OMANA'S JOURNEY

Kerala  (Nick name:- God’s own country)

Kerala regionally also Keralam,  is a state located in the south-west region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956 by combining various Malayalam-speaking regions.
 It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and north east, Tamil Nadu to the east and south.
Thiruvananthapuram  is the state capital.

Seal of Kerala:-

Symbols:-

 Bird     :-   Great hornbill                                Animal :-   Indian elephant                    
 Tree     :-   coconut                                 Flower :-   golden shower                      Fish       :-  karimeen  

      Flora and Fauna

Kerala's forests abound in a variety of rare animals and birds.

The elephant, tiger, lion-tailed monkey, Indian gaur, python, striped mountain goat, and wild fowl are still found in Kerala's forests.

Mahogany, sandal-wood, teak-wood, and rose-wood are still the proud products of these forests.
Reptiles include the King Cobra, viper, python, and Mugger Crocodile.

Kerala's birds include legion—Malabar Trogon, the Great Hornbill, Kerala Laughingthrush, Darter, Southern Hill Myna..
In lakes, wetlands, and waterways, fish such as kadu; stinging catfish and Choottachi; Orange chromide are found.

Main festivals celebrated in Kerala:-

 1.) VISHUVishu is one of the important festivals of Kerala. It comes in the month of April usually on the 14^th. According to the traditional Malayalam calendar, it is the 1^st day of the first month Medam (March-April) of the New Year. The women take a large dish made of bell-metal (uruli), arrange in it a grantha (palm-leaf manuscript), a gold ornament, a new cloth, some flowers from the Konna Tree (Cassia fistula), some coins in a silver cup, a split coconut, a cucumber, some mangoes and a jack-fruit. On either side of the dish are placed two burning lamps with a chair facing it. Family members are taken blindfolded and then their blindfolds are removed and they view the Vishu Kani. As in other Indian festivals, a great feast at home is the high point of celebrating Vishu in Kerala.

2.) Onam, The harvest and national festival of Kerala

Onam is the most biggest festival in Kerala. It is the National Festival of Kerala with State holidays on 4 days starting from Onam Eve (Uthardom) to the 4rd Onam Day.

onam is celebrated by:-

Ø  arranging colorful blossoms for pookalam

Ø visiting temples

Ø gifting new clothes (Onakkodi) to everybody

Ø  feasting on 'avial'

Ø 'pappadum' and 'payasams' on plantain leaves

Ø and indulging in elating boat races such as Vallomkali in the azure backwaters

Ø sports and other cultural activities like Pulikkali (meaning tiger dance)

Ø `Oonjalattom, Thiruvathirakali and so on.

 Onam is the most colourful and the chief festival of Kerala which is celebrated by almost all people irrespective of caste and creed and community. The origin of Onam can be traced back to an interesting and unusual legend of an asura named Mahabali.  

3.)Christmas:-

Christmas is one of the Biggest festival in Kerala, thanks to strong Christian community. Today X'mas has moved more a secular festival than a religious festival. The days starting from 23rd of Dec till 2nd of Jan is considered as most festive days in a year, with terrific shopping, parties, parades and the entire air is filled with festivities organized by many. Parades on X'mas Eves in major Churches are worth to watch and special masses in churches as well as X'mas feast are something that anybody wish for.

4.)Thrissur pooram:-

The most famous temple festival, that one should not miss is Thrissur Pooram at city of Thrissur happening between last week of April- mid of May. Thrissur Pooram is called Festivals of Festivals, marking the biggest and most gala temple festival. Its actually a competition of festivities between two temples and nearly parades of 30 to 50 decorated elephants along with huge temple orchestration normally associated by 150 to 200 musicians happen, making it a visual treat. 

TEMPLES IN KERALA:-

Aaranmula temple

Parthasarthy temple, dedicated to Parthasarathi or Lord Krishna, the temple is in Chengannor. A major attraction is the Aranmula snake boat race held as part of the festival coinciding with Onam. Aranmula is well-known for its hand-made mirrors of polished metal called the "Aranmula Kannadi".
.Ambalapuzha temple Dedicated to Lord Krishna, this temple is famous throughout Kerala for the sweet milk porridge, 'Palpayasam' served here.

Chottanikkara temple

Goddess Rajarajeswari is the deity here. Together with Lord Vishnu, they are known as Lakshminarayana. People who have mental illness seek cure from the mother goddess and believed to get relief. Dedicated to Lord Krishna, this temple is famous throughout Kerala for the sweet milk porridge, 'Palpayasam' served here.



Chottanikkara temple

Goddess Rajarajeswari is the deity here. Together with Lord Vishnu, they are known as Lakshminarayana. People who have mental illness seek cure from the mother goddess and believed to get relief.

Ettumanoor temple

This ancient temple, which is 17 km away from Kottayam, is a significant place of worship. There are mural paintings of high order and beautiful sculpture of intricate workmanship inside the temple.

Vadakkunnathan temple

The Vadakkunnathan Temple at Thrissur, dedicated to Lord Shiva is one of the largest temples in Kerala. This temple is a classic example of the Kerala style of architecture. This temple is famous for its April/May Pooram Festival, which includes colourful and magnificent processions, brightly decorated elephants, fireworks etc.
Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple

Sri Padmanabhaswamy temple is a famous pilgrimage centre and is one of the major attractions in Thiruvananthapuram city. There are innumerable pillars, intricate carvings and mural paintings of natural pigments. The temple is dedicated to Vishnu who reclines on the sacred serpent Anantha.

Guruvayoor temple

A temple, famous all over India as a pilgrim centre, dedicated to Lord Krishna popularly known as Guruvayoorappan. Guruvayoor, where the famous Sree Krishna Temple is situated, is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centers of kerala. Thousands of devotees flock here every day with offerings of different kinds to appease Guruvayurappan’ for his blessings .The walls of the sanctum sanctorum are inlaid with exquisite mural paintings and carvings. In the 'Chuttambalam' is a 33.5-m tall gold-plated 'Dwajastambham'. The square 'Sreekovil' is the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple, housing the main deity. The idol is said to have been worshipped by Lord Brahma himself at Dwaraka. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. 

Sabarimala temple

 This well-known pilgrim centre is dedicated to LORD AYYAPPA. The holy shrine, situated atop the Sabarimala nestles 914 m above sea level, amidst the virgin forest wilderness of the Western Ghats. It attracts millions of pilgrims from far and near. The main pilgrimage is undertaken between November and January. Regardless of caste, creed, colour, they wear black dhotis and carry on their heads, bundles containing traditional offerings like coconut filled with ghee, camphor and rice. A temple, famous all over India as a pilgrim centre, dedicated to Lord Krishna popularly known as Guruvayoorappan. Guruvayoor, where the famous Sree Krishna Temple is situated, is one of the most sacred and important pilgrim centers of kerala. Thousands of devotees flock here every day with offerings of different kinds to appease Guruvayurappan’ for his blessings .The walls of the sanctum sanctorum are inlaid with exquisite mural paintings and carvings. In the 'Chuttambalam' is a 33.5-m tall gold-plated 'Dwajastambham'. The square 'Sreekovil' is the sacred sanctum sanctorum of the temple, housing the main deity. The idol is said to have been worshipped by Lord Brahma himself at Dwaraka. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple. 

Sabarimala temple 

This well-known pilgrim centre is dedicated to LORD AYYAPPA. The holy shrine, situated atop the Sabarimala nestles 914 m above sea level, amidst the virgin forest wilderness of the Western Ghats. It attracts millions of pilgrims from far and near. The main pilgrimage is undertaken between November and January. Regardless of caste, creed, colour, they wear black dhotis and carry on their heads, bundles containing traditional offerings like coconut filled with ghee, camphor and rice.

Vaikkom temple

The ancient Mahadeva Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva here has carried its name far and near. According to legend, it was constructed by Parasurama, the mythological creator of Kerala. The 12 day ‘Ashtami’ festival here (November/December) is renowned for its elephant processions, religious discourses, and traditional dance and music perform.

Mannarsala Temple

Mannarsala temple at Haripad is reputed for having 30,000 images of snake-gods and this is the largest of its kind in the state. There are 2 main idols: 'Nagaraja' or the serpent king and his consort, Sarpayakshini. The offerings include coins and snake effigies made of gold, silver and copper, grains of all kinds, pepper, tender coconuts, plantains, melons and sandalwood.

Thirunelli Temple

Located 30 kms North West of Mananthavadi in the Wayanad district, Thirunelli Temple is known as the "Kashi of South". This 3000 years old temple dedicated to Vishnu has 30 granite columns to shield it. The Papanashini stream is nearby.
Lokanarkavu Temple

Lokanarkavu Temple is situated 5 km from Vatakara, a small town in Northern Kerala. The main deity is Goddess Durga, with two adjacent shrines dedicated to the gods Vishnu and Siva. The festival, locally called Pooram, is celebrated during March/April. According to legend, the temple is more than 1500-years-old. The candid murals and carvings here are a delight to art lovers.

Thiruvanaya Temple

Thiruvanaya Navamukunda Temple, near Ponnani in Malappuram district is situated on the banks of the river Bharathapuzha is dedicated to Lord Shiva with the other deities of Lord Ganapathy, and Goddess Lakshmi.

LANGUAGE : 

The 16 languages spoken in Kerala are :

·         Malayalam

·         English

·         Tamil

·         Tulu

·         Kannada

·         Telugu

·         Marathi

·         Konkani

·         Urdu

·         Punjabi

·         Gujarati

·         Kachchi

·         Kadar

·         Koraga

·         Muduga

Malayalam the official language of Kerala, makes it one among the few states whose official state language is also an official language of the country

                     Food

Kerala is known as the "Land of Spices". And so the Kerala cuisine is famous for its spicy and hot foods. Traditionally, the food is served on a banana leaf. People add coconut to almost every dish they prepare, together they add spices for flavouring the cuisine.  All these give pungency to the dish and it increases with the addition of tamarind. The addition of coconut reduces the tongue-teasing hot flavour. There are also other items such as the crunchy pappadam, banana chips and jackfruit chips.

In Kerala the feast or the sadya is usually served on a banana leaf. The sadya consists of rice and more than 14 vegetable dishes, along with `payasam' which is the sweet dessert cooked in milk.

Some of the delicious items are: -

Rice:

 In vegetarian meals like sadya, plain steamed rice is taken which is the basic ingredient. The muslims and the christians prefer biriyani.

Avial:

 It is a combination of vegetables like pumpkin, drumstick, potato, lady's finger, brinjal, raw banana, chilly etc and coconut sauce. It is a very popular side dish.  

Thoran: 

Vegetables like Cabbage together with Coconut, red chilly, curry leaves and mustard seed are fried or steamed with spices. The same method is done for other vegetables such as carrot, beetroot, lady's finger, green papaya etc.

Sambar:

 It is prepared with drumstick, lady's finger, tomato, potato, onion etc together with pulses and is mixed with turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander seeds and various other spices.

Olen:

 In this dish, beans and gourds are mixed with spices.

Kaalen:

 It is prepared by using Banana and curd which is added with coconut paste and green chilly.

Rasam: 

Rasam is like a clear broth. It is flavoured with tamarind, lemon, tomato, lentils, pepper and other spices. It is very good for digestion.

Pachadi:

 It is cooked with cut mangoes and another main ingredient is the pumpkin mixed with Coconut milk and curd with green chilly.

Paayasam:

 It is the sweet dessert cooked in milk.

Snacks: 

Snacks such as banana chips, tapioca chips, jackfruit chips etc deep-fried with chilly powder.

Sweets: 

Sweets are available in plenty in Kerala. Jaggery is a good sweetener. It is boiled to convert it into a paste form. It can be mixed with curd or fruits. They are mostly used in preparing payasam.

DRESS:-

Kasavu Mundu and Kasavu Neryathu are traditional handloom cotton fabrics with Kasavu (golden brocade) used for saris and as dress material by the Malayalee people. Woman elegantly wear the mundu (sarong type skirt) and neryathu (draped shoulder cloth) over a traditional sari blouse. Kerala men wear the mundu around the waist and the neryathu around the shoulders.

Sarees have formed an important & integral part of Kerala’s traditional costumes. Kancheepuram Silk is a popular choice amongst many women of the state of Kerala. Benaras silk is also worn during special occasions. A traditional wear of the state is the half saree. It consists of short blouse, a full skirt and a shawl called davani. Another form of saree is the Set Saree or the Kerala Saree, which is quite similar to the mundum neriyathum that is quite prevailant in Kerala. Unlike the mundum neriyathum it comes in single piece. It is mainly worn on occasions like Vishu or Onam.

The main occupations of Kerala are:

AgricultureFishingAndHuman Potential Export