My Kerala

Kerala On the GO _ Kalamandalam

Kerala kalamandalam

The Kerala Kalamandalam is the premiere public institution in Kerala, India imparting training in and conducting performances of the classical arts of Kerala viz. Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Mohiniyaattam, Thullal and Panchavaadyam.

The Kalamandalam was founded in 1930 by eminent poet Padmabhooshan Vallathol Narayana Menon along the banks of the river Nila in the Cheruthuruthy village of Thrissur District of Kerala.
Kalamandalam is an immortal name in the cultural map of the world. Training in art-disciplines at Kalamandalam essentially adheres to the ancient Gurukula sambradaaya (The traditional mode of education which calls for a deep bond between the teacher and the student).
Kalamandalam is strictly a residential center of learning.
Veteran teachers and talented students are its inestimable wealth.
For art-recitals, demonstrations and workshops held in Kalamandalam and outside, artiste-teachers and students participate.
Kalamandalam Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Mohiniyaatam and Thullal Troupes have travelled widely in India and abroad for programs, lecture-demonstrations and workshops. They have represented India in many an international dance and theater festival.

Kerala Kalamandalam has been functioning as a grant-in-aid institution under the Cultural Affairs Department, Government of Kerala. For special Projects, the Department of Culture, Government of India, and the Sangeet Natak Akademy, New Delhi, had been extending financial support. For the preservation and promotion of Kutiyattam, UNESCO sanctioned substantial financial assistance to Kalamandalam in 2004 through Japan Funds Trust. The South Zone Cultural Center, Thanjavur, had for years, extended financial assistance to Kalamandalam for conducting dance & music festival in this campus. Being a regular event, the festival held every year attracts hundreds of rasikaas.

Since the historic encounter between the noble laureate Rabindranatha Tagore and Vallathol at Santinikethan, Kolkotta, the latter nurtured dreams of converting Kalamandalam in to a world renowned University for art and culture. Together with his close associate, Manakkulam Mukunda Raja, Vallathol made pioneering efforts for the multifaced development of Kalamandalam.

With its recently achieved status of a deemed university, Kerala Kalamandalam has fulfilled the long cherished dream of its founder.

Source: KalamandalamKalamandalam

Kerala

The Districts of Kerala

Kerala is situated on the southwestern coast of India, a country in South Asia. This tropical paradise enjoys a unique topography with Arabian sea, a part of the Indian Ocean on the west and the Western Ghats on the east.

The Indian state of Kerala borders with the states of Tamil Nadu on the south and east, Karnataka on the north and the Lakshadweep Sea coastline on the west. The Western Ghats, bordering the eastern boundary of the State, form an almost continuous mountain wall, except near Palakkad where there is a natural mountain pass known as the Palakkad Gap. When the independent India amalgamated small states together Travancore and Cochin states were integrated to form Travancore-Cochin state on 1 July 1949. However, Malabar remained under the Madras province. The States Reorganisation Act of 1 November 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood.

The state of Kerala is divided into 14 revenue districts. On the basis of geography the state's districts are generally grouped into three parts :- The North Kerala districts of Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode ; the Central Kerala districts of Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki and Malappuram Kottayam; and the South Kerala districts of Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta. Such a regional division occurred being part of historical Kingdoms of Kochi, Travancore and British Province of Malabar. The Travancore region is again divided into three zones as Northern Travancore (Hill Range) (Idukki and parts of Ernakulam), Central Travancore (Central Range) (Pathanamthitta, Alappuzha and Kottayam) and Southern Travancore (South Range) (Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam). Almost all of the districts in Kerala have the same name as the important town or city in the district, the exception being Idukki district, Wayanad district& Ernakulam district. The 14 districts are further divided into 75 taluks, and 941 Gram panchayats. Some of the districts and their towns were renamed in 1990 like Thiruvananthapuram (formerly known as Trivandrum), Kollam (Quilon or Venad), Alappuzha (Alleppey), Thrissur (Trichur or Thirushivaperur), Palakkad (Palghat), Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kannur (Cannanore)

Travel Kerala

The medium to travel in Kerala

Though a small state of India, Kerala has THREE international Airports and another one is being built.

1_ Cochin International Airport

2_ Thiruvanathapuram

3_ Kozhikode

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The Road Transport of Kerala is well equipped with modern facilities

The Kerala State Transport Corporation

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The Railway in Kerala is Most Clean and it offer Best Services than any other Indian States

The Southern Railway

Kerala Tourism

Visit "Dine Fit & Tour" in Kerala, here

Geography

With the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western Ghats towering 500-2700 m in the east and networked by forty-four rivers, Kerala enjoys diverse geographical features. Kerala is divided into three geographical regions: Highlands, which slope down from the Western Ghats onto the Midlands of undulating hills and valleys into an unbroken coastline with many picturesque backwaters, interconnected with canals and rivers. The Western Ghats are nowhere more than 120 kms from the sea.

Seasons

Bestowed with a pleasant and equable climate throughout the year, Kerala is a tropical land with the coast running down its entire length and the Western Ghats forming a protective barrier against the dry winds from up north. The monsoons (June-September & October-November) and summer (February-May) are the seasons markedly experienced here, while winter is only a slight drop in temperature from the normal range of 28-32°C.

People and Life

Kerala is one of India's most progressive states in terms of social welfare and quality of life. The State boasts of one of India's highest literacy rates, highest life expectancy and lowest child mortality rates. The literacy rate for women is one of the highest in all of Asia. Enjoying a unique cosmopolitan viewpoint, the people of Kerala, at all levels of society, have greater access to services and opportunities - as well as a greater say in their governance.

History

Kerala's history is closely linked with its commerce, which until recent times revolved around its spice trade. Celebrated as the Spice Coast of India, ancient Kerala played host to travellers and traders from across the world including the Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British. Almost all of them have left their imprint on this land in some form or the other - architecture, cuisine, literature.

Please visit the official website for more data

My Kerala

Kerala (/ˈkɛrələ/), historically known as Keralam, is an Indian state in South India on the Malabar coast. It was formed on 1 November 1956 following the States Reorganisation Act by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km (15,005 sq mi), it is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest state by population and is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.

The region has been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE. The Chera Dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala, though it frequently struggled against attacks by the neighbouring Cholas and Pandyas. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and paved the way for the European colonisation of India. After independence, Travancore and Cochin joined the Republic of India and Travancore-Cochin was given the status of a state in 1949. In 1956, Kerala state was formed by merging Malabar district, Travancore-Cochin (excluding four southern taluks), and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.

Kerala has the lowest positive population growth rate in India, 3.44%; highest Human Development Index (HDI), 0.790 in 2011; the highest literacy rate, 93.91% in the 2011 census; the highest life expectancy, 77 years; and the highest sex ratio, 1,084 women per 1000 men. The state has witnessed significant emigration, especially to Arab states of the Persian Gulf during the Gulf Boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, and its economy depends significantly on remittances from a large Malayali expatriate community. Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity. The culture is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian cultures, developed over millennia, under influences from other parts of India and abroad.

The production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices are important. The state's coastline extends for 595 kilometres (370 mi), and around 1.1 million people in the state are dependent on the fishery industry which contributes 3% to the state's income. The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages, mainly English and Malayalam. Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India, with backwaters, beaches, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions.

Courtesy : Wikipedia

The Kerala

The Official Website of Kerala

Some factual status

The updated data will be available at the Official site of Government of Kerala, here.