 Kerala,
the impossibly green God's own country is
believed to have been created when God Parashurama,
bidding a farewell to his arms, asking forgiveness
for his sins, threw his axe from heaven which
landed on southern India to form this narrow
verdant strip of land surrounded by the rolling
hills of the Western Ghats from top to bottom
on its eastern edge and by the Arabian Sea
on the western edge. Enclosed within is a
mossed backwaters, abundant wildlife, paddy
fields, a rich land bursting with cashew,
coconut and rubber plantations and a variety
of spices like Cardamom, pepper, turmeric,
and ginger, making Kerala the spice capital
of India. However, in spite of the deep and
lasting impressions left by all the settlers,
the original inhabitants never surrendered
his individual identity or passionate awareness
of his own culture. A unique and spectacular
dance from Kathakali, a masked dance drama
. There is the highly classical art of Koodiyattom
the lyrically sensuous dance of the enchantress-Mohiniattam,
the religious fervor of Krishnattom and the
Kalaripayatu - the martial art form which
Karate originated. An intrinsic part of the
traditional Kerala are its handicrafts. Kerala's
most important resources are the coconut palms.
No part of this tree is wasted and a flourishing
coir industry exists because of its plentiful
presence. Coir products, woven from coconut
husk fiber are a Kerala specialty. Kerala
is famous for intricate rosewood and sandalwood
carvings, ivory work, brass and "bell
metal" lamps.
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