It is ironic that tourists have only been seeking out the sun, sands and summits of Kerala for the last twenty years or so. Because Kerala was the first place in India to be colonized by Europeans who noted and then exploited the resources of this natural wonderland as far back as 1498 when the Portuguese discovered a sea route between Lisbon and Kozhikode. Indeed you can still see the spot where Vasco de Gama landed on Kappad beach. He went on to be named the Viceroy of India in 1524. As was the trend in these parts, the Portuguese were followed by the Dutch, French, Italians and then, finally the British, who thrived on the trade of spices and silk for generations. And tea, of course.
Read more There is a lot of emphasis put on European influences in Kerala’s history, as it has had such an impact on architecture, language and religion. However the multicultural societies in Kerala, where Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Christians and Jews have lived alongside each other for hundreds of years go back much further in history. Christianity began with the arrival of St. Thomas In 52 AD, Jews came after they were forced to flee during the Jewish-Roman Wars of 66-135 AD and Islam was introduced to the region in 644 AD, when Malik Deenar, the first follower of the Islamic prophet, Muhammed, came here to promote Islam. Buddhism had been thriving here since 270 B.C and Brahmanical Hinduism began here around 644 AD with families of that favour settling into 64 villages around the region.
And if you wonder why Kerala claims to have the most highly educated and literate population of India, you just need to look back as far as the 3rd and 4th centuries AD, known as the Sangam period, when the country was dominated by poets and scholars, kings and philosophers - all fervent students at academies based in Madurai, where Tamil literature was created in what is now the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. And with knowledge came Kerala’s kingdoms, the most significant of which were the Chera Kingdoms from 7th to 9th centuries, who were ousted by the 10th century by the neighbouring Chola and Pandya Kingdoms, all battling over territory for years. Which is why, if you are traveling to Kerala, it is worth visiting the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to get the bigger picture.
This was the scenario when the Europeans arrived, with provincial wars preventing a total takeover by the westerners. And when the British took over in the 1630’s it wasn’t without a battle either, as they struggled to slowly conquer the Malabar and Kazargod districts, but entered an alliance with the rulers of Cochin (1791) and Travancore (1795) where they conceded, agreeing for them to become ‘princely states’ of British India, maintaining local autonomy in return for a fixed annual tribute to the British. When independence from the UK happened in 1947, these two independent kingdoms joined the Union of India, and with the reshuffling of other regions, officially became part of the state of Kerala in 1956.
Kerala still maintains a sense of strong patriotism and independence today, and political drive is strong here. Interestingly, it was the first place in the world to democratically elect a Communist government in 1957 and it is still considered to be a state that promotes social well-being and education. And it still fights for its rights, with strikes a feature of daily life here.
