Kerala- God's Own Country
The state of Kerala is situated in the south-western part of India. Kerala was recognized as a state of the Indian Union on the 1st of November 1956, when the states of India were reorganized based on language. Thus Kerala was created from the erstwhile Travancore-Cochin region, the Kasargode taluk of the Dakshina Kannada region and the Malabar region of the erstwhile state of Madras. This reorganization of states brought together all the Malayalam speaking people of the regions together as one state. Kerala, with the Arabian Sea to its west, the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to its north and south respectively, covers an area of 38,863 square kilometers. Though Thriuvananthapuram is the capital city of the state Cochin is considered to be the commercial capital of the city
The etymology of the name Kerala is uncertain. It is a combination of the word "Kera" which means coconut and "Alam" which means land. Thus the people of Kerala call their home state Keralam which means the land of coconut trees. According to a legend, the great sage Parashurama threw his axe into the sea and a piece of land rose from it. This land is Kerala. Another legend is connected with the Matsya Puranas according to which the Malaya Mountains is the backdrop for the story of Lord Vishnus Matsya Avatar and King Manu.
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