Kerala


Kerala

A sliver of dense greenery sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the forested Western Ghat mountains, the state of Kerala runs down the southwest coast of India, around 550km long and 120km wide at its broadest point. It is blessed with unique geographical and cultural features and the overpowering tropical landscape, with 41 rivers and countless waterways, fed by two annual monsoons, seduces every newcomer. Equally, Kerala's arcane rituals and spectacular festivals stimulate even the most jaded imagination, continuing centuries of tradition that has never strayed far from the realms of magic.

Travelers weary of daunting metropolises will find that Kerala's cities are small-scale and more relaxed than elsewhere. For visitors, the most popular is undoubtedly the great port of Kochi (Cochin), where Kerala's extensive history of peaceable foreign contact is evocatively evident in the atmospheric old quarters of Mattancherry and Fort Cochin, hubs of a still-thriving tea and spice trade. The capital, Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum), almost as far south as you can go and a gateway to the nearby palm-fringed beaches of Kovalam, provides visitors with varied opportunities to sample Kerala's rich cultural and artistic life.

However, more so than anywhere in India, the greatest joy of exploring Kerala is the actual traveling - above all, by boat, in the spellbinding Kuttanad region, near historic Kollam (Quilon) and Alappuzha (Alleppey). Vessels, from cruisers to wooden longboats, ply the backwaters in day-long voyages, well worth taking for the chance of a close-up view of village life in India's most densely populated state. Furthermore, it's always easy to escape the heat of the lowlands by taking off to the hills.

Roads through a landscape dotted with churches and temples pass spice, tea, coffee and rubber plantations, and natural forest, en route to wildlife reserves such as Peppara or Periyar, roamed by herds of mud-caked elephants.

Kerala is short on the historic monuments prevalent elsewhere in India, mainly because wood is the building material of choice. Moreover, what ancient temples there are remain in use, and more often than not are closed to non-Hindus. Nonetheless, distinctive buildings throughout the state eschew grandiosity in favor of elegant understatement. Following an unwritten law, few buildings, whether houses or temples, are higher than the surrounding trees; from high ground in urban areas this can create the miraculous illusion that you're surrounded by forest. Typical features of both domestic and temple architecture include long, sloping tiled and gabled roofs that minimize the excesses of both rain and sunshine, and pillared verandas; the definitive example is Padmanabhapuram Palace , just south of the border in neighboring Tamil Nadu and easily reached from Thiruvananthapuram. more...

Kerala
Kalam Ezhuttu
Travel info
History
Christianity in Kerala

Alappuzha
Restaurants
Travel Info

Aranmula

Cheruthuruthy
Keralan Ritual Ritualized Theatre
Kathakali
Kutiyattam
Teyyattam
Travel info

Guruvayur
Travel info
The founding of Guruvayur temple

Explore Guruvayur
Punnathur Kotta Elephant Sanctuary
Islands of Lakshadweep
- Getting to the Islands