KERALA HISTORY
It is not certain if the region was inhabited during Neolithic times. However, there is evidence of the emergence of prehistoric pottery and granite burial monuments in the form of megalithic tombs in the 10th century BC; they resemble their counterparts in Western Europe and other parts of Asia. These are thought to be produced by speakers of a proto-Tamil language. Kerala and Tamil Nadu once shared a common language, ethnicity and culture; this common area was known as Tamilakam.
According to legend, Kerala was an Asura-ruled kingdom under Mahabali. Onam, the state-wide festival of Kerala , is dedicated to Maveli's memory. Another legend has Parasurama, an avatar of Mahavishnu, throwing his battle axe into the sea; from those waters, Kerala arose.
The ancient Cheras, whose mother tongue and court language was ancient Tamil, ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi. They were constantly at war with the neighbouring Chola and Pandya kingdoms. A Keralite identity, distinct from the Tamils and associated with the second Chera empire, became linguistically separate under the Kulasekhara dynasty (c. 800-1102). By the beginning of the 14th century, Ravi Varma Kulasekhara of Venad established a short-lived supremacy over southern India. After his death, Kerala became a conglomeration of warring chieftaincies, among which the most important were Calicut in the north and Venad in the south.
The Chera kings' dependence on trade meant that merchants from West Asia and Southern Europe established coastal posts and settlements in Kerala . The west Asian-semitic Jewish, Christian, and Muslim immigrants established Nasrani Mappila, Juda Mappila and Muslim Mappila communities. The Jews first arrived in Kerala in 573 BC. The works of scholars and Eastern Christian writings state that Thomas the Apostle visited Muziris in Kerala in 52 AD to proselytize amongstKerala 's Jewish settlements.However, the first verifiable migration of Jewish-Nasrani families to Kerala is of the arrival of Knanai Thoma in 345 AD . Muslim merchants (Malik ibn Dinar) settled in Kerala by the 8th century AD and introduced Islam. After Vasco Da Gama's arrival in 1498, the Portuguese gained control of the lucrative pepper trade by subduing Keralite communities and commerce.
Conflicts between Kozhikode and Kochi provided an opportunity for the Dutch to oust the Portuguese. In turn, the Dutch were ousted by Marthanda Varma of the Travancore Royal Family who routed them at the Battle of Colachel in 1741. In 1766, Hyder Ali, the ruler of Mysore invaded northern Kerala , capturing Kozhikode in the process. In the late 18th century, Tipu Sultan, Ali's son and successor, launched campaigns against the expanding British East India Company; these resulted in two of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. He ultimately ceded Malabar District and South Kanara to the Company in the 1790s. The Company then forged tributary alliances with Kochi (1791) and Travancore (1795). Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency.
Kerala saw comparatively little defiance of the British Raj. Nevertheless, several rebellions occurred, including the 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar revolt, and leaders like Velayudan Thampi Dalava, Kunjali Marakkar, and Pazhassi Raja earned their place in history and folklore. Many actions, spurred by such leaders as Vaikunda Swami, Sree Narayana Guru and Chattampi Swamikal, instead protested such conditions as untouchability; notable was the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraham. In 1936, Chitra Thirunal Bala Rama Varma of Travancore issued the Temple Entry Proclamation that opened Hindu temples to all castes; Cochin and Malabar soon did likewise. The 1921 Moplah Rebellion involved Mappila Muslims rioting against the British Raj.
After India gained its independence in 1947, Travancore and Cochin were merged to form Travancore-Cochin on 1 July 1949. On 1 January 1950 (Republic Day), Travancore-Cochin was recognised as a state. The Madras Presidency was organised to form Madras State several years prior, in 1947. Finally, the Government of India's 1 November 1956 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated the state of Kerala , incorporating Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four southern taluks, which were merged with Tamil Nadu), and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara. A new legislative assembly was also created, for which elections were first held in 1957. These resulted in a communist-led government through ballot-the world's first of its kind-headed by E.M.S. Namboodiripad. Subsequent social reforms favoured tenants and labourers.
List of Districts in Kerala
(click district for details information)
| Sr. No. | District | District HQ | Population (2011) | Growth | Sex Ratio | Literacy | Area (km2) | Density (/km2) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alappuzha | Alappuzha | 2127789 | 0.88% | 1100 | 95.72 | 1414 | 1501 |
| 2 | Ernakulam | Kakkanad | 3282388 | 5.69% | 1027 | 95.89 | 2951 | 1069 |
| 3 | Idukki | Painavu | 1108974 | -1.79% | 1006 | 91.99 | 4479 | 254 |
| 4 | Kannur | Kannur | 2523003 | 4.73% | 1136 | 95.1 | 2966 | 852 |
| 5 | Kasaragod | Kasaragod | 1307375 | 8.58% | 1080 | 90.09 | 1992 | 654 |
| 6 | Kollam | Kollam | 2635375 | 1.94% | 1113 | 94.09 | 2498 | 1056 |
| 7 | Kottayam | Kottayam | 1974551 | 1.07% | 1039 | 97.21 | 2203 | 896 |
| 8 | Kozhikode | Kozhikode | 3086293 | 7.20% | 1098 | 95.08 | 2345 | 1318 |
| 9 | Malappuram | Malappuram | 4112920 | 13.45% | 1098 | 93.57 | 3550 | 1058 |
| 10 | Palakkad | Palakkad | 2809934 | 7.35% | 1067 | 89.31 | 4480 | 627 |
| 11 | Pathanamthitta | Pathanamthitta | 1197412 | -2.97% | 1132 | 96.55 | 2462 | 453 |
| 12 | Thiruvananthapuram | Thiruvananthapuram | 3301427 | 2.07% | 1087 | 93.02 | 2192 | 1509 |
| 13 | Thrissur | Thrissur | 3121200 | 4.94% | 1108 | 95.08 | 3032 | 1026 |
| 1 | Wayanad | Kalpetta | 817420 | 4.71% | 1035 | 89.03 | 2131 | 383 |
KERALA GEOGRAPHY
Kerala is wedged between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats. Lying between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes 74°52' and 72°22', Kerala is well within the humid equatorial tropics. Kerala 's coast runs for some 580 km (360 miles), while the state itself varies between 35 and 120 km (22-75 miles) in width. Geographically, Kerala can be divided into three climatically distinct regions: the eastern highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the central midlands (rolling hills), and the western lowlands (coastal plains). Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala lies near the centre of the Indian tectonic plate; as such, most of the state is subject to comparatively little seismic and volcanic activity. Pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene geological formations compose the bulk of Kerala 's terrain.
Eastern Kerala consists of high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys immediately west of the Western Ghats' rain shadow. Forty one of Kerala 's west-flowing rivers, and three of its east-flowing ones originate in this region. The Western Ghats form a wall of mountains interrupted only near Palakkad, where the Palakkad Gap breaks through to provide access to the rest of India. The Western Ghats rises on average to 1,500 m (4920 ft) above sea level, while the highest peaks may reach to 2,500 m (8200 ft). Just west of the mountains lie the midland plains comprising central Kerala , dominated by rolling hills and valleys. Generally ranging between elevations of 250-1,000 m (820-3300 ft), the eastern portions of the Nilgiri and Palni Hills include such formations as Agastyamalai and Anamalai.
Kerala 's western coastal belt is relatively flat, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals, lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters. Lake Vembanad- Kerala 's largest body of water-dominates the Backwaters; it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is more than 200 km² in area. Around 8% of India's waterways (measured by length) are found in Kerala . The most important of Kerala 's forty four rivers include the Periyar (244 km), the Bharathapuzha (209 km), the Pamba (176 km), the Chaliyar (169 km), the Kadalundipuzha (130 km) and the Achankovil (128 km). The average length of the rivers of Kerala is 64 km. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by monsoon rains.These conditions result in the nearly year-round water logging of such western regions as Kuttanad, 500 km² of which lies below sea level. As Kerala 's rivers are small and lack deltas, they are more prone to environmental factors. Kerala 's rivers face many problems, including summer droughts, the building of large dams, sand mining, and pollution.
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