Kerala gods own country
There are places in the world that invoke a sense of mystery and wonder with its natural beauty, special gifts and amazing aura. Kerala in India is one of those places with its awe-inspiring waterfalls, wildlife, art, festivals, backwaters, and monuments, worships places, people and literature. From the majestic heights of the Western Ghats the place undulates westward presenting a vista of silent valleys clothed in the richest green. That puts it among the places to be visited. No wonder it is called the God’s own country.
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Kerala stretches for about 360 miles along the Malabar coast on the western side of the Indian peninsula; its width varies from 20 to 75 miles. It is bordered by the states of Karnataka on the north, Tamil Nadu to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It has 14 districts and the capital is Trivandrum.
The climate is equable and varies little from season to season. The temperature normally ranges from 80 to 90 F in the plains but drops to about 70 F in the highlands.
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Unique culture
Isolated from the Deccan Plateau by the mountainous belt of the Western Ghats, but with a long coastline open to foreign influences, Kerala has evolved a unique culture. It is an educationally advanced state with its own language, Malayalam. Women in Kerala enjoy a high social status, thanks perhaps to its historic matrilineal system.
Electric Mix
Art forms range from Kalaripayattu, the martial art believed to be the origin of various other oriental ones, to Kathakali, a dance form, considered to be amongst the oldest Indian dance styles. The elegant snake boat races have always been the favorite of tourists. A rich and electric mix of religious influences makes Kerala a comfortable home for Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Not to mention, remaining traces of Buddhism, Jainism and Judaism.
Festive Colors
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The festival season begins in August, after the rains. Kerala's most colorful festival, Onam celebrates the golden age of King Mahabali, the mythical ruler of Kerala. As with many aspects of Keralan culture, the cuisine has been influenced by numerous traditions. It is a creative and delectable combination of vegetables, meats and seafood flavored with a variety of spices and almost always cooked in coconut milk.
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Kerala cuisine is hot and spicy. Food is traditionally eaten by the hand and served on a banana leaf. An interesting feature is the abundant use of coconut oil, mustard seeds, curry leaves, and coconut milk. Kerala also has it's own fermented beverages - the famous "kallu" or (toddy) and "patta charayam" (arrack). Arrack is extremely intoxicating and is usually consumed with spicy pickles and boiled eggs (patta and mutta). Unlike the west, where food is consumed by courses, along with the appropriate wines, most Indian dishes do not follow courses and do not go along with any alcohol, with the exception of beer.
Health and Vitality
Some believe the cuisine of Kerala has been influenced by Ayurvedic philosophies, which prescribed combination of ingredients with the particular purpose of promoting health and vitality.
Vibrant Wildlife
Kerala has about 30 per cent of its land cover accounted for, by forests. The jungles of Kerala are famous for the Elephants and Tigers besides other animals. Periyar Wild Life Sanctuary, Parimbikulam Wild Life Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park are the major wild life centers.
Kumarakom, Thattekkad, Myladumpara are the main Bird watching centers. The Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary at Thekkady in Kerala, is one of the 16 Project Tiger Reserves in India. About a century ago, a British engineer, Col. J. Pennycuick, chalked out a plan to dam the Periyar River, subsequently, a dam was constructed in 1895. This resulted in the adjoining forests being granted protection, by the Maharaja of Travancore. The 55 sq km reservoir and the surrounding forests, provide protection to the animals within. Today, Periyar is undeniably, one of the most impressive wildlife sanctuaries in the world.
Very early mornings and late afternoons is the right time to be in the forest. At different times of the year, watching the changes not only in the vegetation, but in the behavior of the animals provides a wonderful insight into the beauty of the nature of this place. Source: www.keralatourism.com. For more details call 1-800- 953- 9399
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