Kerala (Ker)

Mal: കേരളം keralam

‘Land of Coconut Trees ’.

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

Kerala 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 Kerala 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 Kerala were created by Lord Parasurama, who reclaimed the land from the sea: ‘the land added on’.

Kerala Tourism describes Kerala as ‘God’s Own Country’ and it’s true that Kerala 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.

Kerala: Regions