About Kerala - India

About Kerala

The smallest State of India was formed on November 1, 1956 is located on the malabar coast of south west India. Thiruvananthapuram being the captial city for the state & the language Malayalam the official language.

The State is bounded by Karnataka State in the North east, Tamil Nadu to East, Arabian sea to south & Indian ocean by west. The State is divided into 14 Districts.

Districts of Kerala

1. Kasaragod 
2. Alappuzha 
3. Eranakulam 
4. Idukki
5. Kannur 
6. Kollam 
7. Kottayam
8. Kozhikkode 
9. Malappuram
10. Palakkad 
11. Pathanamthitta 
12. Thiruvananthapuram 
13. Thrissur 
14. Wayanad 

History of Kerala

The ancient history of Kerala is shrouded in the mists of tradition. The most popular legend would have it that the land crust that forms the State was raised from the depths of the ocean. Parasurama, the Brahmin avatar (incarnation) of Lord Vishnu, had waged an epic series of vengeful wars on the Kshatriyas. Came a moment when Parasurama was struck by remorse at the wanton annihilation he had wrought. He offered severe penance atop the mountain heights. In a mood of profound atonement, the sage heaved his mighty axes into the midst of the distant ocean. The waves foamed and frothed as a prawn-shaped land extending from Gokarnam to Kanyakumari surfaced from the depths of the sea to form the state and hence the sobriquet - "Gods own Country".

Culture of Kerala

Among the people who have enriched Indian Cultural Heritage and helped the cause of national integration, the people of the Kerala region of South India have a place of honour. Kerala culture is in fact, an integral part of Indian culture. Kerala like the Indian sub continent can claim to have a culture the history of which runs into the dim recesses of antiquity.

Kerala’s culture is also a composite and cosmopolitan culture to which several people and races have made their significant contributions. The gradual evolution of composite and cosmopolitans culture led to the emergence of a spirit of tolerance and catholicity of outlook, which still persist among the people of Kerala. Its history unfolds the romantic and fascinating story of a unique process of cultural synthesis and social assimilation. In response to every challenge Kerala has demonstrated through the ages its genius for adaptation and fusion of old traditions and new values in every sphere of human thought and endeavour.

The culture of Kerala has persisted through the ages precisely for the reasons of antiquity, unity, continuity and universality of its nature. In its widest sense it embraces the highest achievements of the human spirit in every sphere of life. Thus, in its totality, it represents the quintessence of the collective achievements of a people in the fields of religion and philosophy, language and literature, art and architecture, education and learning and economic and social organisation. In fact, all through its history the genius of Kerala has blossomed forth in all its vigour and vitality and has helped its people to reach the peak of excellence in all their endeavours.

Major Cities of Kerala

Alappuzha (Alleppey)-alappuzha is a district of natural beauty founded in 1972 by Raja Keshawadasan, Divan of Travanacore
Ernakulam (Cochin) - one of the major centre of commerce and trace with the british, arabs, chinese, portuguese, dutch etc
Kozhikode (Calicut) - An important region of malabar with lush green countrysides, beaches, historic sites, wildlife sanctuaries, rivers, hills & a unique culture.
Palakkad -
Thiruvananthapuram - also known as Trivandrum the capital of Kerala with beaches, backwaters etc.

How to reach Kerala

Air transport 
Kerala is well connected with air transport from all countries with international airport in Thiruvananthapuram and from all major cities in india.

• Emirates 
• KLM 
• Lufthansa, 
• Malaysia Airlines 
• Oman Air 
• Qatar Airways, 
• Saudi Arabian Airlines, 
• Singapore Airlines 
• Srilankan Airlines.

Some of the Airlines services avialable (international)
Air India, India's prime international carrier. Though this is an international carrier, you can often get good rates on the domestic leg of its international flights 
Air India Express, is the low-cost version of Air-India- offers the lowest fares on key domestic routes like Mumbai-Chennai, (as compared to even Air Deccan) and the lowest rates on major international destinations like Dubai, Singapore, etc. (at almost half the price as compared other airlines like Jet Airways and Air Sahara). This has been found to have been better than Air Deccan in terms of comfort, time of departure and most importantly, pricing. 
Air Sahara, full service airline with decent coverage. 
Alliance Air - Feeder airline for Indian. Has a spotty safety record. It will soon cease to exist and service taken over by its parent company "Indian". 
Jagson Airlines service mostly in North India. 
Jet Airways , full service airline with very good coverage. Now services London (LHR) directly from Delhi and Mumbai. 
Kingfisher Airlines, full service, but with low fares. The service on this is excellent. On flights to Bangalore (its home base) depending on when you book, you can get prices comparable to Air Deccan or SpiceJet. Same prices for foreigners and Indians. 
Paramount Airways - feeder airline, service only in South India. Although the airline is headquartered in Coimbatore, the main hub is at Chennai. 
Visa Airways - feeder airline, currently flies Mumbai-Nashik, Mumbai-Pune and Mumbai-Kandla (Feb 2007) only. They plan to expand operations as a regional airline in South India as well. 
IndiGo Airlines - low cost airline. Connects the major cities and plans to fly to Jaipur and Goa.

Some of the Airlines services avialable (Domestic)

SpiceJet Airlines , low cost airline, the closest competitor to Air Deccan in terms of fares. If you are willing to shell out a bit more to arrive on time, consider Spice over Air Deccan. 
Air Deccan , low cost carrier, the 2nd largest in India (after Indian) connects various cities and small towns. Usually have unbeatable prices but delay of an hour or so is routine (although this situation has improved lately). To cut costs and keep prices low food and beverages (including water) are for sale, not complimentary. They aim for a "quick turnaround", which means that they at times neglect to clean the planes between flights. Same prices for foreigners and Indians. 
Go Air low cost 
SpiceJet Airlines , low cost airline, the closest competitor to Air Deccan in terms of fares. If you are willing to shell out a bit more to arrive on time, consider Spice over Air Deccan. 

Rail transport 
Kerala is connected thru Train Transport to and from all major cities in india operated by Sourthern Indian Railways.

Road transport 
Kerala has excellent road network connecting all major cites like Bangalore,Chennai, Coimbatore,Tirichy, Etc.