Kerala

Kerala has always been resplendent with the greenery of nature. The Western Ghats with their thick forests and rivers flowing into the Arabian Sea have always fascinated travellers with their pristine charm and the abundance of diverse flora and fauna. In the evergreen rain forests of Wynad and Attappady, King Cobras and the Lion-tailed Macaques still survive the onslaught of civilization.

Apart from Wild life, several hill tribes still continue to exist deep inside the forests of Nilambur, Wynad, and Attappady and so on. The sparkling rivers of Kerala add to the beauty of nature. In the months of long South West Monsoon season, these rivers flow with great fury, which in itself is a grand spectacle. In the reservoir of the Neyyar Dam and the surrounding Ponmudi hills, Crocodiles are reared and released to the waters as part of the rehabilitation program for these threatened species.

Kerala is blessed with several beaches of great beauty right from Kovalam on the Southern end to the famous Payyambalam Beach at the Northern End with several good beaches like Varkala, Alappuzha, and Cherai etc strewn in between.

Kerala is famous for its backwaters. A boat cruise along these placid waters is a must for most tourists. Kerala has a good number of hill stations and summer destinations too. Munnar, Thekkady, Ponmudi, Wynad, Sholayar are a few of them.

Kerala has been a land of religious tolerance and one can find lots of churches, temples and mosques throughout the state. Kerala temples are historical and the architecture is typical to Kerala. There are a lot of arts and cultural activities associated with these temples. Kathakali and Koodiyattom are two famous art forms that jump to the mind.

Right from Parassala near Trivandrum, the southernmost border of Kerala to Gokarnam, the Northern border, Kerala is a state blessed with a high-density of population with people of several religions living together in harmony. People have high personal hygiene, high literacy rate and are well-dressed with clean clothes. The language of the state is Malayalam but has several dialects and styles like Valluvanadan, Venad, Travancore, Palakkadan etc.

The cuisine of Kerala is really mouth-watering. The traditional Ona Sadhya (Onam Feast) is stunning with more than a dozen dishes served on a banana leaf. Kerala is known for its delicious fish dishes and other non-vegetarian preparations.

The festivals of Kerala are famous for their color and pageantry. Onam, Vishu, Thrissur Pooram etc are the main festivals of Kerala.

Finally Kerala is the home of Ayurveda, the traditional system of treatment. Ayurveda is famous world over for its treatments like Suka Chikitsa, Njavarakizhi, Panchakarama, Uzhichil etc.

In short Kerala is a paradise on Earth, with its brilliant greenery, verdant forests and abundance of beaches and hills.