Kerala
is situated on the south-west coast of India, sandwiched between the
Lakshwadeep Sea and the Western Ghats. The country is full of rice fields,
mango and cashewnut trees and above all, coconut palms. Kerala is also an
important center for spices and this has drawn merchants of spices to stop
here. Its wide contact with the outside world has given the Malayalis (the
natives of Kerala) their cosmopolitanism. This is also the state with the
highest literacy rate.
Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of
Kerala, is a relaxed place and has a different culture from Kovalam or
Varkala. There is, however, little in the way of 'sights' in the city.
Kovalam, on the other hand, is a traditional Kerala village offering fresh
fish, toddy and fruit and the ideal place for sun-bathing travelers.
Varkala is
an embryonic beach resort 41 km north of Thiruvananthapuram. The town and
railway 
station are two km from the beach which lies beneath towering
cliffs and boasts a mineral water spring. The Janardhana Temple is another
tourist attraction. In the Western Ghats is the famous Periyar
Wildlife Sanctuary. It has a nice lake and has opportunities to
see wildlife at close quarters. In the Eravikulam National Park
you can see the rare, but almost tame Nilgiri tahr.
In northern Kerala, Cochin, St Francis Church is
India's oldest European-built church. The remains of Vasco da Gama lies
here.
Kerala also gave birth to the dance form, Kathakali.
It is a dance exclusively meant for men. It has as 
subject the battles
between the gods and the demons and is dynamic and dramatic in character.
Places
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