The Gods Own Country or The Land Of Coconut Trees, Kerala, is the most beautiful place on earth.. It is blessed with endless beaches, lush green forests, waterfalls, fertile land and palm fringed lakes and backwaters. Kerala is situated between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea with an area of approximately 39,000sq.km. It has 14 districts and its capital is Thiruvananthapuram. There is no unanimity among historians about the history of ancient Kerala, since so little written accounts exist. Much of the history is cloaked in myths and conjectures One such myth centres around the legend of Parasurama, the warrior-sage who is regarded as the incarnation of Lord Vishnu . After destroying the Kshathriya kings, goes the legend, the warrior-sage asked an assembly of learned men a way of penance for his past misdeeds. On being advised to hand over the lands he had conquered to the Brahmins to save his soul from eternal damnation, he readily agreed and sat in penance at Gokarnam, those days considered to be lands end. There having got boons from Lord Varuna, the God of the Oceans and Bhumidevi, the Goddess of earth, he proceeded to Kanya- Kumari and threw his battle axe northwards across the waters. The waters subsided and what was left over was called the land of Parasurama, or what is Kerala today. Since geologists have pointed out that the elevation of Kerala from the sea was the result of some seismic activity, either sudden or gradual there is also another theory. The rivers of Kerala emptying into the Arabian seas bring down enormous quantities of silt from the hills. the ocean currents transport quantities of sand towards the shore. The coastal portions could well be due to the accumulation of this silt over thousands of years. Ancient Kerala occupied a unique place in the commercial world. The teak found in the ruins of Ur must certainly have come from the Malabar Coast. This means trade flourished around 3000 BC. Cotton from this region was favourite in Egypt, The Phoenicians visited the coast of Malabar around the same time to trade in ivory, sandalwood and spices. King Solomon is said to have sent his commercial fleet to Ophir which is said to be somewhere in southern Kerala. Muziris (Kodungalloor or Cranganore) was reputed to be the ancient worlds greatest trading centre in the East for such highly prized possessions as pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and other spices. Pliny , the younger is said to have lamented the fact that trade with the East was draining the treasury of Rome. The trade flourished through ships riding on the monsoon winds from Africa and back to Arabia, from where overland caravans took these prized items to the markets along the Mediterranean ports. By common consent among the historians, the earliest inhabitants of Kerala were the Pulayas, Kuravas and Vetas . It is at a much later time that migratory populations from the north subjugated them and ultimately enslaved them, a state to which they were in till the abolition of untouchability. By the beginning of the Christian era, there was a noticeable increase in the influence of the Chera dynasty from across the Western Ghats and into the political and cultural life of ancient Kerala. The armies of the northern empires of the Mauryas could not enter the lands of the Cheras, but Buddhism and Jainism did enter in a big way. But it was the entry of Brahmins from the boundaries of modern day Karnataka which really changed the power structure of Kerala for the next millenium . From Payyannur in north Kerala, they gradually moved south and occupied the most fertile lands . By the time of the terminal decline of the Cheras started, it coincided with the rise of the Brahmins in Kerala. By the 10th century, they were a powerful entity from Gokurnum (north Kerala ) to Kanyakumari. divided into 32 Brahmin or Namboothiries communities. Soon thereafter, the Buddhists and the Jains had to beat a retreat from the social landscape of Kerala. These land owning class of Brahmins were well on their way to great wealth and power. To make their sway complete, strict segregation between classes of people came into being. In their practice, the caste system of Kerala found no equal anywhere else in the country . The edicts even include what distance a person of lowest caste must keep from the Brahmins, even considering the shadow of the persons concerned and avoiding even looking at a Brahmin. The Christians who had arrived from the middle East in the 3rd century AD and the Muslims who arrived in the 8th century were generally traders and were not involved in this social segregation and generally kept aloof from the ambit of caste politics of those days. The Jews who arrived in Kerala in the early years of the Christian era were given privileges to trade and became an influential part of the melting pot of Keralas population. The Namboothiries also were the landowners ( janmi) of most lands in Kerala. Lands being leased out to next higher castes for share cropping, and these in turn would further be leased out to those lower on the caste hierarchy and to non-Hindus. The lowest castes of course were only labourers and were traded along with the land . In such a rigid hierarchy, the all powerful Namboothiries were the unquestioned rulers. By and by Kerala entered a phase of feudal chieftains or warlords (naduvazhis). Some were anointed by the Namboothiries, but most just walked into a power vacuum existing at the time. Hence, Kerala at the turn of the 11th century AD had power triangle in the caste system supported by the landlords and ruled by the warlords. This in turn gave rise to instability in the absence of a strong central leadership. Wars and conflicts were therefore common for control of turf. Ultimately, three war lords emerged with some semblance of authority in their regions - the Zamorin of Calicut (Samuthiri of Kozhikode) to the North, Moopins of Perimpadappu (near modern day Kochi) in the central region and chieftain of Kollam. It is also interesting to note that these kingdoms were centred around the ancient ports of Kozhikode, Kochi ( a small harbour appeared in present day Kochi in 1341 after a natural calamity closed the ancient port of Muziris or Kodungalloor) and Kollam. The name Kochi comes from the word kochu thura meaning a small port or opening out to the sea. The combination of caste, feudalism and warfare ultimately took its toll. The landlords lived in supreme luxury, while the peasantry toiled to keep them in comfort. The endless feuds also impoverished the country side and was ripe for outsiders to come and take over. This is precisely what the Europeans who found a sea lane to the fabled land of spices and gold did. There was nothing anyone could do to stop the next five centuries of colonial rule In the 15th century, when the semitic monopoly of the spice trade became too expensive for the European markets to bear, Portugal financed Vasco da Gama to discover the sea route to the spice lands of Kerala. The Portuguese were followed by the Dutch in to Kerala, then by the French in a limited way, and finally by the British who stayed on in India till 1947. This multi-layered international history has left traces throughout the state. The Arabs and Chinese also made their mark on Kerala and some fishermen still use Chinese fishing nets to this day. One can find ancient Hindu temples sitting serenely nearby gaily painted colonial-style churches and splendid mosques. Crumbling Portuguese ruins by the sea- side soften the harsh memories left behind by colonisers, while British residences and English town squares remind one of the recent colonial past. Kerala has also had Christians as long as Christianity has been in Europe. The Portuguese were more than a little surprised to find Christianity already established along the Malabar coast when they arrived here 500 years ago. Christianity, Judaism and Islam found their way into Kerala. A tolerant people welcomed them. Kerala has an amazing mixture of religions -Hindus, Christians and Muslims. Communal harmony and religious toleration are an essential part of Keralas culture and heritage. Among the modern line of traders - the Portuguese, Dutch, French and the English, it was the English that presided over the fate of Kerala from 1791, to the end of British rule in 1947. During the first eighty years of British rule life changed very little. Caste structure and the matrilineal joint family systems continued in the three units that were to become Kerala. By the end of the eighteenth century, tea and coffee plantations developed. An industrial revolution began in the 1850s - textiles, tiles, coir etc. Modern education took root. The influx of missionaries contributed to western education. Democratic institutions were formed in 1888, and political activity which began during the following decade, intensified during the 1920s when the Indian National congress spearheaded the national independence movement. This was a period when the communist movement gathered momentum especially in Malabar. As India itself was edging towards independence from Britain in 1947, Travancore, Cochin and Malabar all entered India as separate units. This was a period when the communist movement gathered momentum especially in Malabar. All communities in Kerala share a common language, Malayalam. Malayalam is a Dravidian language closest to the Tamil language. It has its own script which is slightly different from Tamil. It is also different from the Devanagari script used in Hindi, the national language. The vocabulary of Malayalam is a mixture of Tamil, Sanskrit and its own elements. Kerala is one of the most advanced states in India in the fields of education, transportation, communication and health care delivery. Most of the advancement since independence has come in the field of education. Industrial development has lagged behind some other centers in India due to labour unrest, lack of power resources and government ineptitude. Vast pools of highly trained technical people from Kerala are serving elsewhere in India or overseas. Profound economic changes are taking place in India and there is no doubt Kerala too is very eager to be part of that development with major initiatives in a variety of fields such as airports, electronics and power development.
Posted on: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 18:12:11 +0000
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