Kerala History
Kerala also has considerable ethnic diversity, the Malayali majority belongs to the Dravidian group of early Indian peoples and there is also a small population of descendants of Indo-European migrants from the north. Certain hill tribes exhibit affinities with the Negrito peoples of Southeast Asia. Most of the Keralites are Hindus, but there are also large Christian and Islamic, and lesser Jain and Jewish, minorities.
The official language is Malayalam. A long contact with the outside world has led to an intriguing blend of cultures and given Keralites a cosmopolitan outlook.
Kerala, the state with 100% literacy, world standards of health, and a hard working, determined, dedicated population is always setting standards in almost all the spheres of its activity.
One aspect of the state's rich cultural heritage is manifest in its varieties of religious architecture: ancient Hindu temples with copper-clad roofs, later Islamic mosques with "Malabar gables," and colonial Portuguese Baroque churches.
Splendid paintings, especially murals, exhibit distinct local traditions and styles. The land is a flourishing center of the Kathakali dance form. The state has also a rich theatre tradition: the only surviving Sanskrit drama, Koottiyattam, is still performed by the Chakkiars of Kerala. Some principles of the Natya-Shastra are evident in their presentations
Kerala is well connected with other parts of the country, being a popular tourist destination in India and the world tourism map, Kerala is well accessible by air, rail and road.
There are three major airports in Kerala, namely, Thiruvananthapuram (otherwise known as Trivandrum), Cochin (otherwise known as Kochi) and Calicut (also known as Kozhikodu) these three airports well connected with all major airports in India including Chennai, Bangalore, Mumbai, New Delhi and also well connected with Middle East, Male, Sri lanka and Singapore.
Rails are another mode of traveling into Kerala, there are nearly 200 railway stations in Kerala connecting most of the places in the state to places in the other parts of the country and inside the state, long-distance super fast and Rajdhani express trains connect important places in Kerala to places like Mumbai, New Delhi, Chennai, and Kolkata.
Major modes of road transport are buses, tourist taxis and auto rickshaws; Kerala is well connected with other parts of South India by a number of National Highways. Tamilnadu and Karnataka are the neighboring states that are easily connected to Kerala through roads
