Kerala the abode of more than 31.8 million Malayalees is a slender strip of land on the southern tip of Indian subcontinent. Beautiful and benign, this prawn-shaped Indian state lies along a sun drenched coastline of 580 kms flanked by the Arabian Sea on the west and the mountains of the Western Ghats on the east.
Kerala, the “Gods own Country”, is a land of great natural beauty. From the majestic heights of the Western Ghats the country undulates westward presenting a vista of silent valleys clothed in the richest green. With a coast-line open to foreign influences, Kerala has evolved a unique culture with a long tradition of religious amity. It is an educationally advanced state with its own language Malayalam, and has the highest rate of literacy among Indian states.
Art forms of Kerala range from Kalaripayattu, the martial art believed to be the origin of various other oriental ones, to Kathakali, one of the dance forms of Kerala considered to be the oldest Indian dance styles.
The climate is equable and varies little from season to season. The temperature normally ranges from 80° F (26°C) to 90° F (32°C) in the plains but drops to about 70° F (21°C) in the highlands. No wonder, Kerala has become a tourists’ paradise. Bamboo rafting; rice-barge houseboats; floating markets; ayurvedic massage, duck-rearing; cycling; cardamom plantations; elephants and bison etc beckon the tourists in all seasons. In fact, the season never ends in this breath-taking beautiful piece of land.
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