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| Kuruva Dweep |
Kuruva DweepKuruvadweep is a unique and fragile 950 acre protected river delta system on the Kabini River. It is located in the Wayanad district of Kerala state in south India.
- The nearest town is Mananthavady and only 17 km.
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Category:Tourism in India
Category:Islands of India
Kabini RiverThe Kabini or Kabani is a river of southern India. It originates in Wayanad District of Kerala state, south India from the confluence of the Panamaram and Mananthavady rivers, and flows eastward to join the Kaveri River, which empties into the Bay of Bengal.
It also passes through the southern part of Kodagu District of Karnataka state through the Nagarhole National Park (now called Rajiv Gandhi National Park). Close to the town of H D Kote it forms the huge Kabini Reservoir. The backwaters of the Kabini reservoir are very rich in wildlife especially in summer when the water level recedes to form rich grassy meadows.
Category: Kerala
Category: Tamil Nadu
Category: Rivers of India
Kerala
Kerala (or Keralam - കേരളം ) is a state in South India, occupying a narrow strip of India's southwestern coast. It is known for being the most literate state in India, with a literacy rate more than 90%.
Origin of name
The origin of the name Kerala is often disputed. The theory most often advanced is that it comes from "kera" (coconut tree) and "Alam" (land or location). Keralites, the occupants of Kerala, refer to the place as Keralam. Possibly, the name comes from chera alam (the land of the cheras, a dynasty that ruled kerala) or cher alam (a swamp) (land reclaimed from the sea).
History
According to local mythology the land of Kerala was created by Parusurama the avatar of Mahavishnu who claimed the land by throwing his axe into the ocean.
People have lived in the region now known as Kerala since ancient times. The Sanskrit epic Aitareya Aranyaka has the earliest specific mention of Kerala. Katyayana (4th century BC) and Patanjali (2nd century BC) show their acquaintance with the geography of Kerala. Pliny the Elder mentions Muziris (modern Kodungallur) as the first port in India (N.H. 6.26); slightly later in time, the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea notes that "both Muziris and Nelkunda (modern Kottayam) are now busy places".
The emergence of the Malayalam language from Tamil sheds light on the ancient past of Kerala. Malayalam (Mala or Mountain + Alam or location) means the 'living/inhabitants in mountain' in Tamil (Malayalam, which earlier implied the geographical location of the region, was replaced by 'Kerala' and now identifies the language spoken in the region). At first, the area was simply another Tamil-speaking region, however, it became linguistically separate from the Tamil region in the early 14th century. The Chera empire ruled the area of Kerala from ancient times with Tamil as their court language. Allied with the Pallavas, they were continually at war with the neighbouring kingdoms of the Cholas and Pandyas. The Chera capital was Vanchi, whose exact location is still a matter of conjecture. A regional identity distinct from the Tamils developed in 8th-14th centuries, with the second Chera empire and with the development of the Malayalam language.
Both Buddhism and Jainism reached Kerala at an early period. Like other parts of ancient India, Buddhism and Jainism co-existed with early Shaivite beliefs and faiths associated with tribal life during the first five centuries. It was only after the "Sangam" Period that large groups of Northern Brahmins started migrating to Kerala, possibly during Kalabhra, Rashtrakuta, Chalukya, Pallava and Hoysala invasions.
By the 8th and 9th centuries, 2nd Chera kings inclined to Vaishnavism and some of them wrote great literary works in the stream of Vishnu Bhakthi. When all over India Hinduism was revived by intellectuals like Shankara and by Bhakti movements, and finally Buddhism and Jainism merged into their mother religion.
Jewish settlers avoiding persecution in their homeland migrated to Kerala in the early centuries. Arab merchants founded Kerala's early Muslim community, the Mappilas, in the 8th century. According to some the history of Christianity in Kerala dates back to the arrival of St. Thomas the Apostle at Kodungallur in A.D. 52. For a long time this was disputed. However in 2002 The British researcher, William Dalrymple travelled across the Arabian Sea to Kerala in a boat similar to those mentioned in ancient Jewish and Roman texts and showed how the Nasrani-Jewish people had travelled to Kodungalloor. He followed the same course as mentioned in the Acts of Thomas, a copy of which survives in a monastery on Mount Sinai. A Christian-Jewish community was later established by a contingent of Jewish Nasranis led by Knai Thoma who arrived in 345. Cheraman Perumal, the then king of Malabar issued a proclamation giving land and privileges to the Knanaya Yehudeya(jewish)-Nasranis on copper plates on a Saturday in March (Kumbham 29), 345. This was followed by another round of migration from Syria recorded in the Tharisappally records from around the 8th century. When the Portuguese arrived in the early 1500s, they tried to impose Roman Catholicism on the original Syrian-Christian (Nasrani) people. The Nasranis (also called Syrian-Christians in Kerala) resisted the conversion attempts of the Portuguese to bring them under Romans or the Pope with Latin rite, and instead established a church based on ancient Hebrew-Jewish traditions using original Syriac/Aramaic language for their liturgy.
Vasco da Gama's voyage to Kerala from Portugal in 1498 was largely motivated by Portuguese determination to break the Arabs' control over the trade between local spice producers and the Middle East, which existed even before Islam originated. He established India's first Portuguese fortress at Cochin (Kochi) in 1503 and from there, taking advantage of the rivalry existing between the royal families of Calicut and Cochin, managed to destroy the monopoly. The dispute between Calicut and Cochin, however, provided an opportunity for the Dutch to come in and finally expel the Roman Catholic Portuguese from their forts.
The Dutch would, in turn, be routed by the Travancore (Thiruvithamcoore) ruler Marthanda Varma at the Battle of Kulachal in 1741. The British supported the Raja for a fixed annual payment of money and moved into the Malabar area in the form of the British East India Company and were firmly established by the end of the eighteenth century. Tipu Sultan attempted to encroach on British-held territory in 1792, but was defeated and the British remained in control until independence.
Organised expressions of discontent with British supremacy were relatively infrequent in Kerala. Uprisings of note include the rebellion by Pazhassi Raja, Veluthampi Dalawa,
and the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt of 1946. Mass protests were mainly directed at established social evils such as untouchability. The non-violent and largely peaceful Vaikom Satyagraha of 1924 was instrumental in securing entry to the public roads adjacent to the Vaikom temple for people belonging to backward castes. In 1936, Sree Chithira Thirunal Balaramavarma Maharaja, ruler of Travancore issued the Temple Entry Proclamation, declaring the temples of his kingdom open to all Hindu worshippers, irrespective of caste.
Modern Kerala was created in 1956 when Malabar, which had been part of the Madras Presidency, was merged with Travancore and Kochi. The latter two were princely states, distinguished in that they had concerned themselves with the education and provision of basic services to the residents of their Kingdoms.
First assembly elections in Kerala took place in 1957 and the first elected communist government of asia came into power headed by E.M.S.Namboothirippadu. The radical reforms introduced by that government in favour of farmers and labourers changed the social order which prevailed in kerala for centuries to a great extent.
State formation
The modern State of Kerala was formed by the amalgamation of three regions, the Kingdom of Thiruvithamcoore (Travancore), the Kingdom of Kochi (Cochin) and Malabar District. Thiruvithaamcoore and Kochi, former princely states, were merged to form Thiru-Kochi on July 1, 1949. Thiru-Kochi was merged with Malabar District and Kasargod taluk of South Kanara District to form the State of Kerala on November 1, 1956, based on the recommendations of the State Reorganisation Commission set up by the Government of India.
Administration
Kerala is divided into 14 districts. They are (from north to south)
Kasargod,
Kannur (Cannanore),
Wayanad (Wynad),
Kozhikode (Calicut),
Malappuram,
Palakkad (Palghat),
Thrissur (Trichur),
Ernakulam (Cochin),
Idukki,
Alappuzha (Alleppey),
Kottayam,
Pathanamthitta,
Kollam (Quilon) and
Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum)
Thiruvananthapuram is the state capital. Kochi is the largest city and considered the commercial capital of the state.
Demographics
Malayalam is the official language of Kerala. A large number of Tamil speaking people are present in the state, perhaps the biggest Tamil population outside Tamil Nadu.
The major religions followed[http://www.censuskerala.org/religious.XLS] in Kerala are Hinduism (56.1%), Islam (24.7%), and Christianity (19%). Kerala also had a tiny Jewish population till recently, said to date from 587 BC when they fled the occupation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. The state has many famous temples, churches, and mosques. The synagogue in Kochi is the oldest in the British Commonwealth.
Geography
British Commonwealth
British CommonwealthKerala is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats on the east. The states of Karnataka in the north and Tamil Nadu in the east are Kerala's immediate neighbours. Mahe, a part of the union territory of Pondicherry, is an enclave within Kerala.
Geographically Kerala is divided into three regions:
- Highland or Mountain region
- Midland or the rolling hills
- Lowland or the coastal plain land
There are 44 rivers flowing through Kerala, most of them are small and entirely fed by the Monsoons. The Kerala Backwaters, an interconnected system of brackish water lakes and river estuaries, lies behind the coast and runs virtually the length of the state.
Politics
Kerala gained the distinction, in 1957, of having democratically elected a Communist government, one of few anywhere in the world. Kerala has a reputation as one of the most left-wing states in India. The people of Kerala are very politically aware and are more active participants in the political process than those in the rest of the country. Today the political life of Kerala is dominated by two alliances, the United Democratic Front (led by the Indian National Congress) and the Left Democratic Front (led by CPI(M)). Currently UDF in which the Congress (I) is the largest coalition partner, controls the government.
Oommen Chandy is the current Chief Minister of Kerala.
List of Famous Politicians of Kerala
Arts
Kerala has a rich tradition in the arts, both classical and folk. In addition to the classical art forms like Koodiyattom (UNESCO Human Heritage Art), Kathakali, Kerala Natanam, Koothu, Mohiniyaattam Thullal, Padayani and Theyyam, Kerala has several folk art forms performed by people in various regions of the state. The region also has a tradition of Christian and Muslim performing arts. Most of these art forms have become artefacts of the past showcased in tourism fares or youth festivals, as contemporary art forms weave their own identity according to changing needs. Mimicry and parody have gained considerable mass appeal in recent years. Though sometimes risque and often politically incorrect, these devices are used by artists to mock social luminaries. Malayalam Cinema is another mode of artistic expression, and films from Kerala are very distinct from films made in Bollywood or Hollywood.
In music, the dominant classical stream is carnatic music, the classical music of south India. Travancore king and music composer Swathi Thirunal was instrumental in popularising carnatic music in Kerala. Kerala has its own music system called sopanam which is a slow, step-by-step rendition of raga based songs. This is the music style used in Kathakali. Like rest of India, film songs are the major outlet for popular music.
Kerala also has a unique and varied heritage in the percussion instruments genre. Classical styles of percussion music known as 'Melam' ( major categories are 'Paandi', 'Panchari') are performed using the unique Kerala instrument 'Chenda' during temple festivals. These are performed by large ensembles of percussion artists numbering up to 150 in numbers, each performance lasting up to 3 to 4 hours. Another major percussion ensemble of Kerala is 'Panchavadyam' consisting of 5 percussion instruments, again played by around 100 artists in major festivals. In addition to these major percussion orchestras, there are other varieties of percussion instruments / percussion methods associated with different folk and classical art forms of Kerala - all of them unique and found to be used only in this region.
Apart from such performing arts, Kerala has made its mark in fine arts as well. Modern Indian art scenario is blessed with the presence of Kerala. However these artists have not been successful in invoking mass appeal as other artforms do.
Social scene
Kathakali
Kerala ranks highest in India with respect to social development indices such as elimination of poverty, primary education and healthcare. Kerala has one of the most secular population in India though nowadays there have been disruptive influence from the religious extremist organisations.
Kerala was declared the world's first "baby-friendly state" under WHO-UNICEF's Baby Friendly Hospital initiative. The state is known for Ayurveda, a traditional system of medicine which has found a new market in the growing tourist industry.
As per the 2001 census, Kerala is the only state in India with a female-to-male ratio higher than 0.99 (the ratio for Kerala is 1.058 while the national figure is 0.933). However, the ratio for the 0-9 age group is 0.963, which not significantly higher than the national figure of 0.928. It is the only state in India to have sub-replacement fertility.
The literacy rate in Kerala is the highest among Indian states, and so is the unemployment rate. Education and early influences of Arabs, Jews, Chinese and Portuguese have also made Kerala one of the most religiously diverse states in India. Ironically, Kerala is also noted as the state with the highest suicide rate in India.
Kerala has an ancient solar calendar called the Malayalam calendar which is used by various communities primarily for Agircultural related activities and religious functions. Kerala has its own form of martial art, Kalarippayattu. Theyyam and Poorakkali are popular ritual arts of North Malabar, the northern part of Kerala.Oppana is most popular among mappilas,the muslim community in Malabar. This is a group dance that is performed by clapping hands and singing ishaland it is generally performed at weddings gatherings.
Onam, associated with the legend of Mahabali is a state festival, but Keralites celebrate many other religious festivals, including Eid-ul-Fitr, Christmas, Easter, Deepavali and Vishu.
Economy
The economy of Kerala is predominantly agrarian in nature. In terms of per capita GDP and production Kerala lags behind many Indian states, but in terms of the Human Development Index and the standard of living of the people, Kerala is well ahead of most of the rest of India. In fact, in certain development indices Kerala is on a par with some developed countries. This peculiar paradox often termed the "Kerala Phenomenon" or Kerala model of development by experts, and is mainly due to the state's strong service sector.
Kerala's economy can be best described as a socialistic welfare economy. However, Kerala's emphasis on social welfare has also resulted in slow economic progress with few major industries. Remittances from Keralites working abroad, mainly in the Middle East, make up over twenty percent of State Domestic Product (SDP). (For details, See Kannan K.P. and Hari K.S, 2002, Kerala's Gulf Connection, Emigration, Remittances and their Macro Economic Impact, 1997-2000, Working Paper 328, Centre for Development Studies, Trivandrum.)
Agriculture is the most important economic activity. Coconut, tea and coffee are grown extensively, along with rubber, cashew and spices. Spices commonly cultivated in Kerala include pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Much of Kerala's agriculture is in the form of home gardens.
Tourism
home gardens
Kerala is a popular tourist destination for both domestic and foreign travellers. Among the tourist attractions are great beaches (Kovalam, Cherai and Varkala), serene hill stations (Ponmudi and Munnar), wildlife sanctuaries (Periyar and Eravikulam) and beautiful Kerala Backwaters (Alleppey, Kumarakom, and Punnamada), as also the marvel of kerala building art revealed through Padmanabhapuram Palace, Padmanabhapuram. The tourism department of the state calls the state as God's Own Country. National Geographic Society described Kerala as one of the 50 must-see destinations of a lifetime. Kochi, the commercial capital of the state is known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. Alappuzha, the first planned town in Kerala is called the "Venice of the East". Tourism plays an important role in the state's economy.
Livestock sector
The livestock sector plays a vital role in the economy of Kerala, and offers great potential for alleviating poverty and unemployment in rural areas. The majority of livestock owning farmers are small and/or marginal or even landless. In view of its suitability for combination with the crop sub-sector and its sustainability as a household enterprise with the active involvement of the farm women, livestock rearing is emerging as a very popular supplementary vocation in the small farm segment. Rural women play a significant role in the development of the livestock sub-sector and are involved in operations such as feeding, milking, breeding, management, health care and running micro-enterprises. It is estimated that about 32 lakh (3.2 million) out of the total number of 55 lakh (5.5 million) households in Kerala are engaged in livestock rearing for supplementing their income. The homestead settlement pattern, the relatively high level of literacy - particularly among women, the highly favourable agroclimatic conditions conducive for biomass production and the long tradition in livestock rearing are inherent strengths which the Kerala economy possesses in favour of livestock rearing.
There is a Livestock department is in Keralam for promoting livestock in Kerala. This advocate farmers on their issues. Kerala livestock development board took the initiative to produce the cattle breed "Sunandini".
Road network
India has more than 3.3 million km of road network at present making it one of the largest in the world. Length of roads in Kerala is 145704 km (4.2 percent of that in India). Kerala has 4.62 km of road per thousand population, against the national figure of 2.59 km. Road network in Kerala has the distinction of achieving connectivity to all the villages in Kerala. But as the villages are relatively large compared to other states, the development has not ensured connectivity of all the habitats. Main arterial roads are built and maintained by the Kerala Public Works Department.
Traffic in Kerala has been growing at a rate of 10 to 11 percent every year, resulting in excessive pressure on the roads. Total road length in Kerala increased by 5 percent during 2003-2004. The road density in Kerala is nearly four times the national average, and is a reflection of the unique settlement patterns in the State.
National Highways form the prime arterial routes in India, spanning 58,112 km throughout the country and cater to about 45 percent of the total road transport demand. The National Highway network in Kerala is 1524 km, only 2.6 percent of the national total. There are eight National Highways in the State.
A major challenge has been taken by the state government for the upgrading and expansion of important roads to the standards prescribed by the Indian Road Congress for each category of road. Upgrading and maintenance of 1600 km of state highways and major district roads have been taken up under the Kerala State Transport Project (KSTP). The much applauded GIS based Road Information & Management Project(RIMS) is developed under KSTP.
Trivia
- Arundhati Roy's Booker Prize winning novel The God of Small Things is set in Kerala.
- Salman Rushdie's novel The Moor's Last Sigh begins in the coastal area of Kerala (Mattanchery) and talks about the spice business.
- The town of Alleppey was featured on the American reality show The Amazing Race.
- Kerala is picked by National Geographic as [http://www.nationalgeographic.com/traveler/kerala.html 50 Places of a Lifetime]
- Kerala has the lowest infant mortality rate among the states in India, almost one-third of the national figure.
- Kerala has the highest life expectancy among the Indian States, with the life expectancy for males and females both being over 70.
- Kerala is said to have the highest density of telephone connections, vehicles, primary health centers and government run schools among the states in India
See also
- List of famous Keralites
- Districts of Kerala
- Local Body Election in Kerala
External links
- [http://www.kerala.gov.in Government of Kerala]
- [http://www.keralacm.gov.in Chief Minister of Kerala]
Kerala Trivia
- Poorams
- Pachakam
-
Category:States and territories of India
South India
South India is a geographic and linguistic-cultural region of India. Geographically, South India traditionally includes the entire Indian Peninsula south of the Satpura and Vindhya ranges and Narmada River, encompassing the Deccan plateau (from the Sanskrit word dakshina, meaning south), the Eastern and Western Ghats, and the coasts between the Ghats and the sea.
As a linguistic-cultural and political region, South India consists of the five south Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Goa,Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu, and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry & Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Natives of these states are referred to as South Indians.
South India is also called Dakshina Nad (Dakshina = South + Nad = land), Dravida Nad (Dravida = Dravidian + Nad = land), or simply Dravida. Culturally and linguistically South India is distinguished as the home of the Dravidians, but not exclusively so; ethnic Dravidians also live in parts of eastern and central India, Sri Lanka, and Southeast Asia, and some non-Dravidian peoples (for example the Konkani people and other Indo-Aryans) also make their home in South India and have adopted the local language.
The land
South India is a vast triangular peninsula, bounded on the west by the Arabian Sea, and on the east by the Bay of Bengal. The Vindhya and Satpura ranges and the Narmada River are the traditional boundary between northern and southern India. South of the Satpuras, at the center of the peninsula, is the Deccan plateau, defined by the Western Ghats mountain range, which runs along the western edge of the peninsula, and the Eastern Ghats along the eastern edge. The great rivers of south India, the Godavari, Krishna, and Kaveri (Cauvery), rise in the Western Ghats and flow across the Deccan and through gaps in the Eastern Ghats to empty into the Bay of Bengal.
Regions of South India
The four states of South India generally follow linguistic boundaries. In addition to these linguistic regions, South India has a number of distinct geographic regions:
- Carnatic (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu)
- Chola Nadu (Tamil Nadu)
- Coastal Andhra (Andhra Pradesh
- Coromandel Coast (southern coastal Andhra Pradesh, northern coastal Tamil Nadu)
- Kongu Nadu (Tamil Nadu)
- Maidan (Karnataka)
- Malabar Coast (coastal Karnataka, Kerala)
- Malnad (Karnataka)
- Northern Circars (northern coastal Andra Pradesh, southern coastal Orissa)
- Pandya Nadu (Tamil Nadu)
- Raichur Doab (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka)
- Rayalaseema (Andhra Pradesh)
- Telangana (Andhra Pradesh)
- Tondai Nadu (Tamil Nadu)
- Tulu Nadu (southern coastal Karnataka)
- Morasu Nadu (Karnataka)
Morasu Nadu 2003. Red dots mark small fires.]]
The Malabar Coast lies along the western shore of the peninsula, between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats catch the monsoon winds, and the region is rainy and densely forested. The South Western Ghats montane rain forests, which lie in the southern portion of the range, is the most species-abundant ecoregion of the Indian peninsula.
Along the east coast between the Eastern Ghats and the Bay of Bengal lies the Coromandel Coast (Cholamandalam). Sri Lanka lies off the southeast coast, separated from India by the Palk Strait and the chain of low sandbars and islands known as Rama's Bridge (Adam's Bridge). The low coral islands of Lakshadweep and the Maldives lie off the southwest coast. The southernmost tip of India is Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) on the Indian Ocean.
The southeastern peninsula, south of the Krishna river and its tributary the Tungabhadra, was known to Europeans as the Carnatic. It was the scene of colonial rivalries between the British, French, and Dutch in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in what is now called the Carnatic wars. The European name for the region is likely derived from Karnataka, the homeland of the Kannada people, and comes from the Kannada words kar and nadu, which mean "Hilly forest land". Karnataka straddles the central portion of the Western Ghats, from the Arabian Sea coast to the western Deccan, and the Europeans seem to have misapplied the term to refer most commonly to Southern India's eastern coastal region, although Carnatic is sometimes used to denote the entirety of southern India.
The sophisticated Indian Classical Music of South India is known as Carnatic music.
The people
South Indians are primarily Dravidians by racial stock. They are united by the Dravidian language family. It is a distinct language family which includes Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu and Tulu, among many others. Tamil is considered to be closest to the Proto-Dravidian and one of classical languages of the world. Telugu and Kannada are also derived from proto-Dravidian, but with a greater admixture of words derived from Sanskrit. Malayalam was derived from Tamil in the late 13th century, with much less Sanskrit than Telugu and Kannada.
Konkani, an Indo-Aryan language, is widely spoken in Goa and coastal Karnataka, Kerala, and Maharashtra, where it has drawn heavy influences from Kannada and Malayalam. Most of Maharasthra, which includes the northern Deccan and Konkan regions of South India, is predominantly Marathi-speaking. Marathi and Konkani are part of the Southern Zone of the Indo-Aryan languages.
The south Indian people have a world view which is organic and celebrates the generative ethos of the natural world. The conception of femininity-motherhood is central to the South Indian worldview. They have a distinct and unique concept of beauty that is reflected through the traditional clothing of South Indian women called the saree. South Indian men traditionally wear a kind of sarong, which could be either a white dhoti or a colourful lungi with typical batik patterns.
Rice is the staple diet, with fish being an integral component of coastal South Indian meals. Coconut is an important ingredient in many of the dishes of the south Indian people.
The economy
The people are largely agrarian, dependent on monsoons, as are most people in India. Some of the main crops cultivated in South India include paddy, sorghum, millet, pulses, cotton, chilli, and ragi. South India was and still is the "promised land" as far as spice cultivation is concerned. Areca, coffee, pepper, tapioca, and cardamom are widely cultivated on the Nilgiri Hills and Coorg. But frequent droughts in Northern Karnataka, Rayalaseema and Telangana regions are leaving farmers debt-ridden, forcing them to sell their livestock and sometimes even to suicides. Scarcity of water has been a major problem for past few years in these regions along with cities like Chennai and Hyderabad.
Education is highly valued in the south Indian community, and is seen as a gateway to a better livelihood. Many of the nation's most prominent physicists and mathematicians have been South Indians. Kerala, while possessing a literacy rate above 98% also has the highest unemployment rates in India. The population growth rate of these states is also beginning to decline rapidly relative to North India.
Information Technology is a growing field in South India. Bangalore is India's Information Technology hub, and is home to over 200 software companies. It is often referred to as the "Silicon Valley of India".
Chennai, Tamil Nadu ranks next only to Bangalore in the software exports in India and grossed over Rs 100,000,000,000 in 2005 [http://www.elcot.com/].
Chennai houses the automobile manufacturing giants in the country. More than 50% of heavy vehicles produced in the country, such as cars, buses, lorries, trains and bicycles, are produced in Chennai, and it is referred to as the Detroit of South Asia. The manufacturing units of BMW, Flextronics, Ford, Hyundai, Nokia and Saint Gobain are housed in Chennai.
Andhra Pradesh
Saint Gobain
Agriculture has been the chief source of income for the state's economy. Two important rivers of India, the Godavari and Krishna, flow through the state. Rice, tobacco, cotton, mirchi, and sugarcane are the local crops. The state has also started to focus on the fields of information technology and biotechnology.
Hyderabad, the capital of Andhra Pradesh, is the fifth largest cosmopolitan city in India, rich in culture, enduring history and industrial growth.
The advent of Information Technology growth in India, the so called "Blue Chip Revolution", has fostered the growth of Hyderabad's economy. The city is sometimes referred to as "Cyberabad" because of the large number of IT firms in the city. Andhra Pradesh has witnessed a major jump in software exports. Hyderabad's IT export revenue was Rs. 81,450,000,000, an increaes of 62% from fiscal 2004. For Andhra, fiscal 2004 is particularly significant as the 62% growth in exports in fiscal 2005, was almost double the 37% it grew in 2003-2004. Other cities such as Vizag and Vijayawada have shown growths in IT exports on an annual basis. Vizag's contribution was Rs 700,000,000, while it was Rs 240,000,000 from Vijayawada.
More information on the economy of Hyderabad can be found here.
Karnataka
More information on the economy of Hyderabad can be found here
Karnataka's net state domestic product of Rs. 1,000,406,000,000 is the fifth largest in India. Between 1992-2002, Karnataka attracted the fourth highest total Foreign Direct Investment approvals in India, to the tune of Rs. 21,566 million. Agriculture in Karnataka, like most of India, employs 80% of the population. The coastal plains of Karnataka, which include Uttara Kanara and Dakshina Kanara are cultivated with rice and sugarcane. Coffee and Tea are also grown on the slopes of the Western Ghats in the district of Coorg. The black soil in the northwest of the state, is hospitable for the growth of cotton, onion, course cereal, sunflower and peanuts.
The forests of the Malnad region produce timber, bamboo and sandalwood. Karnataka is the only exporter of sandlewood in the country. All of India's gold comes from the Kolar district of Karnataka. Karnataka is also rich in minerals which form the bulk of the raw materials for iron and steel industries in the state such as the one at Bhadravati.
The first power station in Asia was set up in Karnataka at Shivanasamudra in 1902 to produce hydroelectric power. Karnataka has 18 power stations which generate annually 16,513 million units. The state, however generates insufficient power and is forced to buy electricity from neighboring states.
Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka, is home to several public sector undertaking aircraft companies, such as Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL),HMT Hindustan Machine Tools , Bharat Heavy Electronics Limited (BHEL), National Aeronautics Limited and also Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). Bangalore, often referred to as the Silicon Valley of India has the largest number of international and local Information Technology and business process outsourcing (BPO) companies in the country. A number of "IT Parks" have been set up by the Karnataka State Electronics Development Corporation Limited (KEONICS) including Bangalore's "Electronics City", and IT parks in Mysore, Mangalore and Hubli. Bangalore is also home to prestigious higher institutes of learning such as the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM Bangalore).
Kerala
IIM Bangalore
Kerala's economy is predominantly agrarian. In terms of per capita income and production, Kerala lags behind many of the Indian states, but in terms of Human Development Index and life standard of the people, Kerala is ahead of most other states in India. In fact, in certain development indices it is on a par with some of the developed countries. This peculiar paradox often termed as the "Kerala Phenomenon" or Kerala model of development by experts.
Kerala follows a socialist welfare economy. Kerala's emphasis on social welfare also resulted in slow economic progress. There are few major industries in Kerala, and the per capita GDP is lower than the national average. Remittances from Keralites working abroad, mainly in the Middle East, make up over 60% of the state's gross domestic product.
Agriculture is the most important economic activity. Coconut, tea and coffee are grown extensively, along with rubber, cashew and spices. Spices commonly cultivated in Kerala include pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. Much of Kerala's agriculture is in the form of home gardens.
Unemployment is typically high in Kerala. Traditional low-wage cottage industries such as the processing of coconut fiber and cashew or weaving employ most workers. More than a fourth of Kerala's workers provide services.
Kerala boasts an Indian Institute of Management at Kozhikode.
More information on the economy of Kerala can be found here.
Tamil Nadu
More information on the economy of Kerala can be found here companies.]]
Tamil Nadu's net state domestic product is the largest in South India and third largest in India. It is one of the most industrialised states in India. It ranks third in the country in total foreign direct investment (FDI) (Rs. 220,582,640,000). The State's investment constitutes 9.12 per cent of the total FDI in the country [http://www.hindu.com/2005/04/22/stories/2005042211030100.htm]. According to the 2001 Census, Tamil Nadu has the highest level of urbanization (43.86 percent) in India, which accounts for 6% of India’s total population and 9.6% of the urban population.
Chennai is refered as the Gate way of South India.
Chennai is the Second leading Software exporter in India. Companies such as Cognizant, Covansys, Ford Information Technology, Xansa, Verizon, iSoft and many others are Chennai based companies in India. Infosys has set up India's largest software development centre to house 25,000 software professionals at an estimated investment of Rs 1,250 crore (Rs 12.5 billion) in Chennai[http://in.rediff.com/money/2004/feb/26infosys.htm]. India's largest IT park is housed at Chennai. Unlike other States in India the state has many software tier II cities such as Coimbatore, Trichy, Madurai and Hosur. Chennai has become the most preferred BPO hub in India and South Asia [http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1037825.cms]. Chennai is sometimes referred to as the "Health Capital of India" or the "Banking Capital of India", having attracted investments from International corporations and the World Bank.
Tamil Nadu has a network of about 110 industrial parks/estates that offer developed plots with supporting infrastructure[http://www.tidelpark.com/][http://www.itpchennai.com/]. Also, the Government is promoting other industrial parks like Rubber Park, Apparel Parks, Floriculture Park, TICEL Park for Biotechnology [http://www.ticelbiopark.com/], Siruseri IT Park, Agro Export Zones among others. 56% of India's total knitwear exports come from Tirupur, Tamilnadu.
The heavy engineering manufacturing companies are centered around the suburbs of Chennai. Chennai boasts presence of global car manufacturing giants like Ford, Hyundai, BMW and Mitsubishi as well as home grown companies like MRF, TI Cycles of India, Ashok Leyland and TVS. Chennai is also home to one of the Indian Institutes of Technology, IIT Madras.
Kalpakkam nuclear power plant, Neyveli Lignite Corporation, and the Narimanam natural gas plants provide sources of fuel and energy for the nation. 55% of electricity from wind power produced in India from wind mills comes from Tamil Nadu. The town of Sivakasi is the leader for Printing, Fireworks, Safety matches Production in India. It contributes to 80% of India's total Safety Matches Production ,90% of India's Total Fireworks Production and 60% of India's Total Offset Printing Solutions and ranks as one of the highest Tax payer towns in India. Sivakasi and Tirupur in Tamil Nadu are 100% employed towns, among a few towns in India.
Tamilnadu is leading producer of kambu ,cholam, ground nut, oil seeds and sugarcane in India.
At present Tamil Nadu is second biggest producer of Rice in India, next to Punjab where there is perennial source of irrigation.[http://www.tn.gov.in/policynotes/agriculture.htm].
Biovalleys in Tamil Nadu include Biotechnology Incubator Park Near Chennai, [http://www.ticelbiopark.com/index.html], Women's Biotechnology Park Kelambakkam[http://www.biotechpark.com/index.html], Medicinal Plants Biotechnology Park, Madurai[http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1264569.stm], Marine Biotechnology Park, Madapam and Bioinformatics and Genomics Centre (BGC), Chennai [http://www.tidelpark.com/]
More information on the economy of Tamil Nadu can be found here.
South Indian worldview and culture
South Indians are racially, linguistically and culturally different from their North Indian compatriots although their cultures have influenced each other at various points in history.
More information on the economy of Tamil Nadu can be found here
Whether or not the existing proto Dravidian culture was supplanted by invading Aryan nomads during the twilight of the Indus Valley Civilization or whether they simply coexisted and eventually merged to form another culture is a subject of heated debate to this day. See The Aryan Invasion Theory.
The South Indian world view is essentially, the celebration of the eternal universe through the celebration of the beauty of the body and motherhood. It is exemplified through its dance, clothing, and sculptures.
South Indian dance
The South Indian weltanschauung is celebrated in the elaborate dance forms of South India, Bharathanatyam, Kuchipudi and Mohiniaattam which literally translates as ‘the dance of the enchantress’. The Bharathanatyam expresses the celebration of beauty and the universe, through its tenets of having a perfectly erect posture, a straight and pout curving stomach, a well rounded and proportionate body mass- to the body structure, very long hairs and broad curvaceous hips. These tenets bring to life the philosophy of Natyashastra (the treatise on Dance by the sage Bharatha), ‘Angikam bhuvanam yasya’ (the body is your world). This is elaborated in the araimandi posture, wherein the performer assumes a half sitting position with the knees turned sideways, with a very erect posture. In this fundamental posture of the Bharathanathyam dance, the distance between the head and the navel becomes equal to that between the earth and the navel. In a similar way the distance between the outstretched right arm to the outstretched left arm becomes equal to the distance between the head and the feet, thus representing the "Natyapurusha", the embodiment of life and creation.
Traditional clothing
The saree, being an unstiched drape, enhances the shape of the wearer, while only partially covering the midriff. In Indian philosophy, the navel of the Supreme Being is considered as the source of life and creativity. Hence by tradition, the stomach and the navel is to be left unconcealed, though the philosophy behind the costume has largely been forgotten. This makes the realization of sharira-mandala, where in Angikam bhuvanam yasya (the body as the world) unites with the sharira-mandala ( the whole universe), as expressed in the Natyashastra. These principles of the sari, also hold for other forms of drapes, like the lungi or mund worn by men.
mund
Sculptures and figurine
Sculptures became one of the finest medium of South Indian expression after the human form of dance. In this medium it was possible to etch the three dimensional form in time.
The traditional South Indian sculptor starts his sculpture of the divinities from the navel which is always represented unclothed by the saree. A koshta or grid of the sculpture would show the navel to be right at the centre of the sculpture, representing the source of the union of the finite body and the infinite universe.
Sculptures adorn many of the temples around the complexes and also inside them. They are also depiction of dance steps of various stylizations and have served to preserve dance forms and revive it.
South Indian history
dance]]
South India has been at the crossroads of the ancient world, linking the Mediterranean world and the far-east. The Southern coastline from Karwar to Kodungalloor was the most important trading shore in the Indian sub-continent. This brought about a lot of intermingling of the natives with the traders.
The South Indian coast of Malabar and the tamil people of the Sangam age had trade with the Graeco Roman world. They were in contact with the Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Syrians, Jews, and the Chinese.
There were several rulers and dynasties significant in South Indian history. These included the Chola Empire, Pandyas, Pallavas, Hoysalas, Cheras, Wodeyars, Chalukyan Empire and the Vijayanagar Empire.
See History of South India, Middle kingdoms of India, History of India.
South Indian heritage
South Indian music
The music of the South Indian people is called as Carnatic music. It includes sensuous rhythmic and structured music by composers like Purandara Dasa, Tyagaraja, Mysore Vasudevachari and Swathi Thirunal.
See Carnatic music
Literature and philosophy
Carnatic music
South India has an independent literary tradition going back over 2000 years. The first known literature of South India are the poetic Sangams, which were written in Tamil from 2000 to 1500 years ago. Distinct Malayalam, Telugu, and Kannada literary traditions developed in the following centuries. The artistic expressions of the South Indian people shows their admiration of the magnificence of nature and its rhythms, as in the epic Silappadhikaram by Ilango Adigal, also called as the Cilappatikaram. Other works include the "Tholkappiam" written by Tholkappiar, and Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukural. In South Indian literature and philosophy, women are considered very powerful. A married woman is regarded as auspicious, her shakti or mother-feminine power, protects and empowers her husband and their children. The female form is highly regarded.
See also: Kannada literature, Malayalam literature, Tamil literature andTelugu literature
Telugu literature
Architecture and paintings
The inspirational temple sculptures of Hampi, Badami, and Mahabalipuram, and the mural paintings of Travancore and Lepakshi temples, also stand as a testament to south Indian culture. The paintings of Raja Ravi Varma are considered classic renditions of many a scenes of South Indian life and mythology. There are several examples of Dravidian mural paintings in the mattancherry palace and the Shiva kshetram in Ettamanoor.
See also Dravidian mural painting.
South Indian diversity
The main spiritual traditions of South Indians have included both Shaivism or Shaivite philosophy, and Vaishnavism, which are both branches of Hinduism, although Jain philosophy had been influential in Southern India several centuries earlier. Shravanabelagola in Karnataka is a popular pilgrim center for Jains.
Coorg, in Karnataka is home to one of the largest Buddhist monasteries in the country and provides sanctuary to Tibetan Buddhist monks that fled Tibet fearing percecution from communist China.
There is also a large Muslim community in South India, particularly in the Malabar coast. The community's roots can be traced back to the ancient maritime trade between Kerala and Omanis and other Arabs.
Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh is an historic center of Muslim culture in South India, and the Hyderabad region has a large Muslim population. Besides Ayyavazhi was also a fast spreading religion especially in southern districts of Tamil Nadu and in some parts of Kerala from the mid-nineteenth century.
The oldest synagogue in the British Commonwealth is the Paradesi Synagogue in Kochi, in South India.
Christianity has also flourished in coastal South India from the earliest times. The last remnants of the Nasranis, the earliest Judo-Christian tradition of Syrian Christians, including the Knanaya community survives in Kerala, in South India. Goa is home to a significant Roman Catholic population. The Church of South India is an autonomous Protestant church, formed in 1947 through the merger of several Protestant denominations.
Selected bibliography
- Beck, Brenda. 1976. “The Symbolic Merger of Body, Space, and Cosmos in Hindu Tamil Nadu." Contributions to Indian Sociology 10(2): 213-43.
- Bharata (1967). The Natyashastra [Dramaturgy], 2 vols., 2nd. ed. Trans. by Manomohan Ghosh. Calcutta: Manisha Granthalaya.
- Boulanger, Chantal; (1997) Saris: An Illustrated Guide to the Indian Art of Draping, Shakti Press International, New York.
- Craddock, Norma. 1994. Anthills, Split Mothers, and Sacrifice: Conceptions of Female Power in the Mariyamman Tradition. Dissertation, U. of California, Berkeley.
- Danielou, Alain, trans. 1965. Shilappadikaram (The Ankle Bracelet) By Prince Ilango Adigal. New York: New Directions.
- Dehejia, Vidya, Richard H. Davis, R. Nagaswamy, Karen Pechilis Prentiss (2002) The Sensuous and the Sacred: Chola Bronzes from South India.
- Hart, George, ed. and trans. 1979. Poets of the Tamil Anthologies: Ancient Poems of Love and War. Princeton: Princeton U. Press
- Gover, Charles. 1983 (1871). Folk-songs of Southern India. Madras: The South India Saiva Siddhanta Works Publishing Society.
- Nagaraju, S. 1990. “Prehistory of South India.” In South Indian Studies, H. M. Nayak and B. R. Gopal, eds., Mysore: Geetha Book House, pp. 35-52.
- Trawick, Margaret. 1990a. Notes on Love in a Tamil Family. Berkeley: U. of California Press.
- Wadley, Susan, ed. 1980. The Powers of Tamil Women. Syracuse: Syracuse U. Press.
- Zvelebil, Kamil. 1975. Tamil Literature. Leiden: Brill.
- Economy referenced from the encyclopedia Britannica online.
- Some economic statistics from http://indiabudget.nic.in
External links
- http://home.pacbell.net/bklatsky/southindiapicsindex.html (photos of south India)
- [http://in.geocities.com/medhahari/bharatanatyam-bharathanatyam-bharata-natyam-bharatnatyam-video-dvd.html Bharata Natyam ] the largest collection of streaming videos on the Web.
- http://community.webshots.com/album/84008905iHbHtH (bharatanatyam photos)
Category:Peninsulas
Category:South Asia
Category:Regions of India
MananthavadyMananthavady is a small town on the banks of the river Kabini in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India.
This area was once ruled by the Pazhassi dynasty and the tomb of Pazhassi Raja is an important tourist place here. This is also the headquartesrs of the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha. The Adivasi Autonomous Council, which led to tribal rights movement under C.K.Janu, was formed in a small hamlet called Panavalli near Mananthavady. The District Hospital in Mananthavady is the only major treatment facility for the service of the tribal communities and other less privileged sections of Wayanad. It is also the headquarters of the
NGO Wayanad Social Service Society, established in 1974 for the development of Agriculture & Animal Husbandry, Community Health, Co-operative Credit Unions, Women’s Development, Skills Development (vocational), Housing etc.
Places of interest
C.K.Janu]
C.K.Janu
Pazhassi kudeeram: Tomb of Pazhassi Raja (King of this place).
Valliyoorkav (3 km from the town): This Temple is dedicated to Mother Goddess and is worshipped in three principal forms of Vana Durga, Bhadrakali and Jala Durga It is the most important place of worship for the tribal communities. The annual 15 day festival is in March/April and is the most grand of all festivals in the district. Slave trade used to take place here during the festival. It is still the largest congegation of all tribals of Wayanad.
Latin Church : Situated at the heart of the town. It is a reminder of the towns colonial past.
Gandhi Park : It is a junction where political meetings are held almost on a daily basis.
Kuruvadweep (17 km east of Mananthavady ): 950 acre protected river delta system.
Boys town (15 km north of Mananthavady): Herbal garden, nature care centre, sericulture unit, perma-culture centre etc., established by the Wayanad Social Service Society and Gene Park (the Indo-Danish project for promoting herbal gardening) are situated here.
Educational Institutions
- Government Vocatonal Higher Secondary School
- Little Flower High School
- Board School, Fr.G.K.M.Higher Secondary School
- St. Patrick's School
- Hill Blooms
- Amritha Vidyalaya
- Mananthavady Government College
- Mary Matha Arts & Science College
- Government Engineering College
- Arattuthara High school,Payyampally
- S.H.H.S, Dwaraka
Public Libraries
Pazhassi Smaraka Granthalayam, Solidarity Library
Villages
- Oorpally
- Payyamaplly
- Koilery
- Puthiyidam
- Arrattuthra
Category:Cities and towns in Kerala
Category:Islands of IndiaVarious islands and island arcs of India
Category:Geography of India
India
Sibbo
Sibbo, fi. Sipoo, är en kommun i landskapet Östra Nyland i Södra Finlands län. Sibbo har cirka 18 590 invånare och har en yta på 366,75 km². Kommunens centralort heter Nickby, (fi. Nikkilä) som också är kommunens traditionella kyrkby.
Sibbo ligger endast ca. 15 km österom Helsingfors centrum, men fortlevde länge som en svenskspråkig och starkt jordbruksdominerad kommun. Helsingfors stad äger betydande landområden i Sibbo och har visat intresse för att införliva delar av Östersundom i västra Sibbo med Helsingfors.
Sibbo är idag en tvåspråkig kommun med finska som majoritetsspråk och svenska som minoritetsspråk.
Externa länkar
- [http://www.sibbo.fi Sibbo kommuns hemsida]
- [http://www.nbl.fi/~nbl1560/sibbopics.html Bilder från Sibbo]
- [http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paipis Paipis by i norra Sibbo]
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