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| The small state of
Kerala, which represents just 1% of the land mass, is considered
to be one of India's most beautiful state. It is a very rural
state with most of the population living in villages but is
culturally and scenically diverse. Kerala has two national parks,
ten wildlife sanctuaries and two bird sanctuaries. Kerala occupies
a long (550km), narrow strip of land in the far south of India.
Its coastline is on the Arabian Sea ( part of the Indian Ocean)
and its eastern border with |
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| the neighbouring state of Tamil
Nadu is the top of the majestic Western Ghat mountains. The
landscape varies from long golden beaches to cool hill stations
and dense green jungle to bustling cities. Its unique feature
is the 1,900km of palm fringed backwaters. |
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To make one's holidays hassle
free, proper planning and care should be done. This not only
makes the trip blissful but also remains fresh in the memory
for a long time. Thus, it is always advised that before set
out on your tour, you must make yourself aware of different
things associated with the place. Before venturing on a trip
to Kerala, India, one needs to follow some simple guidelines
to make the stay a pleasant one. These travel tips and guidelines
on Kerala travel will surely make your Kerala travel a pleasant
and memorable experience. |
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While traveling in Kerala, there
is no limit to the amount of foreign currency that visitors/tourists
can keep with them. |
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All the nationalized banks are open for transaction
from 10.00 to 14.00 hrs on all days except Sundays. Many of
the private banks provide transaction services between 8 AM
to 8 PM. |
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The best time to visit Kerala is during the
months of October to April and during Monsoons for Ayurveda
rejuvenation programmes. |
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Cotton outfits, hats, sunglasses, sunscreen
lotion etc |
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Most of the hotels, restaurants and shopping
centers and malls honor major credit cards. |
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Like all other parts of India, Indian Rupee
(INR) is the prevalent currency in Kerala. |
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Possession of drugs is a criminal offence
and punishable under law. |
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Since Kerala is one of the most famous tourist
destinations in India, all major restaurants and hotels offer
a variety of cuisines including Continental, Chinese, Indian
and traditional Kerala dishes. |
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While traveling in Kerala, it is advisable
to drink bottled water or drinking water from houses/restaurants.
It is not advisable to drink water from slow moving streams,
lakes or dams. Mineral water is available in sealed bottles
almost everywhere. |
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There are certain things/codes that are to
be kept in mind while visiting temples in Kerala. Footwear inside
the temple and entry into the sanctum sanctorum is banned in
all the temples. The customs and codes of conduct and dress
in temples across Kerala vary from each other. |
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India is a country where nudity is not allowed
at public places. Similarly, while traveling in Kerala it must
be borne in mind that nudity is not allowed on any Kerala beach. |
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Kerala is well known for Ayurveda and Ayurvedic
treatment centers and if you wish to undergo Ayurvedic treatment,
it is very important to ensure that you go to an authorized
and genuine center. |
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Demonstrating affection in public (hugging
or kissing) is not an accepted practice in Kerala. |
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| Malayalam is the language of
Kerala. Keralites are popularly called "Malayalees"
for the language they speak. The people of Kerala form a well
educated society. Kerala is the first state in Indian with 100%
literacy. The women mostly dress themselves in those wonderful
six meters of silk or cotton called SARI. The more convenient
dresses like Churidar and Western fashion styles are popular
among the younger generation. |
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| The men mostly subscribe to trousers
and shirt like the rest of the world. How ever you shouldn't
be surprised if you find them dressed in the traditional "Kasavu
Mundu", a three to four meter long cotton twin cloth with
silk border, as formal dress and a colourful cloth called "Kaily"
or "Lunky" at home as the informal dress. Mundu is
more popular in the rural areas. The typical style of a Malayalee
is "Mundu", top covered with a silk cloth called "Melmundu"
and wooden slippers called as "Methiyadi". The very
interesting thing about a Malayalee is his Moustache. Almost
90% of the men having a nice Moustache. It is very easy to identify
a Malayalee. Most of the Malayalees love to have a nice Beard
too. |
| The Hindus account for nearly 60% of the population.
The rest of the 40% is almost equally divided between the Christians
and the Muslims. |
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The famous festivals of Kerala
are like jewels in its crown that stand out for their beauty
and uniqueness. Celebrated all year round, the people of Kerala
come together on every occasion to enjoy the spirit of their
state with fun, frolic and entertainment gaining paramount importance.
This festivity keeps the spirits and mood of the people high
and vibrant with each season boosting of a different festival. |
| The most famous and awaited event
of Kerala is the Onam festival. Falling in the month of September,
the harvest season of Kerala, this festival is celebrated as
the national festival of Kerala and is a perfect time for family
get-together and fun. Other festivals celebrated by Keralites
are : Vishu, Ide, Diwali, Trissur Pooram, Christmas, Thiruvathira,
Aranmula Uthrittathi and much more. |
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| Kerala cuisine has a multitude
of both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Like other South-indian
cuisines, Kerala cuisine (called pachakam in Malayalam) is predominantly
spicy. Coconuts grow in abundance in Kerala, and consequently,
grated coconut and coconut milk are widely used in dishes and
curries. Kerala's long coastline and strong fishing industry
has contributed to many fish-based delicacies, particulary among
the Christian community. |
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| Kerala cuisine offers many delicious
vegetarian breakfast dishes that are relatively unknown outside
the state. These include Puttu (a cylindrical dish made of rice
powder and grated coconut) and kadala (a curry made of chana),
idli (fluffy rice pancakes) and sambar, dosa and chutney, Idiyappam
(string hoppers - also known as Noolputtu), Paal-Appam, a circular,
fluffy, crisp-edged pancake made of rice flour fermented with
a small amount of toddy or wine, etc. The staple food of Kerala,
like most South-Indian states, is rice. Unlike other states,
however, many people in Kerala prefer parboiled rice (rice made
nutritious by boiling it with rice husk). Kanji (rice congee),
a kind of rice porridge, is also popular. Rice is usually consumed
with one or more curries, upperis (dry curries), rasam, chips,
and buttermilk (called moru). Vegetarian dinners usually consist
of multiple courses, each involving rice, one main dish (usually
sambar, rasam, puli-sherry), and one or more side-dishes. Kerala
cooking uses coconut oil almost exclusively. |
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With 120–140 rainy days
per year, Kerala has a wet and maritime tropical climate influenced
by the seasonal heavy rains of the southwest summer monsoon.
In eastern Kerala, a drier tropical wet and dry climate prevails.
Kerala's rainfall averages 3,107 mm annually. Some of Kerala's
drier lowland regions average only 1,250 mm; the mountains of
eastern Idukki district receive more than 5,000 mm of orographic
precipitation, the highest in the state. |
| In summers, most of Kerala is
prone to gale force winds, storm surges, cyclone-related torrential
downpours, occasional droughts, and rises in sea level and storm
activity resulting from global warming. Kerala’s maximum
daily temperature averages 36.7 °C; the minimum is 19.8
°C. Mean annual temperatures range from 25.0–27.5
°C in the coastal lowlands to 20.0–22.5 °C in
the highlands. |
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| Native performing arts include
koodiyattom, kathakali—from katha ("story")
and kali ("performance")—and its offshoot Kerala
natanam, koothu (akin to stand-up comedy), mohiniaattam ("dance
of the enchantress"), thullal, padayani, and theyyam. Other
forms of art are more religious or tribal in nature. These include
chavittu nadakom, oppana (originally from Malabar), which combines
dance, rhythmic hand clapping, and ishal vocalisations. |
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| However, many of these art forms
largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not
as popular among most ordinary Keralites. These people look
to more contemporary art and performance styles, including those
employing mimicry and parody. Kerala's music also has ancient
roots. Carnatic music dominates Keralite traditional music.
This was the result of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma's popularisation
of the genre in the 19th century. Raga-based renditions known
as sopanam accompany kathakali performances. Melam (including
the paandi and panchari variants) is a more percussive style
of music; it is performed at Kshetram centered festivals using
the chenda. Melam ensembles comprise up to 150 musicians, and
performances may last up to four hours. Panchavadyam is a different
form of percussion ensemble, in which up to 100 artists use
five types of percussion instrument. Kerala has various styles
of folk and tribal music. The popular music of Kerala is dominated
by the filmi music of Indian cinema. Kerala's visual arts range
from traditional murals to the works of Raja Ravi Varma, the
state's most renowned painter. |
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