KERALA Journal [home][books&ideas][women [movies][sitemap][e-mail

Quiet

The Kerala Story:
by Dr. Zacharias Thundy, Northern Michigan University
 
 

Physical Setting Kerala occupies a narrow strip of land, not more than 360 miles (555 km.) long and 80 miles (120 km.) wide, with a total area of 15,002 sq. miles 38,855 sq. km.). The land lies between 8° 18' North Latitude and between 74° 52' and 77° 24' East Longitude. On the west it is washed by the Arabian Sea, in the, east hedged in by the western Ghat mountains, in the north bordered by the state of Karnataka, and in the south joined by the state of Tamil Nadu.   Mountain Passes The Western Ghats that range along the highland are called Sahyadris which rise in elevation between 3,000 feet and 8,000 feet above sea-level. The Anamudi Peak in Idukki District rises to a height of 8,841 feet and represents the ha'ghest point in India, south of the Himalayas. The Agastyakutam, connected to Sage Agastya of the Mahabharata tradition, is 6,132 feet above sea-level. Many of the hills in the region have religious and political significance: Sabarimala is the hallowed seat of the Lord Ayyappan of pilgrimages; there is the famous St. Thomas Church located on top of Malayattoor Hill; Ezhimala or Mount Eli. the conspicuous hill overlooking the Arabian Sea or the Cannanore Coast,was the seat of a powerful kingdom and a landmark for mariners in the early centuries of Christianity; the Puralimala in Tellicherry Taluk was the center of the Pazhassi revolt (1793-97; 1800-1805) against the British in the nineteenth century. These tall hills covered by rain forests which are infested by wild animals prevented large-scale invasions of Kerala.The continuity of the Sahyadri hills is interrupted by the presence of several gaps which have prevented the total isolation of Kerala from the eastern countries. The major gap is the Palghat Gap which is about 20 miles wide. William Logan writes in his famous Malabar Manual: Here by whatever great natural agency the break occurred, the mountains appear thrown back and heaped up, as if some overwhelming deluge had burst through, sweeping them left and right. On either hand tower the giant Nilgiris and Anamalas, overtopping the chain of ghats by several thousand feet, while through the gap, the southwest winds bring pleasant moist air and grateful showers to the thirsty plains of Coimbatore, and roads and railways link the Carnatic to Kerala. The unique character ... of this gap ... is only equalled by its great economic value to the countries lying on either hand of it (p.3). In addition to the Palghat Gap, there are others like the Perambadi Ghat linking Kerala and Coorg, the Perlya and Thamarasseri Gaps linking Wynad and Mysore, and Bodinayikannur, Kambam, Aryankavu, and Aramboli Passes connecting Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Tamil powers often invaded Kerala through the Aramboli Pass. Sea and Ports On the one hand, the Arabian Sea prevented some invaders, traders, and intruders from visiting Kerala; on the other hand, it attracted mostly traders from Europe and the Middle East. From historical records we know of Arabs from the eighth century and the Portuguese (1498). the Dutch. and the British from the sixteenth and the seventeenth centuries establishing trade centers in Kerala. Such ports as Cranganore,Quilon,Alleppey,Cannanore, and Cochin became prominent in later Kerala history. Most of the ancient port cities, except Cochin, are on the decline due to the lack of docking and berthing facilities as well as the expansion of other ports like Bombay and Goa, Remnants of European forts can be seen at Anjengo.Thankasserri. Pallippuram, Tellicherry. and Cannanore. Traditionally, historians think that Kerala had a flourishing trade with Rome and Alexandria between 100 B.C. and 300 A.D. and that ports like Muziris. Tyndis, Barace, and Nelcynda referred to by Roman historians were located on the Kerala Coast. In my opinion, these ports are actually located on the Coromandel Coast where ports bearing many of the same names can be located. There is more evidence on the east coast for the presence of Roman traders than on the Kerala Coast which does not have good port facilities. Hereby I do not in any way want to diminish the importance of Cranganore. It is important to add that there is hardly any archeological evidence of a coastal civilization in Kerala before the seventh century excluding Trivandrum and Vizhinjam in South Kerala. Rivers and Lakes Kerala is rich in water supply. There are 41 rivers in the state that flow west and three rivers that are tributaries of River Kaveri and flow east. Only four rivers are more than 100 miles long. They are the Bharathapuzha (150 miles), the Periyar (142 miles), the Pamba (110 miles), and Beypore or the Chaliyar (105 miles). The average length of the other rivers is 40 miles. Many places of cultic importance are located on the banks of some of these rivers. The Mamankam-Assembly used to be held at Tirunavai on the banks of Bharathapuzha; it was here that the sacred ashes from the funerals of MahatmaGandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru were immersed in the waters. Every year in Kumbham (February - March) at Alwaye on the shores of the Periyar, Sivaratri is celebrated. On the Pamba are located Christian places of worship like Maramon and Edathuwa. According to traditions, floods of Periyar destroyed the city of Cranganore in 1341 and prevented Tipu Sultan in 1789 from attacking Travancore during the time of Dharma Raja and Raja KesavaDasan. In recent years the rivers of Kerala have been harnessed for purposes of irrigation and electricity by technology with the construction of dams at Malampuzha, Parambikolam, Peechi, Periyar Valley, Pallivasal, Sengulam, Peringalkothu, Sabarigiri, and Idukki. Besides rivers, Kerala has a number of natural lakes or lagoons and backwaters along the coast, which receive their water supply from rivers and streams. The important lakes from the north to the south are the following: Kumbia, Kalnad, Bekal, Kavvai. Vembanad (the largest lake, which extendsfrom Alleppey to Cochin and is 52 miles long), Kayamkulam (19 square miles), Ashtamudi (20 square miles). The Shastamkotta Lake (1.44 square miles)/, on whose banks is the famous Shasta Temple believed to be founded by Sri Rama, is the only major natural fresh-water lake in Kerala. The rivers and lakes with some artificial cuts form splendid waterways for some 150 miles from Ponnani mouth to Trivandrum. They were widely used for hundreds of years. These days, however, fast railways, roadways, and airways handle most transportation, due to which many canals have become impassable with land-erosion and lack of maintenance. People prefer travelling by bus and train rather than by motor boats and canoes which often take considerably more time than buses. Climate Kerala's climate reaches equatorial conditions. Maximum temperatures rarely exceed 90°F (32°C); minimum rarely falls below 70°F (21°C). The annual range at Cochin is only 6°F (3.3°C) and the diurnal is about 10°F (5.6°C), Apart from the heavy rainfalls in the hills, rainfall decreases from around 120 inches (3,008 mm.) in the north to half that at Trivandrum. There is an even distribution of rain throughout the year in Trivandrum: 39% in June - August, 33% in September - November, and 28% in December -May which is dry season in most of India. Not all parts of Kerala are as fortunate as Trivandrum in the moderation of rainfall and humidity rates.     Agriculture, floa and fauna of Kerala: Next Page> Amazon.com 100 Hot Books