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       India's Tropical Paradise:

  Kerala, the very name evokes images of swaying coconut palms, languid backwaters, richly caparisoned elephants, lush green vegetation, pristine uncrowded beaches and thatched homes. Located in the southern part of India, Kerala with a 590km sun-drenched  coastline is a major tourist attraction. Tourists not only go there to enjoy its myriad beauty but also to seek effective cures for their stressed bodies, for Kerala offers economical and effective time tested ancient Ayurveda based treatments.

Kerala covers an area of 38,863sq.km. The capital city is THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, earlier known as TRIVANDRUM. Population according to the 1991 census is 2,54,53,680 and the principal language spoken is Malayalam.

The state of Kerala lies between North latitudes 8^o18N and 12^o48N and East longitude 74^o52 and 77^o22. Arabian Sea is on the west and the high western ghats on the east. The width of the state varies from 35km to 120km. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu border the state on the east.

Geographically, the state can be divided into hills and valleys, midland plains and coastal belt. These are 41 west flowing big and small rivers, traversing the state, from the western ghats towards the Arabian sea. Three Tributaries of the Kaveri originate in Kerala and flow towards the neighbouring states. A legend literally traces the land of Kerala to the ocean. According to it, Parasuram one of the incarnations of Vishnu had waged many wars with the Kshatriyas. In the course of the time he was struck with remorse and retired to the mountains to undergo severe penance. One day in a mood of profound atonement he threw his axe into the ocean and a piece of land emerged – the land was Kerala.

The earliest mention of Kerala can be found in the Ashokan edicts (273-236BC) where it is referred to as "KERALAPUTRA"(Land of the sons of Cheers) After this very little is known about the Cheras till 8th century AD.

Another powerful empire was founded by KULASEKHARA in 825AD, nearly 200 years after the ending of the first Chera dynasty. Henceforth the kings book the little of KULASEKHARA PERUMAL or Emperor. The Cheras with active participation of the Christians and Jews established extensive trade links. However they were unable to ensure a united Kerala kingdom because they were weakened by repeated attacks by the Cholas from 985 AD onwards.With the disintegration of the Chola empire in the 11th century AD minor principalities emerged. These principalities were dominated by the Nambudiri Brahmins. At he time of the arrival of the Portuguese in 1498 these were three major chieftains ruling the 3 principalities of VENDADU, KOLATTARI and CALICUT. Calicut gained dominance under its ruler the ZAMORIN (lord of the sea) who established contacts with the Arab world. The Portuguese were granted the right to trade from Kochi in 1499 and used these rights to cut into the trade links of the Zamorin. The Raja of Kochi encouraged them to put pressure on the Zamorin, to ensure his independence.

The Dutch on their arrival were befriended by the Zamorin who granted them full trading rights (by signing a treaty with them on 11th Nov 1614). In 1615, the British East India company was also granted the same rights by the Zamorin. By 1633, the Dutch had nearly wiped out, Portuguese presence in this region. The ruler of Kochi capitulated to the Dutch to the annoyance of the Zamorin. In 1741 Raja Marthanda Varma succeeded in uniting a number of petty states around Thiruvananthapuram and defeated the Dutch in the battle of Kolachel in 1741. By 1758 the Zamorin withdrew from Kochi. However in 1766, HAIDER ALI and then his son TIPU SULTAN emerged as the new rulers. However Tipu Sultan was defeated by the British and under the treaty of Seringapatam (1792) he surrendered all his captured territory in Malabar and northern part of Kerala to direct British rule. Travancore and Kochi (Cochin) became princely states under British suzerainty. In modern times the state can trace its origin to 1956. In this year the Malyalam speaking states of Cochin and Travancore joined with the district of Malabar to form the state of Kerala.