KERALA A PARADISE IN SOUTH
Thursday, 3rd January, 2008
KERALA: A PARADISE IN SOUTH

Kerala, according to" National Geographic Traveler", is one of the 50 must see destinations of a lifetime. It is one of the 10 paradises of the World. Kerala is a good example of how a place with great attributes, has come to be perceived as a great place to visit. Among other destinations in India Kerala has become pocket-vibes of world destinations with stunning backwaters, hill stations, impossible greenery, and a range of Ayurvedic massages, great beaches, food and culture
With the monsoons making a grand entry into Kerala, tourist resorts and Ayurvedic spas are all ready with rejuvenating health packages. The rainy season, experts say, is the best time for Ayurvedic treatment. Although Ayurvedic evolved centuries ago in India, it has only in recent years that it has become a huge selling point for Kerala’s tourism industry, especially in the months June-August. According to ayurveda specialists, the monsoon season is the best time for treatments as the atmosphere remains dust-free and cool, which helps open the pores of the body to the maximum.
This makes the body more receptive to herbal oils and other ayurveda medicines. Ayurveda believes in the treatment of not just the affected part, but also the individual as a whole. It is considered a natural way to refresh oneself by eliminating all toxic imbalances from the body and thus regain good health.

Tourists, who come especially for treatment and not just for sightseeing, are catered here. For those who have a time constraint, their medical files are called early and study their problems in detail even before they arrive. So the treatment protocols are ready when they come here.
Ayurveda offers excellent treatments for skin problems, ailments related to stress and joint pains.
The numerous resorts in the state have drawn out specific plans ranging from a few days to even three weeks. For skin problems, generally patients are asked to stay back for 28 days. And for people who don’t have so much time at their disposal, medicines are given to them so that they can carry with them and a constant interaction is kept with them. And for those who are on a short holiday, a general oil massage is sure to put the spring back in your step.
Five years back, the ayurveda tourism industry in Kerala saw a mere five percent occupancy during the monsoons but in most resorts, it is expected to cross 70 per cent occupancy this season.

Almost all resorts, whether big or small, now boast of an ayurveda spa. And they all have separate vegetarian kitchens, as vegetarian food is considered a must during the treatment period.
Other than that Kerala is know for its wild life. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary 50 Km from Thiruvananthapuram, Neyyar wildlife Sanctuary, 30 Km from Thiruvananthapuram. Here main attractions are Elephants, gaurs, sloth bears, Nilgiri tahrs, lion safari park. Shenduruni Wildlife Sanctuary, 66 Km from Kollam town, where main attractions are Elephants, tigers, leopards, bears, lion tailed macaques.

Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, 16 Km from Kottayam town. Local birds like the water fowl, cuckoo, owl, egret, herons and water duck, as well as the migratory Siberian duck are the main attractions. Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, lying in Devicolam Taluk of Idukki district, chinnar was declared as a wildlife sanctuary in 1984. It is located in the rain shadow region of the Western Ghats. It is the second habitat for the endangered Giant Grizzled Squirrel in India. With an area of 90.422 sq kms, Chinnar is a unique thorny scrub forest.

The undulated terrain with rocky patches increases the scenic splendour of the sanctuary. As the altitude varies from 500 to 2400 metres within a few kilometre radius, there is a drastic variation in the climate and vegetation. The highest peaks are Kottakombumalai (2144 metre), Vellaikal Malai (1863m) and Viriyoottu Malai (1845 metre). Unlike in most forests of Kerala, Chinnar gets only about 48 rainy days in a year during October - November (North - East Monsoons). The forest types comprise thorny scrub forests, dry deciduous forests, high sholas and wet grasslands
As for the Cuisine of Kerala, it is mildly flavored, gently cooked and has a certain genteel delicacy on the stomach. An example is the rich biriyanis of the northern parts of Kerala. The Malabar Biriyanis.
Pulaos, pilaffs and biriyanis are meats spices and onions slowly steam cooked in boiled rice. Malabar biriyani was brought across the Indian Ocean by Arab Seafarers. It should be eaten hot with crispy, crunchy pappads. A favourite breakfast dish is Pootu. Rice flour dough is lagered with gated coconut and steamed in hollow bamboo cylinder. It is eaten sprinkled with sugar or with mashed bananas or with a spicy curry made of channa or chic peas.
Iddlis or fluffy white steamed cakes and dosas which are thin golden pancakes are popular in Kerala. They are made up of yeasty rice and lentil batter. They are not strictly Malayali Cuisine. They came across from the vegetarian kitchens next door in the State of Tamil Nadu. Kerala does have its own well developed vegetarian cuisine. If you visit the State during post harvest Onam season lunch with thoran or kaalan or pachadi or olen.

Thorans are gravy-less dishes of finely chopped boiled vegetables and possibly meet and sea food. The mustard seed used in thorans gives them a pleasantly assertive flavour, while the lightly fried grated coconut adds the church.
Avial, on the other hand, is mixed vegetable gravy dish thickened with coconut and yoghurt. Drumsticks, jack fruit seeds and slices of mango are often used. Olen is also a very gravy dish made of ash gourd and drum beans where the predominant flavour is that of coconut milk. It is a fairly thick liquid squeezed out from the white flesh of a fresh coconut.
Bananas are very popular in Kerala Cuisine. Sliced finely and deep fried as chips, they are chewy snacks. Cut into bits, fried and dipped in jaggerey or sugar syrup, they are sweets. Cooked in thick yoghurt and seasoned with chilly, turmeric cumin seed and curry leaves, they become Kaalan accompaniment to the main meal. Malayalee Pachadi is a fairly thick sauce made of sugar, yoghurt, grated coconut, mustard seed and a wide spectrum range of spices including green and red chillies.
Sambar is a cross between a sauce and a broth. It contains smashed lentils, cooked vegetables and apices including the exotic and edible resin asafoetida. For desert, there is the Pradhman or Payasam, porridge like sweets with vermicelli of rice base, cooked in milk and sugar or jaggery. A favourite dish of Syrian Christians residing at Kottayam is stew. Chicken and potatoes are simmered gently in a creamy white sauce flavoured with black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, green chillies, lime juice, shallots and coconut milk.
The stew is eaten with Appams. Appams Kallappams or Vellayappams are rice flour pancakes which have soft, thick white spongy centres and thin golden crip lace like edge. Meen vevichathu or fish in fiery red chilly sauce is also another favourite item. Besides the chicken and fish there is also red meat, erachi orlarthiathu.
Kerala is an enchantingly beautiful, emerald green land, flanked by the Western Ghats on
one side, the Arabian Sea on the other, and strewn with rivers, lagoons, backwaters and rich vegetation in between.
For tourist, Kerala offers Nature on a platter. Sandy beaches of Kovalam, blue Lagoons at Veli, Hill stations at Ponmudi and Munnar, backwaters of Kollam and Alappuzha, greenland plantations in the high ranges, wildlife, high mountain peaks, picturesque valleys, magnificent forts and intricately decorated temples - Whatever one can ask for.
What’s more, every one of these charming destinations is only maximum a two-hour drive from the other. A singular advantage, which no other destination offers.


