Kerala, officially Keralam, is a state on the Malabar Coast of southern India. It was formed on 1 November 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act, which unified the country's Malayalam-speaking regions into a single state. Covering , Kerala is primarily a strip of coastal plains sandwiched by the Western Ghats and the Laccadive Sea, bound by Karnataka to the northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east, and the Lakshadweep islands in the western vicinity. With 33 million inhabitants according to the 2011 census, Kerala is the 13th-most populous state in India. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city while the Kochi metropolitan area is the state's most populated region. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and, alongside English, serves as an official language of the state.
Kerala has been a prominent exporter of spices since 3000 BCE. The Chera dynasty, the first major kingdom in the region, rose to prominence through maritime commerce but often faced invasions from the neighbouring Chola and Pandya dynasties. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, initiating European colonisation in India. After Indian independence in 1947, the kingdoms Travancore and Cochin acceded to the newly formed republic and were merged in 1949 to form the state of Travancore-Cochin. In 1956, the modern state of Kerala was instituted by exchanging peripheral areas with the former Madras State; Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk of South Canara district were merged with Travancore-Cochin to form Kerala, while Kanyakumari district and parts of Shenkottai taluk were annexed to Madras State. Kerala consists of 14 districts since 1984.
Kerala has the highest Human Development Index, at 0.784 in 2018; the highest literacy rate, 96.2% in 2018; the highest life expectancy, at 77.3 years; and the highest sex ratio, with 1,084 women per 1,000 men and the lowest positive population growth rate in India (3.44%). It is the least impoverished and the second-most urbanised state in the country. The state has witnessed significant emigration, particularly to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf during the Gulf Boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, and its economy relies heavily on remittances from a large Malayali expatriate population. Hinduism is practised by more than 54% of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity. The culture is a synthesis of Aryan and Dravidian traditions, shaped over millennia by influences from across India and abroad.
The production of black pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, and spices are important crops. The state has a coastline of , and 1.1 million people depend on the fishing industry, which accounts for around 3% of the state's income. The economy is largely service sector oriented, while the primary sector contributes a comparatively smaller share. Kerala has the highest media exposure in India, with newspapers published in nine languages, primarily Malayalam and English. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler, Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India, with coconut-lined sandy beaches, backwaters, hill stations, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions. The state has also been repeatedly recognised in international travel rankings for its tourism.
Name Etymology The word "Kerala" is first mentioned as Keralaputra ('son of Chera[s]') in a 3rd-century-BCE rock inscription left by the Maurya emperor Ashoka (274–237 BCE) in one of his edicts. At that time, one of the three states in the southern part of the Indian subcontinent was known as in Classical Tamil. As per linguist Robert Caldwell, and are variants of the word .
There are several theories as to the origin of the word Kerala. Kerala might have originated from the combination of the two words and meaning 'land of the Cheras'. In Tamil literature, refers to the oldest known dynasty of the kings who ruled the Kerala region and might have been derived from the Old Tamil word for 'lake'. may stem from the combination of the words and meaning 'land of hill or a mountain slope'. It might also have originated from the Malayalam words and meaning 'coconut tree' and 'land' respectively, thus meaning 'land of coconuts', due to the abundance of coconut trees in the region.
Kerala was also called Malabar, after the eponymous coast. The region was called as or meaning 'hill country' due to its topography, which later became 'Malabar'.
Renaming to Keralam There has been a long-standing demand to change the official English name of the state from Kerala to Keralam, the official name of the state in Malayalam. In June 2024, the Kerala Legislative Assembly passed a unanimous resolution to change the state's name from 'Kerala' to 'Keralam', which sought to amend the state's name to reflect its Malayali identity. The proposal was approved by the Union Cabinet on 24 February 2026. After the bill was approved by the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 2 July 2026, the Kerala (Alteration of Name) Bill, 2026 was introduced in the Parliament of India. It was approved by the Lok Sabha on 11 August 2026, and the Rajya Sabha on the next day. Following the president's assent, the name change was effected officially on 25 August 2026 after it was notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India.
History
Legend
In stories of the Dashavatara from Hindu mythology, the lands of Kerala were recovered from the sea by the axe-wielding warrior sage Parashurama, the sixth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. As a result, Kerala is traditionally referred to as Parashurama Kshetram ("The Land of Parashurama"). According to legend, Parashurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded to the point where it landed. This land that emerged extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. The land that emerged was saline and uninhabitable, so Parashurama invoked the snake king Vasuki, who spat holy poison to purify the soil, transforming it into fertile land. Out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as guardians of the land. The legend was expanded and codified in the 17th or 18th century text Keralolpathi. It links the origin of early Kerala institutionssuch as land tenure and administrationto Parashurama's story. In medieval times, the Chera king Chenkuttuvan may have emulated the Parashurama tradition by throwing his spear into the sea to symbolise his lordship over it.
A prominent Puranic figure associated with Kerala is Mahabali, an asura and archetypal just king who is said to have ruled the earth from Kerala. He defeated the devas in battle, driving them into exile. In response, the devas appealed to Vishnu, who assumed his fifth avatar as Vamana and, to restore order, pushed Mahabali down to Patala (the netherworld). According to popular belief, Mahabali returns to Kerala once a year, which is commemorated as the Onam festival. The Matsya Purana, one of the oldest among the 18 Puranas, situates the story of Matsyathe first avatar of Vishnuand king Manu, the first man and ruler of the regionin the Malaya Mountains of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Pre-history
A substantial portion of present-day Kerala is believed to have been submerged under the sea in ancient times. The discovery of marine fossils near Changanassery supports this hypothesis. Prehistoric archaeological discoveries in Kerala include Neolithic-era dolmens in the Marayur region of the Idukki district, locally known as muniyarafrom muni (hermit or sage) and ara (dolmen). Rock engravings in the Edakkal caves in Wayanad date back to the Neolithic period, around 6000 BCE. Archaeological studies have identified Mesolithic, Neolithic and Megalithic sites throughout the region. These findings indicate that the development of early Kerala society and culture began in the Paleolithic Age and progressed through the Mesolithic, Neolithic and Megalithic periods. Foreign cultural interactions also played a role in shaping this development; some historians suggest possible connections with the Indus Valley Civilisation during the late Bronze Age and early Iron Age.
Ancient history
Kerala has been a major spice exporter since at least 3000 BCE, according to Sumerian records, and it is continues to be referred to as the "Garden of Spices" or as the "Spice Garden of India".Striving for sustainability, environmental stress and democratic initiatives in Kerala, p. 79; ISBN 81-8069-294-9, Srikumar Chattopadhyay, Richard W. Franke; Year: 2006. The region's spices attracted ancient Babylonians, Assyrians, and Egyptians to the Malabar Coast during the 3rd and 2nd millennia BCE. Arabs and Phoenicians also established trade links with Kerala during this period. The land of Keralaputra was one of four independent kingdoms in southern India during the time of Emperor Ashoka, alongside the Chola, Pandya, and Satiyaputra kingdoms. Scholars generally identify Keralaputra as another name for the Cheras, the earliest major dynasty based in Kerala. Although disputed by some scholars, the mainstream view holds that Malayalam descends from a west coast dialect of Early middle tamil and became a distinct language somewhere between 9 and 13th century. These southern territories once shared a common language and cultural framework, within a region historically known as Tamilakam. While the Cheras governed most of what is now Kerala, the southern tip of the region fell under the control of the Pandyas, whose trading port is sometimes identified in ancient Western sources as Nelcynda (or Neacyndi). Later, control of the region alternated among the Pandyas, Cheras, and Cholas. The Ays and Mushikas were two other dynasties of ancient Kerala, located to the south and north of the Chera territory, respectively.
By the last centuries BCE, the coast had become an important hub for Greek and Roman trade, particularly in black pepper. The Cheras maintained commercial links with Ancient China, West Asia, Egypt, Greece, and the Roman Empire. In foreign trade records, the region was referred to as Male or Malabar. Principal ports of the time included Muziris, Berkarai, and Nelcynda. The value of Rome's annual trade with Kerala has been estimated at 50 million sesterces.According to Pliny the Elder, goods from India were sold in the Empire at 100 times their original purchase price. See Contemporary Sangam literature describes Roman ships arriving at Muziris, laden with gold in exchange for pepper. One of the earliest Western traders to navigate the monsoon winds to reach Kerala was Eudoxus of Cyzicus, who made the voyage around 118 or 166 BCE under the patronage of Ptolemy VIII, king of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic dynasty in Egypt. Roman establishments in the region's port citiesincluding a temple of Augustus and barracks for garrisoned Roman soldiersare recorded in the Tabula Peutingeriana, the only surviving map of the Roman cursus publicus.