The history of Kerala goes long back more than thousand years. Kerala the land of greenery which is popularly known as ‘God’s Own Country’ was created on 1 November 1956. Stone age carvings in Edakkal Caves in Wayanad indicate the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region at 5000 BC. From the early age that is from 3000 BC itself Kerala was an established Spice trade centre. The Spices in Kerala attracted traders from different parts of the world. In that way the ports in Kerala holds a special place in world history. Kerala has a unique position in the commercial field. Kerala was an important destination of travelers and traders because of its spices.
Jewish and Arabs were the first to come here for trading. Later on traders from different parts of the world including Portuguese, Dutch, Chinese, Greek, Romans, French and British had came here leaving their marks in various fields of Kerala’s culture. This made Kerala society a mix of people from various sects of Christianity, Hindu and Muslim.
There are so many mythological concepts about Kerala. Hindu mythology says that Parasurama, the sixth incarnation of Mahavishnu created Kerala. According to the puranas, Kerala is also known as Parasurama Kshetram, which means 'The Land of Parasurama', because the land was reclaimed from sea by him.
Earlier Kerala was made up of three distinct areas Malabar, Cochin and Travancore. Post independence some major changes happened in Kerala. The states of Travancore and Cochin merged to form province of Travancore-Cochin. Archaeologists believe that the first citizens of Kerala were the Negrito people, the hunters. Followed by them came the Austriches, who are same as the present day Australian Aborigins. They were the one who introduced cultivation of rice and vegetables which are still an integral part of kerala culture. Then comes the Dravidians and Aryans who influenced the Kerala culture.
In the history of Kerala there was the domination of feudalism, cast and warfare. Namboothiries were the landlords of most of the lands. These landlords lived luxuriously. The lands being leased to the next higher castes for cropping. The lowest castes were only the laborers who had pathetic life conditions. There was untouchability also. All these were abolished and the colonial rule was stopped later. Now Kerala is one of the most peaceful places for living.
