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Coordinates:8.5N77E

Kerala
FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopedia

Kerala(/krl/),historicallyknownasKeralam,isan
IndianstateinSouthIndiaontheMalabarcoast.Itwas
formedon1November1956followingtheStates
ReorganisationActbycombiningMalayalamspeaking
regions.Spreadover38,863km2(15,005sqmi),itis
borderedbyKarnatakatothenorthandnortheast,Tamil
Nadutotheeastandsouth,andtheLakshadweepSeato
thewest.With33,387,677inhabitantsasperthe2011
Census,Keralaisthethirteenthlargeststatebypopulation
andisdividedinto14districtswiththecapitalbeing
Thiruvananthapuram.Malayalamisthemostwidely
spokenlanguageandisalsotheofficiallanguageofthe
state.
Theregionhasbeenaprominentspiceexportersince
3000BCE.TheCheraDynastywasthefirstprominent
kingdombasedinKerala,thoughitfrequentlystruggled
againstattacksbytheneighbouringCholasandPandyas.
Inthe15thcentury,thespicetradeattractedPortuguese
traderstoKerala,andpavedthewayfortheEuropean
colonisationofIndia.Afterindependence,Travancoreand
CochinjoinedtheRepublicofIndiaandTravancore
Cochinwasgiventhestatusofastatein1949.In1956,
KeralastatewasformedbymergingMalabardistrict,
TravancoreCochin(excludingfoursoutherntaluks),and
thetalukofKasargod,SouthKanara.
Keralahasthelowestpositivepopulationgrowthratein
India,3.44%highestHumanDevelopmentIndex(HDI),
0.790in2011thehighestliteracyrate,93.91%inthe
2011censusthehighestlifeexpectancy,77yearsandthe
highestsexratio,1,084womenper1000men.Thestate
haswitnessedsignificantemigration,especiallytoArab
statesofthePersianGulfduringtheGulfBoomofthe
1970sandearly1980s,anditseconomydepends
significantlyonremittancesfromalargeMalayali
expatriatecommunity.Hinduismispractisedbymorethan
halfofthepopulation,followedbyIslamandChristianity.
ThecultureisasynthesisofAryanandDravidian
cultures,[6]developedovermillennia,underinfluences
fromotherpartsofIndiaandabroad.
Theproductionofpepperandnaturalrubbercontributes
significantlytothetotalnationaloutput.Intheagricultural
sector,coconut,tea,coffee,cashewandspicesare
important.Thestate'scoastlineextendsfor595kilometres
(370mi),andaround1.1millionpeopleinthestateare
dependentonthefisheryindustrywhichcontributes3%to
thestate'sincome.Thestatehasthehighestmedia
exposureinIndiawithnewspaperspublishinginnine
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Kerala

State

AhouseboatintheKeralabackwaters

Coatofarms

Nickname(s):God'sOwnCountry,SpiceGardenof
India

LocationofKerala

Coordinates(Thiruvananthapuram):8.5N77E
Country

India

Statehood

1November1956

Capital
Districts

Thiruvananthapuram
14

Government
Body
Governor

GovernmentofKerala

ChiefMinister
ChiefSecretary

P.Sathasivam[2]
PinarayiVijayan(CPI(M))
S.M.VijayanandIAS[3]
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languages,mainlyEnglishandMalayalam.Keralaisone
oftheprominenttouristdestinationsofIndia,with
backwaters,beaches,Ayurvedictourismandtropical
greeneryasitsmajorattractions.

Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Mythology
2.2 Prehistory
2.3 Ancientperiod
2.4 Earlymedievalperiod
2.5 Colonialera
2.6 Postcolonialperiod
3 Geography
3.1 Climate
4 Floraandfauna
5 Subdivisions
6 Governmentandadministration
7 Economy
7.1 Agriculture
7.2 Fisheries
8 Transport
8.1 Roads
8.2 Railways
8.3 Airports
8.4 Watertransport
9 Demographics
9.1 Gender
9.2 HumanDevelopmentIndex
9.3 Healthcare
10 Religion
11 Education
12 Culture
12.1 Festivals
12.1.1 Onam
12.2 Dance
12.3 Music
12.4 Cinema
12.5 Literature
12.6 Cuisine
12.7 Elephants
13 Media
14 Sports
15 Tourism
16 Seealso
17 References
18 Externallinks

DirectorGeneralof
Police
Legislature
Area
Total

LokanathBeheraIPS[4]
Unicameral(141seats)

Arearank

38,863km2(15,005sqmi)
22nd

Highestelevation
Lowestelevation

2,695m(8,842ft)
2.2m(7.2ft)

Population(2011)
Total
Rank

33,387,677[1]
13th

Demonym(s)

Keralite,Malayali

Timezone
ISO3166code

IST(UTC+05:30)
INKL

HDI
HDIrank

0.790(high)
1st(2011)

Literacy
Officiallanguage
Spokenlanguage

93.9%(1st)(2011)
Malayalam
Malayalam,English

Website

kerala.gov.in(http://kerala.
gov.in/)

140elected,1nominated

Etymology

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ThenameKeralahasanuncertainetymology."Keralam"maystemfromtheClassicalTamilcherivealam
("declivityofahilloramountainslope")orcheraalam("LandoftheCheras").While"Kerala"mayrepresent
animperfectMalayalamportmanteaufusingkera("coconutpalmtree")andalam("land"or"location").[7]
"Kerala"canalsobederivedfromtheword"Cheral"thatreferstotheoldestknowndynastyofKeralakings.
Theword"Cheral"isderivedfromtheProtoTamilMalayalamwordfor"lake".[8]
TheearliestSanskrittexttomentionKeralaistheAitareyaAranyakaoftheRigveda.Itisalsomentionedinthe
RamayanaandtheMahabharata,thetwoHinduepics.[9]ThewordKeralaisfirstrecorded(asKeralaputra,
meaningCherathalamakanorCheraman)ina3rdcenturyBCErockinscription(RockEdict2)leftbythe
MauryaemperorAshoka(274237BCE).[10]TheinscriptionreferstothelocalrulerasKeralaputra(Sanskrit
for"sonofKerala")or"sonofChera[s]".Thiscontradictsapopulartheorythatitsetymologyderives"Kerala"
from"Kera"(coconuttreeinMalayalam).[11]Atthattime,oneofthreestatesintheregionwascalledCheralam
inClassicalTamil:CheraandKeraarevariantsofthesameword.[12]TheGrecoRomantrademapPeriplus
MarisErythraeireferstoKeralaputraasCelobotra.[13]

History
Mythology
AccordingtoHindumythology,thelandsofKeralawererecoveredfrom
theseabytheaxewieldingwarriorsageParasurama,thesixthavatarof
Vishnu,henceKeralaisalsocalledParasuramaKshetram("TheLandof
Parasurama").[14]Parasuramathrewhisaxeacrossthesea,andthewater
recededasfarasitreached.Accordingtolegend,thisnewareaofland
extendedfromGokarnatoKanyakumari.[15]Thelandwhichrosefrom
seawasfilledwithsaltandunsuitableforhabitationsoParasurama
invokedtheSnakeKingVasuki,whospatholypoisonandconvertedthe
soilintofertilelushgreenland.Outofrespect,Vasukiandallsnakes
wereappointedasprotectorsandguardiansoftheland.Thelegendwas
laterexpanded,andfoundliteraryexpressioninthe17thor18thcentury
withKeralolpathi,whichtracestheoriginofaspectsofearlyKerala
society,suchaslandtenureandadministration,tothestoryof
Parasurama.[16]InmedievaltimesKuttuvanmayhaveemulatedthe
Parasuramatraditionbythrowinghisspearintotheseatosymbolisehis
lordshipoverit.[17]

Parasurama,surroundedbysettlers,
commandingVaruna(theHinduGod
ofwater)toparttheseasandreveal
Kerala

AnothermuchearlierPuraniccharacterassociatedwithKeralaisMahabali,anAsuraandaprototypicaljust
king,whoruledtheearthfromKerala.HewonthewaragainsttheDevas,drivingthemintoexile.TheDevas
pleadedbeforeLordVishnu,whotookhisfifthincarnationasVamanaandpushedMahabalidowntoPatala(the
netherworld)toplacatetheDevas.Thereisabeliefthat,onceayearduringtheOnamfestival,Mahabalireturns
toKerala.[18]TheMatsyaPurana,amongtheoldestofthe18Puranas,[19][20]usestheMalayaMountainsof
Kerala(andTamilNadu)asthesettingforthestoryofMatsya,thefirstincarnationofVishnu,andManu,the
firstmanandthekingoftheregion.[21][22]

Prehistory
AsubstantialportionofKeralamayhavebeenundertheseainancienttimes.Marinefossilshavebeenfoundin
anareanearChanganacherry,thussupportingthehypothesis.[23]Prehistoricalarchaeologicalfindingsinclude
dolmensoftheNeolithiceraintheMarayurareaoftheIdukkidistrict.Theyarelocallyknownas"muniyara",
derivedfrommuni(hermitorsage)andara(dolmen).[24]RockengravingsintheEdakkalCaves,inWayanad
datebacktotheNeolithiceraaround6000BCE.[25][26]ArchaeologicalstudieshaveidentifiedMesolithic,
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NeolithicandMegalithicsitesinKerala.[27]Thestudiespointtothe
developmentofancientKeralasocietyanditsculturebeginningfromthe
PaleolithicAge,throughtheMesolithic,NeolithicandMegalithic
Ages.[28]Foreignculturalcontactshaveassistedthiscultural
formation[29]historianssuggestapossiblerelationshipwithIndusValley
CivilizationduringthelateBronzeAgeandearlyIronAge.[30]

Ancientperiod
AdolmenerectedbyNeolithicpeople
Keralahasbeenamajorspiceexportersince3000BCE,accordingto
inMarayur
Sumerianrecordsanditisstillreferredtoasthe"GardenofSpices"oras
the"SpiceGardenofIndia".[31][32]Kerala'sspicesattractedancient
Babylonians,AssyriansandEgyptianstotheMalabarCoastinthe3rdand2ndmillenniaBCE.Arabsand
PhoeniciansestablishedtradewithKeraladuringthisperiod.[33]TheLandofKeralaputrawasoneofthefour
independentkingdomsinsouthernIndiaduringAshoka'stime,theothersbeingChola,Pandya,and
Satiyaputra.[34]ScholarsholdthatKeralaputraisanalternatenameoftheCheras,thefirstdominantdynasty
basedinKerala.[35][36]Theseterritoriesoncesharedacommonlanguageandculture,withinanareaknownas
Tamilakam.[37]WhiletheCherasruledmostofmodernKerala,itssoutherntipwasinthekingdomof
Pandyas,[38]whichhadatradingportsometimesidentifiedinancientWesternsourcesasNelcynda(or
Neacyndi)inQuilon.[39]Later,theregionfellunderthecontrolofthePandyas,Cheras,andCholas.Aysand
MushikasweretwootherdynastiesofancientKerala,whosekingdomslaytothesouthandnorthofCheras
respectively.[40][41]

InthelastcenturiesBCEthecoastbecameimportanttotheGreeksand
Romansforitsspices,especiallyblackpepper.TheCherashadtrading
linkswithChina,WestAsia,Egypt,Greece,andtheRomanEmpire.[42]
InforeigntradecirclestheregionwasknownasMaleorMalabar.[43]
Muziris,Berkarai,andNelcyndawereamongtheprincipalportsatthat
time.[44]ThevalueofRome'sannualtradewiththeregionwas
estimatedataround50,000,000sesterces[45]contemporarySangam
literaturedescribesRomanshipscomingtoMuzirisinKerala,laden
SilkRoadmap.Thespicetradewas
withgoldtoexchangeforpepper.Oneoftheearliestwesterntradersto
mainlyalongthewaterroutes(blue).
usethemonsoonwindstoreachKeralawasEudoxusofCyzicus,
around118or166BCE,underthepatronageofPtolemyVIII,kingof
theHellenisticPtolemaicdynastyinEgypt.Romanestablishmentsintheportcitiesoftheregion,suchasa
templeofAugustusandbarracksforgarrisonedRomansoldiers,aremarkedintheTabulaPeutingerianathe
onlysurvivingmapoftheRomancursuspublicus.[46][47]
MerchantsfromWestAsiaandSouthernEuropeestablishedcoastalpostsandsettlementsinKerala.[48]The
JewishconnectionwithKeralastartedin573BCE.[49][50][51]ArabsalsohadtradelinkswithKerala,starting
beforethe4thcenturyBCE,asHerodotus(484413BCE)notedthatgoodsbroughtbyArabsfromKeralawere
soldtotheJewsatEden.[44]Theyintermarriedwithlocalpeople,resultinginformationoftheMuslimMappila
community.[52]Inthe4thcentury,someChristiansalsomigratedfromPersiaandjoinedtheearlySyrian
ChristiancommunitywhotracetheiroriginstotheevangelisticactivityofThomastheApostleinthe1st
century.[53][54]MappilawasanhonorifictitlethathadbeenassignedtorespectedvisitorsfromabroadJewish,
SyrianChristian,andMuslimimmigrationaccountforlaternamesoftherespectivecommunities:Juda
Mappilas,NasraniMappilas,andMuslimMappilas.[55][56]TheearliestSaintThomasChristianChurches,[57]
CheramanJumaMasjid(629CE)thefirstmosqueofIndia[58]andParadesiSynagogue(1568CE)the
oldestactivesynagogueintheCommonwealthofNations[59]werebuiltinKerala.[52]
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Earlymedievalperiod
AsecondCheraKingdom(c.8001102),alsoknownasKulasekhara
dynastyofMahodayapuram,wasestablishedbyKulasekharaVarman,
whichruledoveraterritorycomprisingthewholeofmodernKeralaand
asmallerpartofmodernTamilNadu.Duringtheearlypartofthe
Kulasekaraperiod,thesouthernregionfromNagerkoviltoThiruvalla
wasruledbyAykings,wholosttheirpowerinthe10thcentury,making
theregionapartoftheKulasekaraempire.[60][61]UnderKulasekhara
rule,Keralawitnessedadevelopingperiodofart,literature,tradeandthe
BhaktimovementofHinduism.[62]AKeraliteidentity,distinctfromthe
Tamils,becamelinguisticallyseparateduringthisperiod.[63]Forlocal
administration,theempirewasdividedintoprovincesundertheruleof
Naduvazhis,witheachprovincecomprisinganumberofDesamsunder
thecontrolofchieftains,calledasDesavazhis.[62]
TharisapalliplatesgrantedtoSaint

Theinhibitions,causedbyaseriesofCheraCholawarsinthe11th
ThomasChristianstestifythat
century,resultedinthedeclineofforeigntradeinKeralaports.
merchantguildsandtrade
[64]
corporationsplayedaverysignificant
BuddhismandJainismdisappearedfromtheland. Thesocialsystem
[65]
roleintheeconomyandsociallife
becamefracturedwithdivisionsoncastelines. Finally,the
duringtheKulasekharaperiod.
Kulasekharadynastywassubjugatedin1102bythecombinedattackof
LaterPandyasandLaterCholas.[60]However,inthe14thcentury,Ravi
VarmaKulashekhara(12991314)ofthesouthernVenadkingdomwasabletoestablishashortlivedsupremacy
oversouthernIndia.Afterhisdeath,intheabsenceofastrongcentralpower,thestatewasdividedintothirty
smallwarringprincipalitiesthemostpowerfulofthemwerethekingdomofSamuthiriinthenorth,Venadin
thesouthandKochiinthemiddle.Inthe18thCentury,TravancoreKingSreeAnizhamThirunalMarthanda
VarmaannexedallthekingdomsuptoNorthernKeralathroughmilitaryconquests,resultingintheriseof
TravancoretopreeminenceinKerala.TheKochirulersuedforpeacewithAnizhamThirunalandMalabar
cameunderdirectBritishruleuntilIndiabecameindependent.[66][67]

Colonialera
ThemaritimespicetrademonopolyintheIndianOceanstayedwithArabsduringtheHighandLateMiddle
Ages.However,thedominanceofMiddleEasttraderswaschallengedintheEuropeanAgeofDiscoveryduring
whichthespicetrade,particularlyinblackpepper,becameaninfluentialactivityforEuropeantraders.[68]
Aroundthe15thcentury,thePortuguesebegantodominateeasternshipping,andthespicetradeinparticular,
culminatinginVascoDaGama'sarrivalinKappadKozhikodein1498.[69][70]TheZamorinofKozhikode
permittedthenewvisitorstotradewithhissubjectssuchthatPortuguesetradeinKozhikodeprosperedwiththe
establishmentofafactoryandafort.However,PortugueseattacksonArabpropertiesinhisjurisdiction
provokedtheZamorinandledtoconflictsbetweenthem.ThePortuguesetookadvantageoftherivalrybetween
theZamorinandtheKingofKochialliedwithKochi.WhenFranciscodeAlmeidawasappointedasViceroyof
PortugueseIndiain1505,hisheadquarterswasestablishedatFortKochi(FortEmmanuel)ratherthanin
Kozhikode.Duringhisreign,thePortuguesemanagedtodominaterelationswithKochiandestablishedafew
fortressesontheMalabarcoast.[71]However,thePortuguesesufferedsetbacksfromattacksbyZamorinforces
especiallyfromnavalattacksundertheleadershipKozhikodeadmiralsknownasKunjaliMarakkars,which
compelledthemtoseekatreaty.In1571,thePortugueseweredefeatedbytheZamorinforcesinthebattleat
Chaliyamfort.[72]
ThePortuguesewereoustedbytheDutchEastIndiaCompany,whoduringtheconflictsbetweentheKozhikode
andtheKochi,gainedcontrolofthetrade.[73]TheDutchinturnwereweakenedbyconstantbattleswith
MarthandaVarmaoftheTravancoreRoyalFamily,andweredefeatedattheBattleofColachelin1741.[74]An
agreement,knownas"TreatyofMavelikkara",wassignedbytheDutchandTravancorein1753,accordingto
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whichtheDutchwerecompelledtodetachfromallpoliticalinvolvement
intheregion.[75][76][77]MarthandaVarmaannexednorthernkingdoms
throughmilitaryconquests,resultingintheriseofTravancoretoa
positionofpreeminenceinKerala.[78]
In1766,HyderAli,therulerofMysoreinvadednorthernKerala.[79]His
sonandsuccessor,TipuSultan,launchedcampaignsagainstthe
expandingBritishEastIndiaCompany,resultingintwoofthefour
AngloMysoreWars.[80][81]TipuultimatelycededtheMalabarDistrict
ThepathVascodaGamatookto
andSouthKanaratothecompanyinthe1790sbothwereannexedtothe
reachIndia(blackline)
MadrasPresidencyofBritishIndiain1792.[82][83][84]Thecompany
forgedtributaryallianceswithKochiin1791andTravancorein1795.[85]
Bytheendof18thcentury,thewholeofKeralafellunderthecontroloftheBritish,eitheradministereddirectly
orundersuzerainty.[86]ThereweremajorrevoltsinKeraladuringtheindependencemovementinthe20th
centurymostnotableamongthemisthe1921MalabarRebellionandthesocialstrugglesinTravancore.Inthe
MalabarRebellion,MappilaMuslimsofMalabarriotedagainstHinduzamindarsandtheBritishRaj.[87]Some
socialstrugglesagainstcasteinequalitiesalsoeruptedintheearlydecadesof20thcentury,leadingtothe1936
TempleEntryProclamationthatopenedHindutemplesinTravancoretoallcastes.[88]

Postcolonialperiod
AfterBritishIndiawaspartitionedin1947intoIndiaandPakistan,TravancoreandKochi,partoftheUnionof
Indiaweremergedon1July1949toformTravancoreCochin.[89]On1November1956,thetalukofKasargod
intheSouthKanaradistrictofMadras,theMalabardistrictofMadras,andTravancoreCochin,withoutfour
southerntaluks(whichjoinedTamilNadu),mergedtoformthestateofKeralaundertheStatesReorganisation
Act.[90][91]ACommunistledgovernmentunderE.M.S.Namboodiripadresultedfromthefirstelectionsforthe
newKeralaLegislativeAssemblyin1957.[91]ItwasoneoftheearliestelectedCommunistgovernments,after
Communistsuccessinthe1945electionsintheRepublicofSanMarino.[92][93][94]

Geography
ThestateiswedgedbetweentheLakshadweepSeaandtheWesternGhats.Lyingbetweennorthernlatitudes
818'and1248'andeasternlongitudes7452'and7722',[95]Keralaexperiencesthehumidequatorialtropic
climate.Thestatehasacoastof590km(370mi)[96]andthewidthofthestatevariesbetween11and121
kilometres(7and75mi).[97]Geographically,Keralacanbedividedintothreeclimaticallydistinctregions:the
easternhighlandsruggedandcoolmountainousterrain,thecentralmidlandsrollinghills,andthewestern
lowlandscoastalplains.[98]PreCambrianandPleistocenegeologicalformationscomposethebulkofKerala's
terrain.[99][100]AcatastrophicfloodinKeralain1341CEdrasticallymodifieditsterrainandconsequently
affecteditshistoryitalsocreatedanaturalharbourforspicetransport.[101]TheeasternregionofKeralaconsists
ofhighmountains,gorgesanddeepcutvalleysimmediatelywestoftheWesternGhats'rainshadow.[98]41of
Kerala'swestflowingrivers,[102]and3ofitseastflowingonesoriginateinthisregion.[103][104]TheWestern
GhatsformawallofmountainsinterruptedonlynearPalakkadhencealsoknownPalghat,wherethePalakkad
Gapbreaks.[105]TheWesternGhatsriseonaverageto1,500m(4920ft)abovesealevel,[106]whilethehighest
peaksreacharound2,500m(8200ft).[107]Anamudi,thehighestpeakinsouthIndia,isatanelevationof2,695
metres(8,842ft).[108]
Kerala'swesterncoastalbeltisrelativelyflatcomparedtotheeasternregion,[109]andiscrisscrossedbya
networkofinterconnectedbrackishcanals,lakes,estuaries,[110]andriversknownastheKeralaBackwaters.[111]
Thestate'slargestlakeVembanad,dominatesthebackwatersitliesbetweenAlappuzhaandKochiandisabout
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200km2(77sqmi)inarea.[112]AroundeightpercentofIndia's
waterwaysarefoundinKerala.[113]Kerala's44riversincludethe
Periyar244kilometres(152mi),Bharathapuzha209kilometres
(130mi),Pamba176kilometres(109mi),Chaliyar169kilometres
(105mi),Kadalundipuzha130kilometres(81mi),Chalakudipuzha130
kilometres(81mi),Valapattanam129kilometres(80mi)andthe
AchankovilRiver128kilometres(80mi).Theaveragelengthofthe
riversis64kilometres(40mi).Manyoftheriversaresmallandentirely
fedbymonsoonrain.[114]AsKerala'sriversaresmallandlackingin
delta,theyaremorepronetoenvironmentaleffects.Theriversface
problemssuchassandminingandpollution.[115]Thestateexperiences
severalnaturalhazardslikelandslides,floodsanddroughts.Thestate
wasalsoaffectedbythe2004IndianOceanTsunami.[116]

Anamudi,ontheright,asseenfrom
theMunnarUdumalpettaihighway

Climate
Witharound120140rainydaysperyear,[117]:80Keralahasawetand
maritimetropicalclimateinfluencedbytheseasonalheavyrainsofthe
southwestsummermonsoonandnortheastwintermonsoon.[118]Around
Vembanad,thelargestlakeinKerala
65%oftherainfalloccursfromJunetoAugustcorrespondingtothe
Southwestmonsoon,andtherestfromSeptembertoDecember
correspondingtoNortheastmonsoon.[118]ThemoistureladenwindsoftheSouthwestmonsoon,onreachingthe
southernmostpointoftheIndianPeninsula,becauseofitstopography,dividesintotwobranchesthe"Arabian
SeaBranch"andthe"BayofBengalBranch".[119]The"ArabianSeaBranch"oftheSouthwestmonsoonfirst
hitstheWesternGhats,[120]makingKeralathefirststateinIndiatoreceiverainfromtheSouthwest
monsoon.[121][122]ThedistributionofpressurepatternsisreversedintheNortheastmonsoon,duringthisseason
thecoldwindsfromNorthIndiapickupmoisturefromtheBayofBengalandprecipitateitontheeastcoastof
peninsularIndia.[123][124]InKerala,theinfluenceoftheNortheastmonsoonisseeninsoutherndistricts
only.[125]Kerala'srainfallaverages2,923mm(115in)annually.[126]SomeofKerala'sdrierlowlandregions
averageonly1,250mm(49in)themountainsoftheeasternIdukkidistrictreceivemorethan5,000mm
(197in)oforographicprecipitation:thehighestinthestate.IneasternKerala,adriertropicalwetanddry
climateprevails.Duringthesummer,thestateispronetogaleforcewinds,stormsurges,cyclonerelated
torrentialdownpours,occasionaldroughts,andrisesinsealevel.[127]:26,46,52Themeandailytemperatureranges
from19.8Cto36.7C.[128]Meanannualtemperaturesrangefrom25.027.5Cinthecoastallowlandsto
20.022.5Cintheeasternhighlands.[127]:65
ClimatedataforKerala
Month

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Year

Average
highC
(F)

30
(86)

31
(88)

32
(90)

34
(93)

34
(93)

30
(86)

29
(84)

29
(84)

29
(84)

30
(86)

30
(86)

31
(88)

34
(93)

Average
lowC
(F)

22
(72)

23
(73)

24
(75)

25
(77)

25
(77)

24
(75)

23
(73)

23
(73)

23
(73)

23
(73)

23
(73)

22
(72)

22
(72)

Average
rainfall 8.7
14.7
30.4 109.5 239.8 649.8
726.1
419.5 244.2 292.3 150.9 37.5
2,923.4
mm (0.343) (0.579) (1.197) (4.311) (9.441) (25.583) (28.587) (16.516) (9.614) (11.508) (5.941) (1.476) (115.096)
(inches)
Source:[126][128]

Floraandfauna
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Mostofthebiodiversityisconcentratedandprotectedinthe
WesternGhats.ThreequartersofthelandareaofKeralawas
StatesymbolsofKerala[129][130]
underthickforestupto18thcentury.[131]Asof2004,over
25%ofIndia's15,000plantspeciesareinKerala.Outofthe
Animal
Indianelephant
4,000floweringplantspecies1,272ofwhichareendemicto
Kerala,900aremedicinal,and159arethreatened.[132]:11Its
Bird
9,400km2offorestsincludetropicalwetevergreenandsemi
Greathornbill
2
evergreenforests(lowerandmiddleelevations3,470km ),
tropicalmoistanddrydeciduousforests(midelevations
Fish
Pearlspot
4,100km2and100km2,respectively),andmontane
Flower
subtropicalandtemperate(shola)forests(highestelevations
Goldenshowertreeflower
100km2).Altogether,24%ofKeralaisforested.[132]:12
Threeoftheworld'sRamsarConventionlistedwetlands
Tree
LakeSasthamkotta,AshtamudiLakeandtheVembanad
Coconuttree
2
KolwetlandsareinKerala,aswellas1455.4km ofthe
vastNilgiriBiosphereReserve.Subjectedtoextensive
clearingforcultivationinthe20thcentury,[133]:67muchoftheremainingforestcoverisnowprotectedfrom
clearfelling.[134]EasternKerala'swindwardmountainssheltertropicalmoistforestsandtropicaldryforests,
whicharecommonintheWesternGhats.[135][136]Theworld'soldestteakplantation'Conolly'sPlot'isin
Nilambur.[137]
Kerala'sfaunaarenotablefortheirdiversityandhighratesofendemism:itincludes118speciesofmammals(1
endemic),500speciesofbirds,189speciesoffreshwaterfish,173speciesofreptiles(10ofthemendemic),and
151speciesofamphibians(36endemic).[138]Thesearethreatenedbyextensivehabitatdestruction,including
soilerosion,landslides,salinisation,andresourceextraction.Intheforests,sonokeling,Dalbergialatifolia,
anjili,mullumurikku,Erythrina,andCassianumberamongthemorethan1,000speciesoftreesinKerala.Other
plantsincludebamboo,wildblackpepper,wildcardamom,thecalamusrattanpalm,andaromaticvetivergrass,
Vetiveriazizanioides.[132]:12Indianelephant,Bengaltiger,Indianleopard,Nilgiritahr,commonpalmcivet,and
grizzledgiantsquirrelsarealsofoundintheforests.[132]:12,174175Reptilesincludethekingcobra,viper,python,
andmuggercrocodile.Kerala'sbirdsincludetheMalabartrogon,thegreathornbill,Keralalaughingthrush,
darterandsouthernhillmyna.Inthelakes,wetlands,andwaterways,fishsuchaskadustingingcatfishand
choottachiorangechromideEtroplusmaculatusarefound.[132]:163165

Subdivisions
Thestate's14districtsaredistributedamongsixregions:NorthMalabar(farnorth
Kerala),SouthMalabar(northernKerala),Kochi(centralKerala),Northern
Travancore,CentralTravancore(southernKerala)andSouthernTravancore(far
southKerala).Thedistrictswhichserveasadministrativeregionsfortaxation
purposesarefurthersubdividedinto75taluks,whichhavefiscalandadministrative
powersoversettlementswithintheirborders,includingmaintenanceoflocalland
records.Kerala'staluksarefurthersubdividedinto1,453revenuevillages.[139]
Sincethe73rdand74thamendmentstotheConstitutionofIndia,thelocal
governmentinstitutionsfunctionasthethirdtierofgovernment,whichconstitutes
14DistrictPanchayats,152BlockPanchayats,978GramaPanchayats,60
Municipalities,sixCorporationsandoneTownship.[140]Mah,apartoftheIndian
unionterritoryofPuducherry,[141]though647kilometres(402mi)awayfrom
it,[142]isacoastalexclavesurroundedbyKeralaonallofitslandwardapproaches.
TheKannurDistrictsurroundsMahonthreesideswiththeKozhikodeDistricton
thefourth.[143]
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TherearesixMunicipalcorporationsinKeralathatgovernThiruvananthapuram,Kollam,Kochi,Thrissur,
KozhikodeandKannur.[144]TheThiruvananthapuramMunicipalCorporationisthelargestcorporationinKerala
whileKochimetropolitanareanamedKochiUAisthelargesturbanagglomeration.[145]Accordingtoasurvey
byeconomicsresearchfirmIndicusAnalytivsin2007,Thiruvananthapuram,Kozhikode,Thrissur,Kochiand
Kannurareamongthe"bestcitiesinIndiatolive"thesurveyusedparameterssuchashealth,education,
environment,safety,publicfacilitiesandentertainmenttorankthecities.[146]

Governmentandadministration
Keralahoststwomajorpoliticalalliances:theUnitedDemocraticFront
(UDF),ledbytheIndianNationalCongressandtheLeftDemocratic
Front(LDF),ledbytheCommunistPartyofIndia(Marxist)(CPI(M)).
Asof2016,theLDFistherulingcoalitionPinarayiVijayanofthe
CommunistPartyofIndia(Marxist)istheChiefMinister,whileRamesh
ChennithalaoftheUDFistheLeaderofOpposition.Strikes,protests
andmarchesareubiquitousinKeralabecauseofthecomparatively
strongpresenceoflabourunions.[147][148]AccordingtotheConstitution
ofIndia,Keralahasaparliamentarysystemofrepresentativedemocracy
universalsuffrageisgrantedtoresidents.[149]Thegovernmentis
organisedintothethreebranches:

TheKeralaHighCourtcomplexin
Kochi.

1.Legislature:Theunicamerallegislature,theKeralaLegislative
AssemblypopularlyknownasNiyamasabha,compriseselected
membersandspecialofficebearerstheSpeakerandDeputy
Speakerelectedbythemembersfromamongthemselves.
AssemblymeetingsarepresidedoverbytheSpeakerandinthe
Speaker'sabsence,bytheDeputySpeaker.Thestatehas140
assemblyconstituencies.[150]Thestateelects20and9members
TheKeralaSecretariatseatof
forrepresentationintheLokSabhaandtheRajyaSabha
executiveadministrationofKerala,
respectively.[151]
andformerlyofthelegislative
2.Executive:TheGovernorofKeralaistheconstitutionalheadof
assembly
state,andisappointedbythePresidentofIndia.[152]PSathasivam
istheGovernorofKerala.[153]Theexecutiveauthorityisheaded
bytheChiefMinisterofKerala,whoistheheadofgovernment
andisvestedwithextensiveexecutivepowerstheheadofthe
majoritypartyintheLegislativeAssemblyisappointedtothepost
bytheGovernor.[152]TheCouncilofMinistershasitsmembers
appointedbytheGovernor,takingtheadviceoftheChief
Minister.[152]Theexecutiveadministrationisbasedin
ThiruvananthapuramatStateSecretariatcomplex.Eachdistrict
hasadistrictadministratorappointedbygovernmentcalled
TheKeralaLegislativeAssembly
Districtcollectorforexecutiveadministration.Auxiliary
BuildinginThiruvananthapuram
authoritiesknownaspanchayats,forwhichlocalbodyelections
areregularlyheld,governlocalaffairs.[154]
3.Judiciary:ThejudiciaryconsistsoftheKeralaHighCourtandasystemoflowercourts.[155]TheHigh
Court,locatedinKochi,[156]hasaChiefJusticealongwith23permanentandsevenadditionalpro
temporejusticesasof2012.[157]ThehighcourtalsohearscasesfromtheUnionTerritoryof
Lakshadweep.[158][159]
ThelocalgovernmentbodiesPanchayat,MunicipalitiesandCorporationshaveexistedinKeralasince1959,
however,themajorinitiativetodecentralisethegovernancewasstartedin1993,conformingtothe
constitutionalamendmentsofcentralgovernmentinthisdirection.[160]WiththeenactmentofKeralaPanchayati
RajActandKeralaMunicipalityActin1994,thestateimplementedreformsinlocalselfgovernance.[161]The
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KeralaPanchayatiRajActenvisagesa3tiersystemoflocalgovernmentwithGrampanchayat,Block
panchayatandDistrictPanchayatformingahierarchy.[162]Theactsensureacleardemarcationofpoweramong
theseinstitutions.[160]However,theKeralaMunicipalityActenvisagesasingletiersystemforurbanareas,with
theinstitutionofmunicipalitydesignedtoparwiththeGrampanchayatoftheformersystem.Substantial
administrative,legalandfinancialpowersaredelegatedtothesebodiestoensureefficientdecentralisation.[163]
Asperthepresentnorms,thestategovernmentdevolvesabout40percentofthestateplanoutlaytothelocal
government.[164]

Economy
Afterindependence,thestatewasmanagedasademocraticsocialistwelfareeconomy.Fromthe1990s,
liberalisationofthemixedeconomyallowedonerousLicenceRajrestrictionsagainstcapitalismandforeign
directinvestmenttobelightened,leadingtoeconomicexpansionandanincreaseinemployment.Inthefiscal
year20072008,thenominalgrossstatedomesticproduct(GSDP)was1,624billion(US$24billion).GSDP
growth9.2%in20042005and7.4%in20032004hadbeenhighcomparedtoanaverageof2.3%annuallyin
the1980sandbetween5.1%[165]:8and5.99%[166]inthe1990s.[165]:8Thestaterecorded8.93%growthin
enterprisesfrom1998to2005,higherthanthenationalrateof4.80%.[167]TheHumanDevelopmentIndex
ratingofKeralaisthehighestinIndiaat0.790.[168]The"Keralaphenomenon"or"Keralamodelof
development"ofveryhighhumandevelopmentandincomparisonloweconomicdevelopmenthasresulted
fromastrongservicesector.[127]:48[169]:1
Kerala'seconomydependsonemigrantsworkinginforeigncountries,mainlyinArabstatesofthePersianGulf,
andremittancesannuallycontributemorethanafifthofGSDP.[170]In2008,thePersianGulfcountriestogether
hadaKeralitepopulationofmorethan2.5million,whosenthomeannuallyasumofUS$6.81billion,whichis
thehighestamongIndianstatesandmorethan15.13%ofremittancestoIndiain2008.[171]In2012,Keralastill
receivedthehighestremittancesofallstates:US$11.3billion,whichwasnearly16%oftheUS$71billion
remittancestothecountry.[172]In2015,NRIdepositsinKeralahavesoaredtoover1lakhcrore
(US$15billion),amountingtoonesixthofallthemoneydepositedinNRIaccounts,whichcomestoabout
7lakhcrore(US$100billion).[173]However,astudycommissionedbytheKeralaStatePlanningBoard,
suggestedthatthestatelookforotherreliablesourcesofincome,insteadofrelyingonremittancestofinanceits
expenditure.[174]Accordingtoastudydonein2013,Keralalosesabout17,500crore(US$2.6billion)every
year,throughthesizeablepopulationofmigrantlabourersinKerala.[175]
Thetertiarysectorcomprisesservicessuchastransport,storage,
communications,tourism,banking,insuranceandrealestate.In20112012,
itcontributed63.22%ofthestate'sGDP,agricultureandalliedsectors
contributed15.73%,whilemanufacturing,constructionandutilities
contributed21.05%.[176]NearlyhalfofKerala'speopledependon
agriculturealoneforincome.[177]Around600varieties[132]:5ofrice,which
isKerala'smostusedstapleandcerealcrop,[178]:5areharvestedfrom
3105.21km2adeclinefrom5883.4km2in1990.[178]:5688,859tonnesof
riceareproducedperyear.[179]Otherkeycropsincludecoconut
899,198ha,tea,coffee23%ofIndianproduction,[180]:13or57,000
tonnes,[180]:67rubber,cashews,andspicesincludingpepper,cardamom,
vanilla,cinnamon,andnutmeg.
Traditionalindustriesmanufacturingitemscoir,handlooms,andhandicrafts
employaroundonemillionpeople.[181]Keralasupplies60%ofthetotal
globalproduceofwhitecoirfibre.India'sfirstcoirfactorywassetupin
Alleppeyin185960.[182]TheCentralCoirResearchInstitutewas
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establishedtherein1959.Asperthe20062007censusbySIDBI,thereare1,468,104micro,smallandmedium
enterprisesinKeralaemploying3,031,272people.[183][184]TheKSIDChaspromotedmorethan650medium
andlargemanufacturingfirmsinKerala,creatingemploymentfor72,500people.[185]Aminingsectorof0.3%
ofGSDPinvolvesextractionofilmenite,kaolin,bauxite,silica,quartz,rutile,zircon,andsillimanite.[179]Other
majorsectorsaretourism,manufacturing,homegardens,animalhusbandryandbusinessprocessoutsourcing.
AsofMarch2002,Kerala'sbankingsectorcomprised3341localbranches:eachbranchserved10,000people,
lowerthanthenationalaverageof16,000thestatehasthethirdhighestbankpenetrationamongIndian
states.[186]On1October2011,Keralabecamethefirststateinthecountrytohaveatleastonebankingfacilityin
everyvillage.[187]Unemploymentin2007wasestimatedat9.4%[188]chronicissuesareunderemployment,low
employabilityofyouth,andalowfemalelabourparticipationrateofonly13.5%,[189]:5,13asisthepracticeof
Nokkukooli,"wagesforlookingon".[190]By19992000,theruralandurbanpovertyratesdroppedto10.0%
and9.6%respectively.[191]
KeralahasfocusedmoreattentiontowardsgrowthofInformationTechnologysectorwithformationof
Technopark,ThiruvananthapuramwhichisoneofthelargestITemployerinKerala.Itwasthefirsttechnology
parkinIndia[192][193]andwiththeinaugurationoftheThejaswinicomplexon22February2007,Technopark
becamethelargestITParkinIndia.[194]SoftwaregiantslikeInfosys,Oracle,TataConsultancyServices,
Capgemini,HCL,USTGlobal,NestandSuntechaveofficesinthestate.ThestatehasasecondmajorIThub,
theInfoparkcentredinKochiwith"spokes"(itactsasthe"hub")inThrissurandAlleppy.Asof2014,Infopark
generatesonethirdoftotalITRevenuesofthestate[195][196]withkeyofficesofITmajorslikeTataConsultancy
Services,Cognizant,Wipro,USTGlobal,IBSSoftwareServicesetc.andMultinationalcorporationslike
KPMG,Ernst&Young,EXLServices,EtisalatDBTelecom,NielsenAudio,XeroxACS,TataELXSIetc.
KochialsohasanothermajorprojectSmartCityunderconstruction,builtinpartnershipwithDubaiGovernment.
AthirdmajorITHubisunderconstructioncentredaroundKozhikodeknownasCyberpark.
TheGrandKeralaShoppingFestival(GKSF)wasstartedin2007,coveringmorethan3000outletsacrossthe
ninecitiesofKeralawithhugetaxdiscounts,VATrefundsandhugearrayofprizes.[197]
Thestate'sbudgetof20122013was481.42billion
(US$7.2billion).[198]Thestategovernment'staxrevenues(excludingthe
sharesfromUniontaxpool)amountedto217.22billion
(US$3.2billion)in20102011upfrom176.25billion(US$2.6billion)
in20092010.Itsnontaxrevenues(excludingthesharesfromUniontax
pool)oftheGovernmentofKeralareached19,308million
(US$290million)in20102011.[198]However,Kerala'shighratioof
taxationtoGSDPhasnotalleviatedchronicbudgetdeficitsand
unsustainablelevelsofgovernmentdebt,whichhaveimpactedsocial
Coconutpalmscanbefoundallover
services.[199]Arecordtotalof223hartalswereobservedin2006,
[200]
Kerala
resultinginarevenuelossofover20billion(US$300million).
Kerala's10%riseinGDPis3%morethanthenationalGDP.In2013,
capitalexpenditurerose30%comparedtothenationalaverageof5%,ownersoftwowheelersroseby35%
comparedtothenationalrateof15%,andtheteacherpupilratiorose50%from2:100to4:100.[201]
InNovember2015,theMinistryofUrbanDevelopmentselectedsevencitiesofKeralaforacomprehensive
developmentprogramknownastheAtalMissionforRejuvenationandUrbanTransformation(AMRUT).[202]A
packageof25lakh(US$37,000)wasdeclaredforeachofthecitiestodevelopservicelevelimprovementplan
(SLIP),aplanforbetterfunctioningofthelocalurbanbodiesinthecitiesofThiruvananthapuram,Kollam,
Alappuzha,Kochi,Thrissur,Kozhikode,andPalakkad.[203]

Agriculture
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ThemajorchangeinagricultureinKeralaoccurredinthe1970swhen
productionofricefellduetoincreasedavailabilityofricealloverIndia
anddecreasedavailabilityoflabour.[204]Consequently,investmentin
riceproductiondecreasedandamajorportionofthelandshiftedtothe
cultivationofperennialtreecropsandseasonalcrops.[205][206]
Profitabilityofcropsfellduetoashortageoffarmlabour,thehighprice
ofland,andtheuneconomicsizeofoperationalholdings.[207]
Keralaproduces97%ofthenationaloutputofblackpepper[208]and
Cashewpacketsdisplayedina
accountsfor85%ofthenaturalrubberinthecountry.[209][210]Coconut,
supermarket.Kollamisamajor
tea,coffee,cashew,andspicesincludingcardamom,vanilla,cinnamon,
exporterofcashews.
andnutmegarethemainagriculturalproducts.[211][212][213][214][215][216]
80%ofIndia'sexportqualitycashewkernelsarepreparedinKollam.[217]
Thekeyagriculturalstapleisrice,withvarietiesgrowninextensivepaddyfields.[218]Homegardensmadeupa
significantportionoftheagriculturalsector.[219]Relatedanimalhusbandryistoutedbyproponentsasameans
ofalleviatingruralpovertyandunemploymentamongwomen,themarginalised,andthelandless.[220][221]The
stategovernmentpromotestheseactivitiesviaeducationalcampaignsandthedevelopmentofnewcattlebreeds
suchastheSunandini.[222][223]
Thoughthecontributionofagriculturalsectortothestateeconomywas
onthedeclinein201213,throughthestrengthofthealliedlivestock
sector,ithaspickedupfrom7.03%(201112)to7.2%.Inthe201314
fiscalperiod,thecontributionhasbeenestimatedatahighof7.75%.The
totalgrowthofthefarmsectorhasrecordeda4.39%increasein2012
13,overapaltry1.3%growthinthepreviousfiscalyear.Theagricultural
sectorhasashareof9.34%inthesectoraldistributionofGrossState
DomesticProductatConstantPrice,whilethesecondaryandtertiary
sectorshascontributed23.94%and66.72%respectively.[224]
ApaddyfieldinKerala.Riceisthe
staplecropofthestate.

Thereisapreferencefororganicproductsandhomefarmingcompared
tosyntheticfertilizersandpesticides.[225][226]Entekrishi.comisKerala's
firstonlineopenmarketforconsumers/farmerstoconnectdirectlywith
eachother.Itprovidesaplatformorratheravirtualmarketforfarmersandendconsumerswherethefarmers
candisplaytheircrops,mentionthequantity,specifythemethodofcultivation,expectedpriceforthe
commodityandcontactdetails.Farmerscanposttheirproductsinanyquantityrangingfrom1kilogram(2.2lb)
to1,000kilograms(2,200lb)whichmeansevenapersonhavingakitchenfarmmayfindabuyer.[227]

Fisheries
Witha590kmofcoastalbelt,[228]400,000hectaresofinlandwater
resources[229]andapproximately220,000activefishermen,[230]Keralais
oneoftheleadingproducersoffishinIndia.[231]Accordingto200304
reports,about1.1millionpeopleearntheirlivelihoodfromfishingand
alliedactivitiessuchasdrying,processing,packaging,exportingand
transportingfisheries.Theannualyieldofthesectorwasestimatedas
608,000tonsin200304.[232]Thiscontributestoabout3%ofthetotal
Cheenavala(Chinesefishingnet)
economyofthestate.In2006,around22%ofthetotalIndianmarine
fisheryyieldwasfromKerala.[233]Duringthesouthwestmonsoon,a
suspendedmudbankdevelopsalongtheshore,whichinturnleadstocalmoceanwater,peakingtheoutputof
thefishingindustry.Thisphenomenonislocallycalledchakara.[234][235]Thewatersprovidealargevarietyof
fish:pelagicspecies59%,demersalspecies23%,crustaceans,molluscsandothersfor18%.[233]Around
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1.050millionfishermenhaulanannualcatchof668,000tonnesasofa19992000estimate222fishingvillages
arestrungalongthe590kmcoast.Another113fishingvillagesdotthehinterland.Kerala'scoastalbeltof
Karunagappallyisknownforhighbackgroundradiationfromthoriumcontainingmonazitesand.Insome
coastalpanchayats,medianoutdoorradiationlevelsaremorethan4mGy/yrand,incertainlocationsonthe
coast,itisashighas70mGy/yr.[236]

Transport
Roads
Keralahas145,704kilometres(90,536mi)ofroads,whichaccountsfor
4.2%ofIndia'stotal.Thistranslatestoabout4.62kilometres(2.87mi)
ofroadperthousandpopulation,comparedtoanaverageof2.59
kilometres(1.61mi)inthecountry.RoadsinKeralainclude1,524
kilometres(947mi)ofnationalhighway2.6%ofthenation'stotal,
4,341.6kilometres(2,697.7mi)ofstatehighwayand18,900kilometres
(11,700mi)ofdistrictroads.[237]MostofKerala'swestcoastis
accessiblethroughtwonationalhighways,NH47andNH17andthe
easternsideisaccessiblethroughstatehighways.[238]Thereisalsoahill
highwayproposed,toprovideaccesstotheeasternhills.[239]National
Highway17,withthelongeststretchofroad(421kilometres(262mi))
connectsEdapallytoPanvelitstartsfromKochiandpassesthrough
Kozhikode,Kannur,Kanhangad,KasaragodandUppalabeforeentering
Karnataka.[238]NH47runsfromSalemtoKanniyakumarivia
Coimbatore,Palakkad,Thrissur,Ernakulam,Kochi,Alapuzha,Kollam,
Thiruvananthapuram,andNagercoil,connectingKerala'spolitical
capital(Thiruvananthapuram)toitscommercialcapital(Kochi).
PalakkaddistrictisgenerallyreferredtoastheGatewayofKerala,due
tothepresenceofthePalakkadGap,intheWesternGhats,through
whichthenorthern(Malabar)andsouthern(Travancore)partsofKerala
areconnectedtotherestofIndiaviaroadandrail.Thereisthestate's
largestcheckpoint,Walayar,thebordertownbetweenKeralaand
Tamilnadu,throughwhichalargeamountofpublicandcommercial
transportationreachesthenorthernandcentraldistrictsofKerala.[240]
TheDepartmentofPublicWorksisresponsibleformaintainingand
expandingthestatehighwayssystemandmajordistrictroads.[241]The
KeralaStateTransportProject(KSTP),whichincludestheGISbased
RoadInformationandManagementProject(RIMS),isresponsiblefor
maintainingandexpandingthestatehighwaysinKeralaitalsooversees
afewmajordistrictroads.[242][243]TrafficinKeralahasbeengrowingat
arateof1011%everyyear,resultinginhightrafficandpressureonthe
roads.Trafficdensityisnearlyfourtimesthenationalaverage,reflecting
thestate'shighpopulation.Kerala'sannualtotalofroadaccidentsis
amongthenation'shighest.Theaccidentsaremainlytheresultofthe
narrowroadsandirresponsibledriving.[244]NationalHighwaysin
Keralaareamongthenarrowestinthecountryandwillremainsoforthe
foreseeablefuture,asthestategovernmenthasreceivedanexemption
thatallowsnarrownationalhighways.InKerala,highwaysare45meters
wide.InotherstatesNationalHighwaysaregradeseparatedhighways
60meterswidewithaminimumoffourlanes,aswellas6or8lane
accesscontrolledexpressways.[245][246]NationalHighwaysAuthorityof
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KeralaRTCbusplyingtheroute
fromKozhikodetoMysore

ThemainPorticoofthe
ThiruvananthapuramCentralRailway
Station

TrivandrumintlAirportT3

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India(NHAI)hasthreatenedtheKeralastategovernmentthatitwillgivehighprioritytootherstatesinhighway
developmentaspoliticalcommitmenttobetterhighwayshasbeenlacking.[247]Asof2013,thestatehadthe
highestroadaccidentrateinthecountry,withmostfatalaccidentstakingplacealongthestate'sNational
Highways.[248]

Railways
TheIndianRailways'SouthernRailwaylinerunsthroughthestateconnectingmostofthemajortownsand
citiesexceptthoseinthehighlanddistrictsofIdukkiandWayanad.[249]Therailwaynetworkinthestateis
controlledbytwooutofsixdivisionsoftheSouthernRailwayThiruvananthapuramRailwaydivisionand
PalakkadRailwayDivision.[250]ThiruvananthapuramCentral(TVC)isthelargestrailwaystationinthe
state.[251]Kerala'smajorrailwaystationsareTVC,ErnakulamJunction(South)(ERS),Kozhikode(CLT),
ShornurJunction(SRR),PalakkadJunction(PGT),KollamJunction(QLN),Kannur(CAN),ThrissurRailway
Station(TCR),ErnakulamTown(North)(ERN),Alappuzharailwaystation(ALLP),Kottayam(KTYM)
KayamkulamJunction(KYJ)andChengannur(CNGR).MajorrailwaytransportbetweenBeyporeTirurbegan
on12March1861,fromShoranurCochinHarboursectionin1902,fromKollamSengottaion1July1904,
KollamThiruvananthapuramon4January1918,fromNilamburShoranurin1927,fromErnakulamKottayam
in1956,fromKottayamKollamin1958,fromThiruvananthapuramKanyakumariin1979andfromthe
ThrissurGuruvayurSectionin1994.[252]
KochiMetroisanunderconstructionmetrosystemforthecityofKochi.Theconstructionbeganin2012and
thefirstphaseisbeingsetupatanestimatedcostof5181crore(US$770million).[253][254]

Airports
Keralahasthreeinternationalairports:TrivandrumInternationalAirport,CochinInternationalAirportand
CalicutInternationalAirport.Allcivilianairportsfunctioninginthestateareinternationalairports,afeature
whichisuniquetoKerala.UponcompletionoftheKannurInternationalAirport,KeralawilljoinTamilNaduas
thestatewiththemostinternationalairports.Unlikeinotherstateswherethecapitalcityhasthehighestair
traffic,inKerala,airtrafficisdistributedevenlyoverKochi,ThiruvananthapuramandKozhikode.Despitethis,
allthesethreeairportsareamongthetop15busiestairportsinIndia.
KollamAirport,establishedundertheMadrasPresidencyandclosedbeforetheinaugurationofTrivandrum
InternationalAirportinthecapital,wasthefirstairportinKerala.[255]TrivandrumInternationalAirport,
managedbytheAirportAuthorityofIndia,isamongtheoldestexistingairportsinSouthIndia.Cochin
InternationalAirportisthebusiestinthestateandtheseventhbusiestinthecountry.ItwasthefirstIndian
airporttobeincorporatedasapubliclimitedcompanyitwasfundedbynearly10,000nonresidentIndians
from30countries.CochinAirportistheprimaryhubofAirIndiaExpressandthesecondaryhubofAirAsia
India.[256]
Otherthancivilianairports,KochihasanavalairportnamedINSGaruda.Thiruvananthapuramairportshares
civilianfacilitieswiththeSouthernAirCommandoftheIndianAirForce.Thesefacilitiesareusedmostlyby
CentralGovernmentVIPsvisitingKerala.

Watertransport
Keralahasonemajorport,17minorportsandafewminiports.Thestatehasnumerousbackwaters,whichare
usedforcommercialinlandnavigation.Transportservicesaremainlyprovidedbycountrycraftandpassenger
vessels.[206]Thereare67navigableriversinthestatewhilethetotallengthofinlandwaterwaysis1,687
kilometres(1,048mi).[257]Themainconstraintstotheexpansionofinlandnavigationarelackofdepthin
waterwayscausedbysilting,lackofmaintenanceofnavigationsystemsandbankprotection,acceleratedgrowth

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ofthewaterhyacinth,lackofmoderninlandcraftterminals,andlackofacargohandlingsystem.[206]Acanal
205kilometres(127mi)long,NationalWaterway3,runsbetweenKottapuramandKollam,whichisincludedin
theEastCoastCanal.[258]

Demographics
Keralaishometo2.76%ofIndia'spopulation859personsperkm2,itsland
isnearlythreetimesasdenselysettledastherestofIndia,whichisata
populationdensityof370personsperkm2.[263]Asof2011,
ThiruvananthapuramisthemostpopulouscityinKerala.[264]Inthestate,
therateofpopulationgrowthisIndia'slowest,andthedecadalgrowthof
4.9%in2011islessthanonethirdoftheallIndiaaverageof17.64%.[263]
Kerala'spopulationmorethandoubledbetween1951and1991byadding
15.6millionpeopletoreach29.1millionresidentsin1991thepopulation
stoodat33.3millionby2011.[263]Kerala'scoastalregionsarethemost
denselysettledwithpopulationof2022personsperkm2,2.5timesthe
overallpopulationdensityofthestate,859personsperkm2,leavingthe
LanguagesofKeralain2001[259]
easternhillsandmountainscomparativelysparselypopulated.[265]Around
31.8millionKeralitesarepredominantlyMalayali.[263]Thestate's321,000
Malayalam(96.74%)
indigenoustribalAdivasis,1.10%ofthepopulation,areconcentratedinthe
Tamil(1.87%)
east.[266]:1012Malayalam,oneoftheclassicallanguagesinIndia,is
Others(1.39%)
Kerala'sofficiallanguage.[267]Tamil,Kannada,Tulu,Hindi,Bengali,Mahl
andAdivasi(tribal)languagesarealsospoken.[268][269][270][271][272]As
Populationtrend
ofearly2013,therearecloseto2.5million(7.5%ofthestate
[175]
Census
Pop.
%
population)migrantlabourersinKeralafromotherpartsofIndia.
1951

13,549,000

1961

16,904,000

24.8%

1971

21,347,000

26.3%

1981

25,454,000

19.2%

1991

29,099,000

14.3%

2001

31,841,000

9.4%

2011

33,388,000

4.9%

Source:2001&2011CensusesofIndia[260][261][262]

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ListofMajorcitiesinKerala
No.

City

District

Population

Thiruvananthapuram

Thiruvananthapuram

796,084

Kochi

Ernakulam

632,997

Kozhikode

Kozhikode

550,921

Kollam

Kollam

367,477

Thrissur

Thrissur

315,596

Kannur

Kannur

241,072

Alappuzha

Alappuzha

174,164

Palakkad

Palakkad

131,019

Kollam
Thiruvananthapuram

Kochi
Kozhikode

Thrissur

Source:2011CensusofIndia[264]
ListofmajorcitiesinKeralaasperMinistryofUrbanDevelopment
publication,2011.

Kannur

Gender
ThedemocraticriseoftheCommunistPartyofIndiainthestate,culminatinginthechiefministershipofEMS
Namboodiripadandhisgovernment,helpedtodistributelandandimplementeducationalreforms.[273]Thereis
thetraditionofmatrilinealinheritanceinKerala,wherethemotheristheheadofthehousehold.Asaresult,
womeninKeralahavehadamuchhigherstandingandinfluenceinthesociety.Thiswascommonamong
certaininfluentialcastesandisafactorinthevalueplacedondaughters.Christianmissionariesalsoinfluenced
Malayaliwomeninthattheystartedschoolsforgirlsfrompoorfamilies.[274]Opportunitiesforwomensuchas
educationandgainfulemploymentoftentranslateintoalowerbirthrate,whichinturn,makeeducationand
employmentmorelikelytobeaccessibleandmorebeneficialforwomen.Thiscreatesanupwardspiralforboth
thewomenandchildrenofthecommunitythatispassedontofuturegenerations.AccordingtotheHuman
DevelopmentReportof1996,Kerala'sGenderDevelopmentIndexwas597higherthananyotherstateofIndia.
Factors,suchashighratesoffemaleliteracy,education,workparticipationandlifeexpectancy,alongwith
favourablesexratio,contributedtoit.[275]
Kerala'ssexratioof1.084ishigherthanthatoftherestofIndiaandistheonlystatewherewomenoutnumber
men.[169]:2Whilehavingtheopportunitiesthateducationaffordsthem,suchaspoliticalparticipation,keeping
uptodatewithcurrentevents,readingreligioustextsetc.,thesetoolshavestillnottranslatedintofull,equal
rightsforthewomenofKerala.Thereisageneralattitudethatwomenmustberestrictedfortheirownbenefit.
Inthestate,despitethesocialprogress,genderstillinfluencessocialmobility.[276][277][278]

HumanDevelopmentIndex
Asof2014,KeralahasaHumanDevelopmentIndex(HDI)of0.790[279]whichcomesunderthe"high"category
anditisthehighestinthecountryandaconsumptionbasedHDIof0.920,whichisbetterthanthatofmany
developedcountries.[279]Comparativelyhigherspendingbythegovernmentonprimaryleveleducation,health
careandtheeliminationofpovertyfromthe19thcenturyonwardhashelpedthestatemaintainanexceptionally
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highHDI[280][281]thereportwaspreparedbythecentralgovernment'sInstituteofAppliedManpower
Research.[282][283]However,theHumanDevelopmentReport2005,preparedbyCentreforDevelopment
Studiesenvisagesavirtuousphaseofinclusivedevelopmentforthestatesincetheadvancementinhuman
developmenthadalreadystartedaidingtheeconomicdevelopmentofthestate.[280]Keralaisalsowidely
regardedasthecleanestandhealthieststateinIndia.[284]
Accordingtothe2011census,Keralahasthehighestliteracyrate(93.91)amongIndianstates.[285][286]Thelife
expectancyinKeralais74years,amongthehighestinIndiaasof2011.[287]Kerala'sruralpovertyratefellfrom
59%(19731974)to12%(19992010)theoverall(urbanandrural)ratefell47%betweenthe1970sand2000s
againstthe29%fallinoverallpovertyrateinIndia.[288]By19992000,theruralandurbanpovertyrates
droppedto10.0%and9.6%respectively.[191]Thesechangesstemlargelyfromeffortsbeguninthelate19th
centurybythekingdomsofCochinandTravancoretoboostsocialwelfare.[289][290]Thisfocuswasmaintained
byKerala'spostindependencegovernment.[127][168]:48
Keralahasundergonea"demographictransition"characteristicofsuchdevelopednationsasCanada,Japan,and
Norway.[169]:1as11.2%ofpeopleareovertheageof60,[168]andduetothelowbirthrateof18per1,000.[291]
In1991,Kerala'stotalfertilityrate(TFR)wasthelowestinIndia.HindushadaTFRof1.66,Christians1.78,
andMuslims2.97.[292]Thestatealsoisregardedasthe"leastcorruptIndianstate"accordingtothesurveys
conductedbyTransparencyInternational(2005)[293]andIndiaToday(1997).[294]Keralahasthelowest
homiciderateamongIndianstates,with1.1per100,000in2011.[295]Inrespectoffemaleempowerment,some
negativefactorssuchashighersuiciderate,lowershareofearnedincome,childmarriage,[296]complaintsof
sexualharassmentandlimitedfreedomarereported.[275]
In2015,Keralahadthehighestconvictionrateofanystate,over77%.[297]Keralahasthelowestproportionof
homelesspeopleinruralIndia0.04%,[298]andthestateisattemptingtoreachthegoalofbecomingthefirst
"ZeroHomelessState",inadditiontoitsacclaimed"Zerolandlessproject",withprivateorganisationsandthe
expatriateMalayalicommunityfundingprojectsforbuildinghomesforthehomeless.[299]Thestatewasalso
amongthelowestintheIndiaStateHungerIndexnextonlytoPunjab.In2015Keralabecamethefirst
"completedigitalstate"byimplementingegovernanceinitiatives.[300]

Healthcare
Kerala,consideredasbeinghealthierthanmanystatesoftheUnitedStates,[301]isapioneerinimplementingthe
Universalhealthcareprogramme.[302]Thesubreplacementfertilitylevelandinfantmortalityratearelower
comparedtothoseofotherstatesestimatedfrom12[127][291]:49to14[303]:5deathsper1,000livebirths.
However,Kerala'smorbidityrateishigherthanthatofanyotherIndianstate118(rural)and88(urban)per
1,000people.ThecorrespondingfiguresforallIndiawere55and54per1,000respectivelyasof2005.[303]:5
Kerala's13.3%prevalenceoflowbirthweightishigherthanthatofmanyfirstworldnations.[291]Outbreaksof
waterbornediseasessuchasdiarrhoea,dysentery,hepatitis,andtyphoidamongthemorethan50%ofpeople
whorelyon3millionwaterwellsisanissueworsenedbythelackofsewers.[304]:57Accordingtoastudy
commissionedbyLienFoundation,aSingaporebasedphilanthropicorganisation,Keralaisconsideredtobethe
bestplacetodieinIndiabasedonthestate'sprovisionofpalliativecareforpatientswithseriousillnesses.[305]
TheUnitedNationsChildren'sFund(UNICEF)andtheWorldHealthOrganisationdesignatedKeralathe
world'sfirst"babyfriendlystate"becauseofitseffectivepromotionofbreastfeedingoverformulas.[306][307]
Over95%ofKeralitebirthsarehospitaldeliveredandthestatealsohasthelowestInfantmortalityrateinthe
country.ThethirdNationalFamilyHealthSurveyranksKeralafirstin"InstitutionalDelivery"with100%births
inmedicalfacilities.[308]Ayurveda,[309]:13siddha,andendangeredandendemicmodesoftraditionalmedicine,
includingkalari,marmachikitsaandvishavaidyam,arepractised.Someoccupationalcommunitiessuchas
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Kaniyarwereknownasnativemedicinemeninrelationtothepracticeofsuchstreamsofmedicalsystems,apart
fromtheirtraditionalvocation.[310]Thesepropagateviagurukuladiscipleship,[309]:56andcompriseafusionof
bothmedicinalandalternativetreatments.[309]:15
In2014,KeralabecamethefirststateinIndiatoofferfreecancertreatmenttothepoor,viaaprogramcalled
Sukrutham.[311]PeopleinKeralaexperienceelevatedincidenceofcancers,liverandkidneydiseases.InApril
2016,theEconomicTimesreportedthat250,000residentsundergotreatmentforcancer.Italsoreportedthat
approximately150to200livertransplantsareconductedintheregion'shospitalsannually.Approximately
42,000cancercasesarereportedintheregionannually.Thisisbelievedtobeanunderestimatedueasprivate
hospitalsmaynotbereportingtheirfigures.Longwaitinglistsforkidneydonationshasstimulatedillegaltrade
inhumankidneys,andpromptedtheestablishmentoftheKidneyFederationofIndiawhichaimstosupport
financiallydisadvantagedpatients.[312]

Religion
IncomparisonwiththerestofIndia,Keralaexperiencesrelativelylittle
sectarianism.[314]Accordingto2011CensusofIndiafigures,54.73%of
Kerala'sresidentsareHindus,26.56%areMuslims,18.38%areChristians,
andtheremaining0.32%followanotherorhavenoreligiousaffiliation.[315]
HindusconstitutethemajorityinalldistrictsexceptMalappuram,where
theyareoutnumberedbyMuslims.[316]
ThemythologicallegendsregardingoriginofKeralaareHinduinnature.
Keralaproducedseveralsaintsandmovements.AdiShankarawasa
religiousphilosopherwhocontributedtoHinduismandpropagatedthe
philosophyofAdvaita.Hewasinstrumentalinestablishingfourmathasat
Sringeri,Dwarka,PuriandJyotirmath.MelpathurNarayanaBhattathiriwas
anotherreligiousfigurewhocomposedNarayaniyam,acollectionofverses
inpraiseoftheHinduGodKrishna.
IslamarrivedinKeralathroughArabtradersintheseventhcentury
CE.[317][318]MuslimsofKerala,generallyreferredtoasMappila,mostly
followtheShafi'iMadh'habunderSunniIslam.[319]ThemajorMuslim
organisationsareSunni,MujahidandJama'ateIslami.[320]

ReligioninKerala(2011)[313]
Hinduism(54.73%)
Islam(26.56%)
Christianity(18.38%)
Otherornone(0.32%)

AncientChristiantraditionsaysthatChristianityreachedtheshoresofKeralainAD52withthearrivalof
ThomastheApostle,oneoftheTwelveApostlesofJesusChrist.[53][321][322][323]SaintThomasChristians
includeSyroMalabarCatholic,[324]SyroMalankaraCatholic,[325]MalankaraOrthodoxSyrian,[326]Jacobite
Syrian,[327]MarthomaSyrian,[328]theSyrianAnglicansintheCSI[329]andseveralPentecostaland
evangelical[330]denominations.TheoriginoftheLatinCatholicChristiansinKeralaistheresultofthe
missionaryendeavoursofthePortuguesePadroadointhe16thcentury.[331][332][333]JudaismreachedKeralain
the10thcenturyBCduringthetimeofKingSolomon.[334]TheyarecalledCochinJewsorMalabarJewsand
aretheoldestgroupofJewsinIndia.[49][335]TherewasasignificantJewishcommunitywhichexistedinKerala
untilthe20thcentury,whenmostofthemmigratedtoIsrael.[336]TheParadesiSynagogueatKochiistheoldest
synagogueintheCommonwealth.[337]JainismhasaconsiderablefollowingintheWayanaddistrict.[338][339]
BuddhismwaspopularinthetimeofAshokatheGreat[340]butvanishedbythe12thcenturyCE.[341]Certain
HinducommunitiessuchastheKshatriyas,Nairs,TiyyasandtheMuslimsaroundNorthMalabarusedtofollow
atraditionalmatrilinealsystemknownasmarumakkathayam,[342][343]althoughthispracticeendedintheyears
afterIndianindependence.[344]OtherMuslims,Christians,andsomeHinducastessuchastheNamboothirisand
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theEzhavasfollowedmakkathayam,apatrilinealsystem.[345][346][347]Owingtotheformermatrilinealsystem,
womeninKeralaenjoyahighsocialstatus.[273]However,genderinequalityamonglowcastemenandwomenis
reportedlyhighercomparedtothatinothercastes.[348]:1

Education
TheKeralaschoolofastronomyandmathematicsflourishedbetweenthe
14thand16thcenturies.Inattemptingtosolveastronomicalproblems,
theKeralaschoolindependentlycreatedanumberofimportant
mathematicsconcepts,includingseriesexpansionfortrigonometric
functions.[349][350]FollowingtheinstructionsoftheWood'sdespatchof
1854,boththeprincelystates,TravancoreandCochin,launchedmass
educationdriveswithsupportfromagencies,mainlybasedoncastesand
communitiesandintroducedasystemofgrantinaidtoattractmore
privateinitiatives.[351]Theeffortsbyleaders,VaikundaSwami,
NarayanaGuruandAyyankali,towardsaidingthesociallydiscriminated
castesinthestate,withthehelpofcommunitybasedorganisationslike
NairServiceSociety,SNDP,MuslimMahajanaSabha,YogaKshema
Sabha(ofNambudiris)andcongregationsofChristianchurches,ledto
thedevelopmentofmasseducationinKerala.[351]

TheUniversityofKerala's
administrativebuildingin
Thiruvananthapuram

In1991,KeralabecamethefirststateinIndiatoberecognisedasacompletelyliteratestate,thoughtheeffective
literacyrateatthattimewasonly90%.[352]Asof2007,thenetenrolmentinelementaryeducationwasalmost
100%andwasalmostbalancedamongsexes,socialgroupsandregions,unlikeotherstatesinIndia.[353]The
statetoppedtheEducationDevelopmentIndex(EDI)among21majorstatesinIndiaintheyear20062007.[354]
AccordingtothefirstEconomicCensus,conductedin1977,99.7%ofthevillagesinKeralahadaprimary
schoolwithin2kilometres(1.2mi),98.6%hadamiddleschoolwithin2kilometres(1.2mi)and96.7%hada
highschoolorhighersecondaryschoolwithin5kilometres(3.1mi).[355]Accordingtothe2011census,Kerala
has93.91%literacycomparedtothenationalliteracyrateof74.04%.[286]InJanuary2016,Keralabecamethe
firstIndianstatetoachieve100%primaryeducationthroughitsliteracyprogrammeAthulyam.[356]
Theeducationalsystemprevailinginthestate'sschoolsismadeupof10
years,whicharestreamlinedintolowerprimary,upperprimaryand
secondaryschoolstageswitha4+3+3pattern.[353]After10yearsof
schooling,studentstypicallyenrollinHigherSecondarySchoolingin
oneofthethreemajorstreamsliberalarts,commerceorscience.[357]
Uponcompletingtherequiredcoursework,studentscanenrollingeneral
orprofessionalundergraduate(UG)programmes.Themajorityofpublic
schoolsareaffiliatedwiththeKeralaStateEducationBoard.Other
educationalboardsaretheIndianCertificateofSecondaryEducation
(ICSE),theCentralBoardforSecondaryEducation(CBSE),andthe
Hardwaretrainingforstudentsgiven
NationalInstituteofOpenSchooling(NIOS).Englishisthelanguageof
by"IT@SCHOOL"project
instructioninmostselffinancingschools,whilegovernmentand
governmentaidedschoolsofferEnglishorMalayalam.[357]Thoughthe
costofeducationisgenerallyconsideredlowinKerala,[358]accordingtothe61stroundoftheNationalSample
Survey(20042005),percapitaspendingoneducationbytheruralhouseholdswasreportedtobe41(61US)
forKerala,morethantwicethenationalaverage.Thesurveyalsorevealedthattheruralurbandifferencein
householdexpenditureoneducationwasmuchlessinKeralathanintherestofIndia.[359]

Culture
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ThecultureofKeralaiscompositeandcosmopolitaninnatureanditis
anintegralpartofIndianculture.[9]ItissynthesisofAryanand
Dravidiancultures,[360]definedbyitsantiquityandtheorganic
continuitysustainedbytheMalayalipeople.[361]Ithasbeenelaborated
throughcenturiesofcontactwithneighbouringandoverseas
cultures.[362]However,thegeographicalinsularityofKeralafromthe
restofthecountryhasresultedinthedevelopmentofadistinctive
lifestyle,art,architecture,language,literatureandsocialinstitutions.[9]
Over10,000festivalsarecelebratedinthestateeveryyear.[363]The
Malayalamcalendar,asolarcalendarstartedfrom825CEinKerala,[364]
findscommonusageinplanningagriculturalandreligiousactivities.[365]

Festivals
ManyofthetemplesinKeralaholdfestivalsonspecificdaysofthe
year.[366]Acommoncharacteristicofthesefestivalsisthehoistingofa
holyflagwhichisbroughtdownonthefinaldayofthefestivalafter
immersingthedeity.[367]SomefestivalsincludePoorams,thebest
knownofthesebeingtheThrissurPooram.[368]"Elephants,firework
displaysandhugecrowds"arethemajorattractionsofThrissur
Pooram.[369]OtherknownfestivalsareMakaravilakku,[370]Nenmara
VallangiVela[371]andUtsavam.[372]Templesthatcanafforditwill
usuallyinvolveatleastonerichlycaparisonedelephantaspartofthe
festivities.Theidolinthetempleistakenoutonaprocessionaroundthe
countrysideatopthiselephant.Whentheprocessionvisitshomesaround
thetemple,peoplewillusuallypresentrice,coconuts,andother
offeringstoit.[373]Processionsoftenincludetraditionalmusicsuchas
PancharimelamorPanchavadyam.[374]
Onam
OnamisaharvestfestivalcelebratedbythepeopleofKeralaandisa
reminiscentofthestate'sagrarianpast.[375][376]ItisalsotheState
festivalofKerala[377]withpublicholidaysforfourdaysfromOnamEve
(Uthradom)tothefourthOnamDay.[378]OnamfallsintheMalayalam
monthofChingam(AugustSeptember)[379]andmarksthe
commemorationoftheVamanaavataraofVishnuandthesubsequent
homecomingofKingMahabali.[380]Itisoneofthefestivalscelebrated
withculturalelementssuchasVallamKali,[381]Pulikali,[382]
Pookkalam,[383]ThumbiThullal[384]andOnavillu.[385]

AKathakaliartist

DuringOnam,Kerala'sbiggest
celebration,Keralitescreate
pookkalam(floralcarpet)designsin
frontoftheirhouses.

ThrissurPooramfestival

Dance
Keralaishometoanumberofperformancearts.Theseincludefive
classicaldanceforms:Kathakali,Mohiniyattam,Koodiyattom,Thullal
andKrishnanattam,whichoriginatedanddevelopedinthetemple
theatresduringtheclassicalperiodunderthepatronageofroyal
houses.[386]Keralanatanam,Thirayattam,Kaliyattam,Theyyam,Koothu
andPadayaniareotherdanceformsassociatedwiththetemplecultureof
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theregion.[387]SometraditionaldanceformssuchasMargamkaliand
ParichamuttukaliarepopularamongtheSyrianChristiansandChavittu
nadakomispopularamongtheLatinChristians,[388][389]whileOppana
andDuffmuttuarepopularamongtheMuslimsofthestate.[390]

Music
ThedevelopmentofclassicalmusicinKeralaisattributedtothe
contributionsitreceivedfromthetraditionalperformanceartsassociated
withthetemplecultureofKerala.[391]Thedevelopmentofthe
indigenousclassicalmusicform,SopanaSangeetham,illustratestherich
contributionthattempleculturehasmadetotheartsofKerala.[391]
CarnaticmusicdominatesKeralitetraditionalmusic.Thiswastheresult
ThunchaththuRamanujan
ofSwathiThirunalRamaVarma'spopularisationofthegenreinthe19th
Ezhuthachan,17centurypoet
century.[362]Ragabasedrenditionsknownassopanamaccompany
kathakaliperformances.[392]Melamincludingthepaandiandpanchari
variants,isamorepercussivestyleofmusic:[393]itisperformedat
Kshetramcenteredfestivalsusingthechenda.Panchavadyamisaform
ofpercussionensemble,inwhichartistsusefivetypesofpercussion
instrument.[393]Kerala'svisualartsrangefromtraditionalmuralstothe
worksofRajaRaviVarma,thestate'smostrenownedpainter.[391]Most
OnamSadya
ofthecastesandcommunitiesinKeralahaverichcollectionsoffolk
songsandballadsassociatedwithavarietyofthemesVadakkan
Pattukal(NorthernBallads),Thekkanpattukal(SouthernBallads),Vanchipattukal(BoatSongs),Mappila
Pattukal(Muslimsongs)andPallipattukal(Churchsongs)areafewofthem.[394]

Cinema
MalayalamfilmscarvedanicheforthemselvesintheIndianfilmindustrywiththepresentationofsocial
themes.[395][396]DirectorsfromKerala,likeAdoorGopalakrishnan,JohnAbraham,P.Padmarajan,G.
AravindanandShajiNKarunhavemadeaconsiderablecontributiontotheIndianparallelcinema.Keralahas
alsogivenbirthtonumerousactors,suchasSatyan,PremNazir,Jayan,AdoorBhasi,BharathGopi,
Mammootty,Mohanlal,SureshGopi,Sreenivasan,Jayaram,Murali,DulquerSalman,Dileep,Oduvil
Unnikrishnan,Thilakan,JagathySreekumar,NedumudiVenu,KPACLalitha,FahadFazil,NivinPauly,and
AsifAli.LateMalayalamactorPremNazirholdstheworldrecordforhavingactedastheprotagonistofover
720movies.[397]Sincethe1980s,actorsMammoottyandMohanlalhavedominatedthemovieindustry
MammoottyhaswonthreeNationalAwardsforbestactorwhileMohanlalhastwotohiscredit.[398]Malayalam
CinemahasproducedafewmorenotablepersonalitiessuchasK.J.Yesudas,[399]K.S.Chitra,[400]VayalarRama
Varma,M.T.VasudevanNairandO.N.V.Kurup,[401]thelasttwomentionedbeingrecipientsofJnanpithaward,
thehighestliteraryawardinIndia.[402]

Literature
Malayalamliteraturestartsfromthelatemedievalperiodandincludessuchnotablewritersasthe14thcentury
Niranampoets(MadhavaPanikkar,SankaraPanikkarandRamaPanikkar),[403][404]andthe17thcenturypoet
ThunchaththuEzhuthachan,whoseworksmarkthedawnofboththemodernMalayalamlanguageandits
poetry.[405]ParemmakkalThomaKathanarandKeralaVarmaValiakoiThampuranarenotedfortheir
contributiontoMalayalamprose.[406][407][408]The"triumvirateofpoets"(Kavithrayam):KumaranAsan,
VallatholNarayanaMenon,andUlloorS.ParameswaraIyer,arerecognisedformovingKeralitepoetryaway
fromarchaicsophistryandmetaphysics,andtowardsamorelyricalmode.[409][410][411]Inthesecondhalfofthe
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20thcentury,JnanpithwinningpoetsandwriterslikeG.SankaraKurup,S.K.Pottekkatt,ThakazhiSivasankara
Pillai,M.T.VasudevanNairandO.N.V.KuruphadmadevaluablecontributionstothemodernMalayalam
literature.[412][413][414][415][416]Later,writerslikeO.V.Vijayan,Kamaladas,M.Mukundan,ArundhatiRoy,
VaikomMuhammedBasheer,havegainedinternationalrecognition.[417][418][419][420]

Cuisine
Keralacuisinehasamultitudeofbothvegetarianandnonvegetariandishespreparedusingfish,poultry,and
meat.CulinaryspiceshavebeencultivatedinKeralaformillenniaandtheyarecharacteristicofitscuisine.[421]
Riceisadominantstaplethatiseatenatalltimesofday.[422]AmajorityofthebreakfastfoodsinKeralaare
madeoutofrice,inoneformortheother(idli,puttu,appam,oridiyappam),tapiocapreparations,orpulse
basedvada.[423]Thesemaybeaccompaniedbychutney,kadala,payasam,payarpappadam,appam,chicken
curry,beeffry,eggmasalaandfishcurry.[212]Lunchdishesincludericeandcurryalongwithrasam,pulisherry
andsambar.[424]Sadhyaisavegetarianmeal,whichisservedonabananaleafandfollowedwithacupof
payasam.[425]Popularsnacksincludebananachips,yamcrisps,tapiocachips,unniyappamand
kuzhalappam.[426][427][428]Seafoodspecialtiesincludekarimeen,prawns,shrimpandothercrustacean
dishes.[429]Keralaalsohaslargevarietyofvegetarianandnonvegetarianachar(pickles)rangingfrommanga
(mango),whitelemon,fish,beefandseafoodpickles.

Elephants
Elephantshavebeenanintegralpartofthecultureofthestate.Keralaishometothelargestdomesticated
populationofelephantsinIndiaabout700Indianelephants,ownedbytemplesaswellasindividuals.[430]
Theseelephantsaremainlyemployedfortheprocessionsanddisplaysassociatedwithfestivalscelebratedall
aroundthestate.Morethan10,000festivalsarecelebratedinthestateannuallyandsomeanimallovershave
sometimesraisedconcernsregardingtheoverworkofdomesticatedelephantsduringthem.[363]InMalayalam
literature,elephantsarereferredtoasthe'sonsofthesahya.[431]TheelephantisthestateanimalofKeralaandis
featuredontheemblemoftheGovernmentofKerala.[139]

Media
Themedia,telecommunications,broadcastingandcableservicesareregulatedbytheTelecomRegulatory
AuthorityofIndia(TRAI).[432]TheNationalFamilyHealthSurvey3,conductedin2007,rankedKeralaasthe
statewiththehighestmediaexposureinIndia.DozensofnewspapersarepublishedinKerala,inninemajor
languages,[433]butprincipallyMalayalamandEnglish.[434]ThemostwidelycirculatedMalayalamlanguage
newspapersareMalayalaManorama,Mathrubhumi,Madhyamam,Deshabhimani,Mangalam,Kerala
Kaumudi,Chandrika,Thejas,Janayugam,Janmabhumi,DeepikaandSirajDaily.MajorMalayalamperiodicals
includeMathrubhumi,IndiaTodayMalayalam,MadhyamamWeekly,Grihalakshmi,Vanitha,Dhanam,
Chithrabhumi,andBhashaposhini.TheHinduisthemostreadEnglishlanguagenewspaperinthestate,
followedbyTheNewIndianExpress.[435]OtherdailiesincludeDeccanChronicle,TheTimesofIndia,DNA,
TheEconomicTimes,andTheFinancialExpress.
Doordarshanisthestateownedtelevisionbroadcaster.MultisystemoperatorsprovideamixofMalayalam,
Englishandinternationalchannelsviacabletelevision.SomeofthepopularMalayalamtelevisionchannelsare
Asianet,SuryaTV,KiranTV,MazhavilManorama,ManoramaNews,Indiavision,KairaliTV,KairaliWE,
KairaliPeople,YesIndiavisionKappaTV,AsianetNews,AsianetPlus,AsianetMovies,AmritaTV,Reporter,
Jaihind,JeevanTV,MathrubhumiNews,Kaumudi,ShalomTV,andMediaOneTV.Televisionserials,reality
showsandtheInternethavebecomemajorsourcesofentertainmentandinformationforthepeopleofKerala.A
MalayalamversionofGoogleNewswaslaunchedinSeptember2008.[436]Asizeable"people'sscience"
movementhastakenrootinthestate,andsuchactivitiesaswriters'cooperativesarebecomingincreasingly
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common.[169][437]:2BSNL,RelianceInfocomm,Airtel,Vodafone,Idea,TataDocomoandAircelarethemajor
cellphoneserviceproviders.[438]BroadbandInternetservicesarewidelyavailablethroughoutthestatesomeof
themajorISPsareBSNL,AsianetSatellitecommunications,RelianceCommunications,Airtel,Idea,MTSand
VSNL.AccordingtoaTRAIreport,asofJanuary2012thetotalnumberofwirelessphonesubscribersinKerala
isabout34.3millionandthewirelinesubscriberbaseisat3.2million,accountingforthetelephonedensityof
107.77.[438]Unlikeinmanyotherstates,theurbanruraldivideisnotvisibleinKeralawithrespecttomobile
phonepenetration.[439]

Sports
Bythe21stcentury,almostallofthenativesportsandgamesfromKeralahaveeither
disappearedorbecomejustanartformperformedduringlocalfestivalsincluding
Poorakkali,Padayani,Thalappandukali,Onathallu,Parichamuttukali,Velakali,and
Kilithattukali.[440]However,Kalaripayattu,regardedas"themotherofallmartialarts
intheworld",isanexceptionandispractisedastheindigenousmartialsport.[441]
AnothertraditionalsportofKeralaistheboatrace,especiallytheraceofSnake
boats.[440]

Akalaripayattu
practitioner

CricketandfootballbecamepopularinthestatebothwereintroducedinMalabar
duringtheBritishcolonialperiodinthe19thcentury.Cricketers,like
TinuYohannan,AbeyKuruvilla,SreesanthandSanjuSamson,found
placesinthenationalcricketteam.However,theKeralacricketteamhas
neverwonorperformedwellattheRanjiTrophy.[440]Acricketclub
fromKerala,theKochiTuskers,playedintheIndianPremierLeague's
fourthseason.However,theteamwasdisbandedaftertheseasonbecause
Theannualsnakeboatraceis
ofconflictsofinterestamongitsfranchises.[442]Footballisoneofthe
performedduringOnamonthe
mostwidelyplayedandwatchedsportswithhugesupportforcluband
PambaRiver
districtlevelmatches.IntheIndianSuperLeaguetheofficialteamof
KeralaistheKeralaBlasters.KozhikodeinKeralahoststheSaitNagjee
FootballTournament.KeralaisoneofthemajorfootballingstatesinIndiaalongwithWestBengalandGoaand
hasproducednationalplayerslikeI.M.Vijayan,C.V.Pappachan,V.P.Sathyan,JoPaulAncheri,and
PappachenPradeep.[443][444]TheKeralastatefootballteamhaswontheSanthoshTrophyfivetimesin1973,
1992,1993,2001and2004.Theywerealsotherunnersupeighttimes.[445]
AmongtheprominentathleteshailingfromthestateareP.T.Usha,ShinyWilsonandM.D.Valsamma,allthree
ofwhomarerecipientsofthePadmaShriaswellasArjunaAward,whileK.M.BeenamolandAnjuBobby
GeorgeareRajivGandhiKhelRatnaandArjunaAwardwinners.T.C.Yohannan,SureshBabu,Sinimol
Paulose,AngelMaryJoseph,MercyKuttan,K.Saramma,K.C.RosakuttyandPadminiSelvanaretheother
ArjunaAwardwinnersfromKerala.[440][446]Volleyballisanotherpopularsportandisoftenplayedonmakeshift
courtsonsandybeachesalongthecoast.[447]JimmyGeorgewasanotableIndianvolleyballplayer,ratedinhis
primeasamongtheworld'stenbestplayers.[448]Otherpopularsportsincludebadminton,basketballand
kabaddi.[449]
Forthe2017FIFAU17WorldCupinIndia,theJawaharlalNehruStadium(Kochi),waschosenasoneofthe
sixvenueswherethegamewouldbehostedinIndia.[450]

Tourism
Kerala'scultureandtraditions,coupledwithitsvarieddemographics,havemadethestateoneofthemost
populartouristdestinationsinIndia.In2012,NationalGeographic'sTravellermagazinenamedKeralaasoneof
the"tenparadisesoftheworld"[451][452]and"50mustseedestinationsofalifetime".[453]TravelandLeisurealso
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describedKeralaas"Oneofthe100greattripsforthe21stcentury".[451][454]In2012,itovertooktheTajMahal
tobethenumberonetraveldestinationinGoogle'ssearchtrendsforIndia.[455]Kerala'sbeaches,backwaters,
lakes,mountainranges,waterfalls,ancientports,palaces,religiousinstitutions[456]andwildlifesanctuariesare
majorattractionsforbothdomesticandinternationaltourists.ThecityofKochiranksfirstinthetotalnumberof
internationalanddomestictouristsinKerala.[457][458]Untiltheearly1980s,Keralawasarelativelyunknown
destinationcomparedtootherstatesinthecountry.[459]In1986thegovernmentofKeraladeclaredtourisman
importantindustryanditwasthefirststateinIndiatodoso.[460]MarketingcampaignslaunchedbytheKerala
TourismDevelopmentCorporation,thegovernmentagencythatoverseesthetourismprospectsofthestate,
resultedinthegrowthofthetourismindustry.[461]ManyadvertisementsbrandedKeralawiththetaglineKerala,
God'sOwnCountry.[461]Keralatourismisaglobalbrandandregardedasoneofthedestinationswithhighest
recall.[461]In2006,Keralaattracted8.5milliontourists,anincreaseof23.68%overthepreviousyear,making
thestateoneofthefastestgrowingpopulardestinationsintheworld.[462]In2011,touristinflowtoKerala
crossedthe10millionmark.[463]
Ayurvedictourismhasbecomeverypopularsincethe1990s,andprivateagencieshaveplayedanotablerolein
tandemwiththeinitiativesoftheTourismDepartment.[459]Keralaisknownforitsecotourisminitiativeswhich
includemountaineering,trekkingandbirdwatchingprogrammesintheWesternGhatsasthemajor
activities.[464]Asof2005,thestate'stourismindustrywasamajorcontributortothestate'seconomy,growingat
therateof13.31%.[465]Therevenuefromtourismincreasedfivefoldbetween2001and2011andcrossedthe
190billionmarkin2011.Moreover,theindustryprovidesemploymenttoapproximately1.2millionpeople.[463]
Asia'slargest,andtheworld'sthirdlargest,NavalAcademyEzhimalaNavalAcademyatKannurisinKerala.
Idukkiarchdam,theworld'ssecondarchdam,andAsia'sfirst,isinKerala.ThemajorbeachesareatKovalam,
Varkala,FortKochi,Cherai,Payyambalam,Kappad,Muzhappilangad(SouthIndia'sonlydriveinbeach),
Bekal,andGavi.PopularhillstationsareatMunnar,Wayanad,Wagamon,Peermade,Paithalmala,Nelliampathi
andPonmudi.[466]Munnaris4,500feetabovesealevelandisknownforteaplantations,andavarietyofflora
andfauna.[467]Kerala'secotourismdestinationsinclude12wildlifesanctuariesandtwonationalparks:Periyar
TigerReserve,ParambikulamWildlifeSanctuary,ChinnarWildlifeSanctuary,ThattekadBirdSanctuary,
WayanadWildlifeSanctuary,MuthangaWildlifeSanctuary,AralamWildlifeSanctuary,EravikulamNational
Park,andSilentValleyNationalParkarethemostpopularamongthem.[468]TheKeralabackwatersarean
extensivenetworkofinterlockingrivers(41westflowingrivers),lakes,andcanalsthatcentrearoundAlleppey,
KumarakomandPunnamada(wheretheannualNehruTrophyBoatRaceisheldinAugust).Padmanabhapuram
PalaceandtheMattancherryPalacearetwonotableheritagesites.

Seealso
OutlineofKerala
DepartmentofNonResidentKeralitesAffairs

References
1."KeralaPopulationCensusdata2011".Census2011.Retrieved12November2015.
2."SathasivamsworninasKeralaGovernor".TheHindu.5September2014.Retrieved5September2014.
3.http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Thiruvananthapuram/smvijayanandtobecomenextchief
secretary/article8501873.ece
4.http://orissadiary.com/CurrentNews.asp?id=67537
5.[1](http://populationcommission.nic.in/content/934_1_Densityofpopulation.aspx)
6.Menon,A.Sreedhara(20070101).ASurveyOfKeralaHistory.DCBooks.p.55.ISBN9788126415786.
7.SreelakshmiSuresh."KERALAETYMOLOGY::STATEOFKERALA::TheUltimateDestinationofKerala
Information".stateofkerala.in.Retrieved30May2015.
8.JohnR.Marr(1985).TheEightAnthologies:AStudyinEarlyTamilLiterature.InstituteofAsianStudies.p.263.
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