Kerala : God's Own Country. Experience the floating life of Kerala's backwaters in a houseboat, enjoy the village life, paddy fields and coconut groves. Kerala has beautiful beaches and a number of wildlife sanctuaries sit side by side with coffee and spice plantations. Experience the most renowned dance 'Kathakali', the holy dance 'theyyam' near the villages of Kannur. The 16th century Jewish synagogue at Kochi, Chinese nets and colonial architecture of Fort Kochi are unforgettable. The delicious cuisine and the hospitality of the people will put your plans to see the rest of India in serious trouble.

Kerala is the right place to have an Ayurvedic massage. Main festival of the state is Onam (Aug/Sep). Other festivals are Trissur Pooram (April/May), Nehru Trophy boat race at Alapuzha (2 nd Sat in Aug). The main pilgrim centres are Guruvayur temple near Thrissur and Sabarimala.

Vasco da Gamma's arrival in 1498 at Kappad beach near Kozhikode heralded an era of European colonialism. The Kerala state was formed on 1 Nov 1956. Kerala had the first freely elected communist government in the world, elected in 1957. State has low infant mortality and 91% literacy (highest in India).