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Kerala means the Land of Coconuts.
Coconut tree is called the Kalpaka Vriksha or the tree that
gives everything asked for. The coconut tree plays a vital
role in the day-to-day life of a Keralite, in as much as every
part of the Coconut tree is used for one thing or the other.
The Coconut timber is used for building houses and used as
firewood; the palm leaves for thatching houses: Coconut fiber
for coir and the coir mats and matting products. Coconut is
shell for charcoal, paint and shell oil. Coconut water as
a refreshing drink, Coconut milk as soft drink, and Coconut
oil for cooking, making of soap, toffee etc.
History of
Kerala has a legend too. Sage Parasuram waged a series of
wars against Kshatriyas. Apologetic about the act of annihilation,
he had committed, he offered severe penance on the mountain
heights of Western Ghats, Gokarnam. In a mood of perfect atonement,
the sage heaved his mighty battle-axe into the sea. The water
gave way to prawn shaped stretch of land, which surfaced from
Gokarnam to Kanyakumari.
Kerala consisted
of many territories and kingdom of Chieftains, Rajas and Zamindars.
After internal wars and quarrels, only three larger Royal
families of Travancore, Cochin, and Calicut continued in power.
The British pensioned off the Calicut Zamorin. Travancore
and Cochin states were integrated as Travancore-Cochin state
on 1st July 1949; and amalgamation of the Malabar area with
Travancore-Cochin State, as per the Sate Reorganization Act
on 1st November 1956 formed the Kerala State; and the rulers
of Travancore and Cochin were also pensioned off.
Malayalam
is the main language. Kannada in the northern districts and
Tamil in the eastern and southern districts are common. English
and Hindi are also in common use.
Kerala’s
population stands just over 31.8 million i.e. about 4% of
the population of India. This population is a healthy mix
of all religions, castes and creeds like Hindus, Muslims,
Christians, Jews, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsi etc.
Kerala accounts
for 35% of the marine products and over 40% of the foreign
exchange earnings of India. Kerala accounts for 10.60 lakh
tons of Rice, 91% of the Rubber produced in India, 22% of
Tea, 70% of Coconut, 60% of Cardamom, 27% of Coffee, 60% of
Areccanuts, 80% of Tapioca and 100% of Lemon Grass Oil. Kerala
is the major producer and supplier of some of the world’s
finest spices.
Kerala is
rich in cultivation of Cashew nuts, pepper, coconuts, cardamom,
ginger, mace, nutmeg, cloves, tamarind, turmeric, etc. Pepper
continues to be the king of Kerala spices.
Indian spices
made their first known entry in 6000 BC, through the four
Vedas. The pages of Ramayana, Bible and the Quran are sprinkled
with them. They lured explorers to India’s shores, triggered
wars and caused the rise and fall of mighty empires. The Babylonians
and Assyrians knew the use of spices around 3000 BC. Marco
Polo (1298 AD) observed that good Ginger was grown in Malabar.
Aber Razak (1442 AD) wrote that vessels loaded with pepper
sailed continually from Calicut. From the 15th Century AD,
European countries especially Portugal, Spain, and UK showed
keen interest in the spices trade. Christopher Columbus started
his voyage to find a sea route to India but ended up with
the discovery of America in 1492 AD, Vasco da Gama anchored
his ship at Kappad in Calicut in 1498 in search of spices.
Zamorin, the ruler of Calicut welcomed him and established
spices trade between Portugal and Malabar. India is also the
richest consumer of spices. Every spice has medical preservatives
or antiseptic value.
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