country”. This land is truly blessed by the God’s for it’s beauty and the rich cultural heritage it has. A combination of Aryan and Dravidian culture this land has given birth to one of the most colourful and vibrating culture that has made a mark in India and all over the world.(more....)

Situated on the western coasts of India this land touches the Arabian waters and has been open and vulnerable to the world through it. The love for this land by people from different foreign lands is clearly seen while we turn the pages of history. This land has been visited regularly by the Portuguese, Jews, Dutch, British, Egyptians and Zamorins. It is even said that Christopher Columbus found America accidently while he was in search of Kerala.

Kasavu Saree

         This is the first place in India to achieve a 100% literacy level. The people of Kerala are called Malayali and they derive their origin from the Dravidians. They speak Malayalam which is a result of mixture of various languages, Sanskrit playing the main role in it. This race of people in Kerala is a unique race in itself that has a unique lifestyle varying so much from the rest of the country. The women in this race are highly respected and they enjoy much freedom as their opposite gender. The traditional Kerala used to be free from caste distinction. But later on after the advent of the Brahmins the caste system was brought into play. But even today we hardly hear of the communal violence in here which proves the right education and awareness of the Kerallites the people out here and love to stay peacefully.

 The main religion in Kerala is Hinduism But you cannot deny a significant number of Christians as well as Muslims. You will even find some Jainas and Buddhists in here. The rich religious background of these people can be easily known through the historical temples of Ambalapuza, Chottanikara, Guruvayoor, Mangla Devi temple, Vaikom temple etc.

Theyyam

 This land has one of the richest cultures in dance and music. There are dances like Katthakali, Theyyam, Mohiniattam etc, which are performed with excessive colour make ups and bright colourful clothes. The grace full movements of these dancers combined with the subtle facial movements and the varying expressions of the eyes makes it one of the most loved dance forms throughout India and world. It is quiet surprising to see these ancient dance forms still surviving and repeating the past glories even today.

Kadhakali 

 This land is also known as the “land of spices” and the delicacies and cuisines found here have no parallel. Their food mainly consists of rice, coconuts, sea food, vegetable curry and spices. The Kerallite cuisine has a touch of religiousness in it.  Some of their regular foods include Puttu, Appam, Pathiri, Idli, Vallepam, Karimeen etc.

 This land has also some very rare Martial arts form that is still practiced today. They are almost 3000 years old. The literature and music this kingdom is blessed with is unbelievable. Music forms like Sopalam, Melam are very famous. Various festivals like Onam, Maha Shivratri, Navaratri, Vishu etc have special position in the society of the Kerallites. This place is also famous for its floor paintings called the Kalamezhuthu. Carvings in Sandalwood, Rosewood also forms a major art form for this land.

This place is blessed by the nature and the Gods in every way possible.  With the abundance in culture and tradition Kerala (>>>>)has gifted the country; surely India has something to be thankful for.