Keralam (Ker)

Mal: കേരളം keralam

‘Land of Coconut Trees ’.

From Mal: kēram/chēra, coconut; and Mal: aḷam, coastal area.

Keralam grows 45% of India’s coconuts (7.5 billion of them) and manufactures a wide range of coconut products from oil, milk and honey to ropes, mats and spoons.

Other suggestions are that the name comes from:

(1) ‘Land of ‘Cheras’ –the Chera dynasty ruled most of Keralam from the 1st-5thC. Many dispute this on the grounds that the name pre-dates the dynasty or (2) ‘Land added on’ –from Tam/Mal: cēr/cēruka, ‘join’, ‘attach’, ‘add’. 

According to Hindu mythology, parts of Keralam were created by Lord Parasurama, who reclaimed the land from the sea: ‘the land added on’.

Keralam Tourism describes Keralam as ‘God’s Own Country’ and it’s true that Keralam has a lot to be thankful for: beaches, backwaters, elephants, coconuts, a high literacy rate (93% compared to a national average of 74%),  a female-to-male ratio of 1.084 (indicating impressive gender equality), 100% primary school enrolment, and the lowest infant mortality in India.

The name was changed to Keralam from Kerala in 2026 to reflect its Malayalam spelling and pronunciation.

For more on Indian place names and history, see Toponymy on the Ashoka Express

For a journey through tribal India and Sri Lanka, see Headhunting with Marguerite

Kerala: Regions

KERALAM PLACE NAMES