Kerala Beckons

Welcome to kerala, Gods own country. Natures bounteous beauty beckons you. Kerala is a land with a resonant past. Myths and legends abound. The ships of King Solomon, they say anchored along the Malabar coast of Kerala to collect timber of building the ‘Temple of the Lord’. Malabar is referred to as Oudh in ancient history. Apart from timber, the maritime explorers were in search of pepper and other spice. It was one such journey that had led to the discovery of America. Columbus mistook America for India. However, Vas Coda Gama, made it. Of course there is a dispute as to where Gama had exactly landed. According to some historians, Gama first reached Kappad near Kozhikode. There also a different version which says that it was at Panthalayani near Koyilandi in Kozhikode district that Gama had landed.

Kerala has always been a favorite destination for the intrepid foreign traveler. Europeans, Arabs and Chinese had visited our coasts. In his book of travel Marco Polo recounts his his visit to this parts of land. Kerala offers much more than what Goa can. Her beauty is so bewitching that you would love to frequent this enchanting piece of land. Lush green forests, pristine beaches, lakes, ancient and imposing forests, verdant mountains and hillocks dotted with meandering rivulets and water falls. A trip through the backwaters is really refreshing. Unique art forms, temple festivals, long line of caparisoned elephants and the breathtaking fire works are something which you can see in Kerala alone. Well decorated Kettuvallams are ready to take you on a holiday trip through the back waters. You can even spend a whole night inside the floating houses having two or three bed-rooms and kitchen facility.

Kerala has a rich variety of art forms which are of great interest to the foreign tourists. They include Kathakali, Margom kali, Thira, Theyyam, Poorakkali, Kolkkali, Parichamuttu Kali, Duffu Muttu, Yakshagana, Ottanthullal, Ratib and Kuthu Ratib. The temple festivals like Thissur Pooram, Kalpathy Car Festival, Pongala etc. evoke keen interest in the tourists, who through the temples and Kavus during the festival season. Be it eco-tourism, adventure tourism, pilgrimage tourism or Ayurveda tourism, there is abundant scope for all these in Kerala. Having realized the great tourism potential of the state, the Kerala state Tourism Department has started making all out efforts to tap it fully. As per the latest available figures, as many as 65 lakh tourists visited the state in 2007. The revenue generated from this industry during the same period was Rs.800 crores.