About Place

Kerala is nestled in the southwest part of India along the Malabar Coast. On November 1, 1956, the States Reorganisation Act led to the formation of this beautiful state which combines numerous regions speaking the common language called Malayalam. The state shares boundaries with Karnataka to the north and northeast and with Tamil Nadu to the south and east. It is commonly known as the land of coconut as it has never ending array of coconut palms. The state is sandwiched between the Western Ghats from the east and the Lakshadweep Sea from the west. The state holds the twelfth spot as the largest state by population and is divided into 14 districts. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city of this state, while Malayalam is its official language. It is the state with lowest population growth in India.According to a legend, Kerala was originated during the Satya Yug. It is believed that Kerala was originated from the sea when Lord Parasurama threw his axe into it. Lord Parasurama is said to be as a sixth avatar of Lord Mahavishnu. He threw his axe into the ocean from Gokarnam in remorse for his actions of killing Kshatriyas. The land emerged from the waters of the Arabian Sea. From 3000 BC to 3rd century, Kerala was the most prominent exporter of spices and the first most powerful kingdom of this land was the Chera Dynasty. During this period, Kerala remained as one of the most important international spice trading centres in India. Due to its reputation of a spice exporter, it compelled Egyptians, Babylonians and Assyrians to start trading here in the 3rd and 2nd millennia BC. The term Kerala comes from the word Keralaputra, which was carved into the rock by the Maurya emperor Ashoka in 3rd BC, hence, it was designated as the Land of Keralaputra and was one of the four independent kingdoms in the southern part of India, while the rest three were Pandya, Satiyaputra and Chola. During this period all these territories shared a common language known as Tamilakam. Most of the land of this state was ruled by the Cheras, while the southern portion was managed by the Pandyas.