Kerala, a state on India's tropical Malabar Coast, has nearly 600km of Arabian Sea shoreline. It's known for its palm-lined beaches and backwaters, a network of canals. Inland are the Western Ghats, mountains whose slopes support tea, coffee and spice plantations as well as wildlife. National parks like Eravikulam and Periyar, plus Wayanad and other sanctuaries, are home to elephants, langur monkeys and tigers.
Kerala – an enticing state on India’s southern tip that functions more like a pivot that balances the entire nation on its own. The ‘land of coconuts’ is as famous for its breathtaking backwaters, as it is for once touching a 100 percent on the literacy scale. ‘God’s own country’ offers such scenic vistas, it feels God himself came down and declared it his own, with one smooth brush stroke. Your Kerala holidays will mean so much more if only you knew these intriguing, inspiring and fascinating facts about Kerala. Read on!When on a blind sojourn if you spot a few coconut trees, and on your way ahead you spot a few more, then lo and behold, you’re in Kerala! There is a direct relation between the name of the state and its native tree. In Malayalam, the language of Kerala, the word ‘keram’ translates into ‘coconut tree’. And since you can literally live your entire life slurping coconut water and chomping on its meat in Kerala, the place came to be known as ‘Keralam’, or ‘land of coconuts’.
- Kerala is probably the only state in India that pursues Ayurveda as the primary treatment modality for lots of diseases and disorders. And it also boasts of the first Ayurvedic resort in the world – the Somatheeram, located just south of the Kovalam Beach. A huge chunk of Kerala Tourism is directed at the healing aspect of this soul-refreshing state. The flourishing greenery obviously has something to do with it since there is no lack of medicinal herbs and plants in the state.
- You can just about replace ‘land of coconuts’ with ‘land of elephants’ and no one would bat an eyelid. That is because this magnificent state’s green fields are roamed by more than 700 elephants. Mostly owned by religious institutions and temples, these elephants are Kerala’s pride. The elephant also features on the government emblem of Kerala.
- One of the lesser known facts about Kerala, and one that is at once humbling and awe-inspiring is that it houses the richest temple in the whole world. The Padmanabhaswamy Temple is not just the richest temple, but the wealthiest institution of worship on the globe because of its towering assets of gold and precious stones.
- Forget the MET Department’s sophisticated machinery to predict the weather. If you’re a Mumbaikar, a quick call to a Keralite can tell you when the monsoon’s coming your way. Kerala receives the country’s earliest rainfall, most