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Kerala
attracted the notice of people in other parts of India even
from time immemorial. It is evident from the many reference
to the land of in ancient Sanskrit works. The Aitareya
Aranyaka is the earliest Sanskrit work, which specifically
mentions Kerala. The great Epics Ramayana and Mahabharatha,
show awareness of Kerala on the part of their authors. Katyayana
(4th century BC) and Pathanjali (2nd
Century BC) show their acquaintance with the geography of
Kerala. Kautilya’s Arthasastra mentions Kerala. The puranas
also mention Kerala.Kalidasa’s Raghuvamsa has given a beautiful
description of Kerala.
Kerala
looms large in the accounts of classical writes of Greece
and Rome. The anonymous author of the Periplus (1st
century AD) and Ptolemy (2nd century AD)
are the most outstanding classical writes who give information
about Kerala. Later foreign writes like Sulaiman (9th
Century AD), Masudi (10th century AD) Al Kazwini
(13th century AD), Marco Polo (13th
century), John of Monte Corvino (13th century),
Friar Jordanus of Severic (14th century) Ibn Batuta
(14th century), Ma Huan (15th century),
Nicolo Conti (15th century) and Abdul Razzack (15th
century) are some of the other foreign travellers of the early
period who give interesting glimpses of trade and other aspects
of Kerala.
Education and Learning
Kerala
stands in the forefront of Indian states in the matter of
literacy and education. According to the census of 1991 the
rate of literacy in Kerala is 94.59 per cent. This literacy
rate is more than double that of the country. It is significant
that Kerala is almost on a par with the most advanced countries
of the world in point of literacy.
Royal patronage
The
rules of the local dynasties of Kerala have made significant
contributions to the progress of education. Under the famous
ruler Ravi Verma Kulasekhara (1299-1314), Kollam the capital
of Venad, became the great centre of Learning and culture.
The rulers of other kingdoms like Tekkumkur and Vadakkumkur
also patronized education and learning. Calicut under Zamorins
became one of the reputed centres of learning in South India.
In the 14th and 15th centuries under
the Kolathiri Rajas, North Kerala also became a centre of
enlightenment and culture. The Travancore court of the 18th
century became the centre of attraction for scholars and men
of letters. Marthanda Varma (1729-1758) and his successor,
the Dharma Raja (1748-98), were also equally famous as patron
of learning.
Sabha Mutts
The
Sabha Mutts or Temple universities of North and Central Kerala
were the centres of Vedic education. The system of education
conformed to the Gurukula ideal.
.Village
Schools
The
Ezhuthupalli seems to have had its origin under Buddhist influence.
Each Kara had its Patasala or Ezuthupalli under
the Ezuthachan or Asan. The formal ceremony of initiation
(Vidyarambham) took place under solemn auspicious either in
the third year of the child or not later than the seventh
year. The traditional system was that Asan sat cross-legged
by the side of the child after making offerings to God wrote
on the child’s tongue with golden coin the letters “ Hari
sree, Ganapathaye nama”. The child was then made to write
the letters of the alphabet in rice kept in a plate.
.Kalari
The
Kalari also had a place of Importance in the system of education,
which prevailed in the ancient Kerala. It is worthwhile to
remember that Kalari has played a decisive role in Kerala
on many a crucial occasions. It supplied the best fighting
materials against many an invading horders.
Seminaries and Theological Education
Kerala
has a record of its own in the field of theological education.
The Muslims had their Madrassas and Arabic Colleges. The curriculum
of Madrassas laid special emphasis on the learning of Quran,
the life of the prophet, worship and the tenets of Islam.
The credit of initiating theological studies of the churches
goes to Portuguese.
Western Education
The
beginning of Western education in Kerala may be associated
with the work of Christian missionaries. The foundations of
English education were firmly laid in Kerala. This led to
the establishment of institutions offering professional and
technical courses as well as those devoted to the promotion
of oriental studies and fine arts. Institutions like Law College,
Thiruvananthapuram (1874), the Ayurveda College, Thiruvanthapuram
(1889), the Sanskrit College, Thiruvananthapuram (1889), the
Engineering College, Thiruvanthapuram (1939), the Swathi Thirunal
Academy, (now College of Music) (1939), the Medical College,
Thiruvananthapuram (1951), the Agricultural College, Trivandrum,
(1955), and the Veterinary College, Trichur (1955) were started.
.Universities
In
1937,the University of Travancore with headquarters in Trivandrum
was set up. In 1957 following the birth of Kerala State (November
1, 1956), the Travancore University was recognised as Kerala
University with jurisdiction over the whole of the state till
1968 when the new University of Calicut was established to
cater the needs of North Kerala.The Cochin University of Science
and Technology, the Kerala Agricultural University, Trissur,
The Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, the Sree Sankaracharya
Sanskrit University, Kaladi, the North Malabar University
Kannur were established later.
The
Christian Missions, the Nair Service Society, the Sree Narayana
Trust and the Muslim Educational Society have a chain of colleges
and schools under them.
Language and Literature
Malayalam
as a distinct language had its origin in the ninth century
AD. Till then the people on either side of the Western Ghats
spoke the same language, with dialectal variations with in
itself. There is general agreement among ethnologists that
the first component of the word, viz., and ‘mala’ means hill
or mountain, but in regard to the second component, viz.,’alam’
there is a difference of opinion, According to one view the
word is identical with ‘azham’, meaning “sea” or “deep”, which
would make Malayalam the land lying between the Western Ghats
and the Arabian Sea. In the other view Malayalam means “a
land abounding in hills”.
The
earliest literary works in Malayalam are believed to have
been the folk songs and ballads of popular origin. Kerala
scholars have by their learned works enriched the diverse
branches of Art and Science. Histrionics, Dance, Music, Mimamsa,
Philosophy, Tantra, Architecture, Grammar, Mathematics, Astronomy,
Astrology, and Medicine are some of those fields, which have
been enriched by the literacy contributions of Kerala.
Social Heritage
The
coming of the European powers gave a boost to the economy
of Kerala in certain fields and this also helped in the gradual
emergence of a new economic order. The Portuguese, the Dutch,
and the British have contributed to the economic development
of the state. Kerala’s participation in the freedom struggle
is also significant. There were a number of social and religious
movements in Kerala, the contributions of Chattampi Swamikal
and Sri Narayana Guru is important in this context. Improvement
of intercaste relations, movement of Christian unity, Indianisation
of the Church, Muslim reform movements and Land reforms in
the state have made significant improvement in the social
and cultural heritage.
People
A
state with 100% literacy, world standards of health, and a
hard working, determined, dedicated population is always setting
standards in all most all the spheres of its activity. In
more modern times the Keralites have migrated in large numbers
in search of employment to several foreign countries like
United States, Malaysia and Singapore in South East Asia as
well as to several countries of Africa and West Asia. The
professionals of Kerala are among the most wanted experts
in the fields of medicine, Information Technology etc.
Religion
Kerala
is known for its communal harmony and it is achieved by Kerala’s
interaction with varied cultures and ways of life, both indigenous
and foreign. Originally its people followed the Dravidian
way of life and religious practice. In due course many indigenous
religions and philosophical systems from North India made
their appearance on Kerala soil and competed with one another
for the loyalties of the people. The story of the synthesis
of Dravidian and Aryan cultures and the rise and fall of religions
like Jainism and Buddhism in ancient Kerala is of particular
interest to those engaged in the study of the story of cultural
synthesis. At the same time Kerala’s commercial contacts with
foreign countries, world religions like Christianity, Judaism
and Islam were also introduced in the land and they helped
considerably in shaping the composite culture of the land
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