Kerala Luxury
Holidays
The
National Geographic Traveler has quoted Kerala as India’s most verdant
state with one of the world’s 50 “must see” destinations. “The god who
made Kerala had a green thumb”, true to the popular Malayali saying,
Kerala’s rich resources have long attracted visitors from across the
oceans. It is in fact here that the first seafarers set foot on Indian
soil. Legend has it that long before Vasco Da Gama discovered India, when
he landed on the coast of Kerala, King Solomon's ships traded off the
Malabar coast between 972 and 932 B.C., followed by the Phoenicians,
Romans, Christians, Arabs, and Chinese. They all came to stock up on
monkeys, tigers, parrots, timber, sandalwood, and ivory along with the
abundance of spices. Kerala is sandwiched between the Lakshadweep Sea and
the forested Western Ghats that define its border with Tamil Nadu to the
east. In 1956, the state of Kerala was formed from the former princely
states of Travancore, Kochi, and Malabar. Despite its high population
density, Keralites have the country's highest life expectancy and the
lowest infant mortality rates. As it was largely ruled by benevolent
Maharajas who introduced social reforms emphasizing the provision of
education and basic services, Kerala remains one of the most progressed
and educated states in India. In those days, Kerala was more caste-divided
than any other area. It was only in this region that untouchability was
highly predominant. But today, it is one of the least caste-conscious and
communally tranquil areas of India. Kerala has a high percentage (22%) of
Christians whose traditions go back to St. Thomas the Apostle. Another
cultural rarity can be seen in the white Jews of Cochin. The first
democratically elected Communist Party came to power in Kerala for the
first time in the whole world. The state capital is Thiruvananthapuram.
Being a land of spices, realm of Ayurveda, heart-throbbing sceneries,
exciting array of dances, Kerala is a microcosm of multi-religious India,
co-habited by the Hindus, the Christians and the Muslims.
