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Kerala Discussion Thread

IamIndian said:
Must see Video Kerala Gods Own country

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI-JAsIO9ps
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My Home :19::19:

Good post [MENTION=46409]IamIndian[/MENTION]

What gets me is the absolutely HOPELESS attitude of our people (desis ) when it comes to polluting the environment and throwing away waste/plastic.. This place can match the best in the World for its beauty ..

But we really take poor care of it ..
 

The thing is Kerala is still all about remittance but yes on how to utilize the money they are very good probably coz the literacy but there are hardly any major jobs.
 
I will list Kerala on my bucket list. Really seems beautiful
 
Not that special, if you ask me. The lone shot of the the green mountains with the waterfalls is scenic but the rest of it just shows normal roads, bridges, cars, the city and a car moving on a beach.

Don't really see anything that's very distinctive. Most of these things would be found anywhere in the world.
 
God's own country? How?

Is a breeding ground of extremism, religious hatred and corruption. Should have been an arab state.
 
its a fascinating place but the video is obv biased

didnt show any of the cities
 
Slog said:
its a fascinating place but the video is obv biased

didnt show any of the cities
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They did,IIRC there are only 2 major cities and they showed one in the video here's the other one


Kerala is more high on social indicators comparatively but economically not that high,it depends on what one is looking for,have seen a lot of homes over there mostly being "independent" ones with lot of fruits and vegetables grown within the home.
 
One thing I love about Kerala is nature, and it is awesome. Half the video was a waste though. Unless the purpose was just to test the drone, they could have done a lot better.
 
Thrissur Pooram (a hindu festival with decorated elephants and fireworks)..

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JaDed said:
They did,IIRC there are only 2 major cities and they showed one in the video here's the other one


Kerala is more high on social indicators comparatively but economically not that high,it depends on what one is looking for,have seen a lot of homes over there mostly being "independent" ones with lot of fruits and vegetables grown within the home.
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Saw this news a few days back...FB_IMG_1488640959684.jpg
 
It seems like the state not only has natural beauty but it is has a vibrant culture
 
I have heard Kerala contributes most to the ISIS fighters from India. Is that true sister [MENTION=133135]kaayal[/MENTION]
 
kaayal said:
Saw this news a few days back...View attachment 73381
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Yup read that as well,also the disabled Modi girl apparently found the Kerala authorities the most helpful for her to get decent facilities in railways,Kerala easily knows what to do with their money but the jobs have only now started to get created with IT in Kochi.

Still see a lot of my Mallu friends saying we don't want that,we can rather work in other places and keep Kerala home like.Kerala should move towards research imo industries will never be setup there and its not a big deal there are UP,MP etc states for that,but it defn need higher level jobs.
 
Kerela is a great place. Land of spices isnt it?

I think it should be developed even more as a health tourism or wellness and spa tourism destination. Although it is already doing okay in this aspect but It has even more potential if some attention is given to it. People are nice and down to earth too from what i have seen.
 
TM Riddle said:
I have heard Kerala contributes most to the ISIS fighters from India. Is that true sister [MENTION=133135]kaayal[/MENTION]
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I dont know about 'MOST' that is a bit of an exaggeration however there is a movement for terrorist activities around certain Kerala muslims. Saudi funded Wahabi crap has affected some youths it is something the government should keep an eye out for. Heard a while back a few Kashmiri terrorits were getting training in Vagamon. Also heard the dark skinned kerala muslim youths that went to fight for ISIS was not allowed to fight as they were slighly darker in complexion....
 
Madplayer said:
Kerela is a great place. Land of spices isnt it?

I think it should be developed even more as a health tourism or wellness and spa tourism destination. Although it is already doing okay in this aspect but It has even more potential if some attention is given to it. People are nice and down to earth too from what i have seen.
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Kerala is blessed with water while its neighbor Tamilnadu is a very dry place.

I always find Kerala culture pretty similar to Srilankan culture. The way processions are taken out in Temples with Elephants leading the way looks very similar to the Srilankan Elephant processions. People also look kind of similar. I say they are long last cousins.

Problem with them is, their economy depends on remittances from Gulf countries.
 
Romali_rotti said:
I dont know about 'MOST' that is a bit of an exaggeration however there is a movement for terrorist activities around certain Kerala muslims. Saudi funded Wahabi crap has affected some youths it is something the government should keep an eye out for. Heard a while back a few Kashmiri terrorits were getting training in Vagamon. Also heard the dark skinned kerala muslim youths that went to fight for ISIS was not allowed to fight as they were slighly darker in complexion....
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They could have used them in ISIS call centers.
 
TM Riddle said:
I have heard Kerala contributes most to the ISIS fighters from India. Is that true sister [MENTION=133135]kaayal[/MENTION]
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22 Kerala muslim youths are missing from Kasargod and Palakkad. NIA reports says that they are in Afghanisthan fighting for ISIS and the missing people says to their family that they went there in search of "true Islam", they are helping the locals there and hasn't joined Isis. Only God Knows what the truth is..

No matter what they have done, they have tarnished the 7.8million Kerala muslims reputation in the rest of the world...
 
JaDed said:
Yup read that as well,also the disabled Modi girl apparently found the Kerala authorities the most helpful for her to get decent facilities in railways,Kerala easily knows what to do with their money but the jobs have only now started to get created with IT in Kochi.

Still see a lot of my Mallu friends saying we don't want that,we can rather work in other places and keep Kerala home like.Kerala should move towards research imo industries will never be setup there and its not a big deal there are UP,MP etc states for that,but it defn need higher level jobs.
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This...because of our land problem we can't wish for more jobs instead we like to keep our Kerala home like. It's not difficult to come here whenever we want...:)
 
troodon said:
Kerala is blessed with water while its neighbor Tamilnadu is a very dry place.

I always find Kerala culture pretty similar to Srilankan culture. The way processions are taken out in Temples with Elephants leading the way looks very similar to the Srilankan Elephant processions. People also look kind of similar. I say they are long lost cousins.

Problem with them is, their economy depends on remittances from Gulf countries.
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[MENTION=141520]troodon[/MENTION] There is historical context to that .

The Kerala and Sri Lanka ecosystems and topography are near Identical and are always taken together as the same unit in scientific studies, as the lower end of the western Ghats.

Also it is believed that the "Ezhava" and "Thiyya" caste hindus of kerala , constituting around 30-35% of Keralas Hindu population, were actually descendants of Sri Lankan Buddhists who migrated to Kerala around AD 1000-1200. . It is clear from the name "Ezhava" which means "Person from Eezham", which was the ancient name of Sri Lanka.

It was believed that the Sri Lankan king of the time was on good terms with the ruler of present day Kerala area (Chera /Chola perhaps ?). They were brought because Coconut cultivation was highly advanced in Sri Lanks at the time , so the Southern King wanted some people be sent over to teach the Keralites .. Please note that Coconut cultivation mainly involved extracting "Toddy" which is a type of country liquor brewed from coconut water, which remains Kerala & Tamil Nadu's favorite local alcoholic drink .

Also, the funny/sad thing is , the new migrants , originally Buddhists , decided to convert to Hinduism, to avoid the persecution/oppsition to Jains and Budhists which was prevalent in South at that time due to the resurgence of Hinduism. But since they converted from another religion, the dominant hindu castes at the time (Brahmins and Nairs) shunted them to Lower Caste /Shudra status.

These aspects could explain the stronger cultural and culinary similarities of Kerala and Sri Lanka. Its far to similar to be coincidental, given the similarities in food (rice, sea-food, puttu), martial arts (Kalari Payatu - Angampora) as well as the rituals mentioned above.
 
Spend 3 yrs in Kerala when my father was posted there and it was like a foreign country-no garbage dumps,no cows in the streets and people actually queueing to board buses and so stunningly beautiful.
You've places like Chandigarh where an attempt has been made to beautify them and then you've places like Kashmir and Kerala which are beautiful without any artifice.
First time had beef in Kerala and the fish there is to die for.
Very friendly folks even though we did'nt speak their language and they did'nt speak ours.
 
Unlike what it's made out to be in national media , Fish is the most important part of kerala's cuisine..

Beef is just a source of cheap meat/proteins. Within that too buffalo meat is preferred, which is what Keralites usually mean by "beef" ..Earlier cow meat used to be seen as a cheaper adulterant to the better quality buffalo meat..

If you go by popularity, it's always seafood no.1 followed by pork and mutton ,then chicken and beef .. The increase in popularity of beef was mainly due to the huge increase in prices for pork( for Christians and Hindus ) and Mutton in the state . Sea food as always is far more expensive than red meat, which is exacerbated by the export of the best quality sea food to the middle East and overseas. So Keralites end up overpaying for the lesser quality sea food ..
 
SandyB said:
Unlike what it's made out to be in national media , Fish is the most important part of kerala's cuisine..

Beef is just a source of cheap meat/proteins. Within that too buffalo meat is preferred, which is what Keralites usually mean by "beef" ..Earlier cow meat used to be seen as a cheaper adulterant to the better quality buffalo meat..

If you go by popularity, it's always seafood no.1 followed by pork and mutton ,then chicken and beef .. The increase in popularity of beef was mainly due to the huge increase in prices for pork( for Christians and Hindus ) and Mutton in the state . Sea food as always is far more expensive than red meat, which is exacerbated by the export of the best quality sea food to the middle East and overseas. So Keralites end up overpaying for the lesser quality sea food ..
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Northern Kerala dishes are mainly based on red meat and sea food. Pork is less frequent here because of the majority muslim population.
 
kaayal said:
Northern Kerala dishes are mainly based on red meat and sea food. Pork is less frequent here because of the majority muslim population.
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I do have a "beef" with that as well. In recent year there is a widespread domination of Northern Kerala cuisine , Dum Biriyani and the ilk, over other kinds of Kerala cuisine throughout Central and Southern Kerala cities. The humble pork and its various dishes are rarely available in hotels these days... Its always Arabian or Malabar food in most hotels .. :20:
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
Most of them can't speak Hindi and difficult to get food for vegans.

I observed even Muslims speaking in Malayalam.
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I don't how far back you've been there, but these days Mallu's Hindi have improved drastically due to the local construction & labour Industries employing our brothers from Bengal and Orissa (Ahem, more like Bangladeshis with Adhaar cards ! :fizz) since past 8-9 years. Also a huge number of North Easterners are also earning their living here involved in unskilled and semi skilled work . So the average Malayali needs to know itsy-bitsy Hindi to get around in even their own hotels or shops or worksites. !!

So these days you wouldn't find it as hard as it may have been in the past . Also, English can get you around in most of the big and Small cities and urban centers. Unless you go deep into the hinterland , English works fine.

The Muslims in Kerala, as I have posted here before, are majorly descendants of Arab traders who have been coming here from as far back as 600 AD. Many settled down here marrying local women and establishing mosques , giving rise to the name Mapila/Moplah for Kerala muslims which is Tamil /Malayalam for Son-In-Law. As a result they have no tie to the Persian/Mongol invaders who brought Islam to the north, and their languages like Hindustani / Urdu.

The local kings wanted to keep the Arabs on their side and use their naval expertise, since they were the strongest naval power in the Arabian sea before the Europeans arrived. So coastal population were made to marry Arabs and convert and most of the older Mosques were established/maintained under the patronage of Hindu kings of the Coastal Malabar and Kochi kingdoms.

The Tipu Sultan invasion of Malabar in the 17th Century did bring the Urdu speaking Islam here, but that was limited to the Northern 2-3 districts of Kerala only, which already had a sizeable Mappila Muslim population to begin with . So even then the newely converted Muslims (by force this time) eventually adopted to the mappila culture instead of the other way. Urdu/Hindi never caught on .
But that is seen general culture of the Northern states, where the muslims tend to be far more conservative and wear the Abaya, Burqua and the Full veil etc like the Muslims of Karnataka or Hyderabad. The Muslims of central and southerns Kerala had their own indigenous clothing for both men and women, and the Abaya / burqua etc have been gaining prominence only in the past 10 -15 years as a result of large scale Arabisation ..
 
Good to hear people sticking to their culture and language instead of religion.

I was talking about language issues with people working in boat houses, porters, chai shops, small scale peddlers near hill stations.
 
SandyB said:
The Muslims in Kerala, as I have posted here before, are majorly descendants of Arab traders who have been coming here from as far back as 600 AD. Many settled down here marrying local women and establishing mosques , giving rise to the name Mapila/Moplah for Kerala muslims which is Tamil /Malayalam for Son-In-Law. ..
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There are a few muslims that have an Arab background in Kerala, but majority of the muslims in Kerala are very dark in complexion and have ZERO Arab genetics. In other words, they look like a typical South Indian convert whom used to be most likely a hindu fisherman back in the day...
 
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Out of interest, why does the ancestry matter?
 
Calling kerala gods own country is a bit of exaggeration, It's an ok place to visit, There are over 30 beaches, 44 rivers, backwaters, mountains and calm Reserve forests, If you are a rider it's the one of the best places to explore, total area is only 38,863 kmsq…5 with good network of roads.
 
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AamchiMumbaikar said:
Most of them can't speak Hindi and difficult to get food for vegans.

I observed even Muslims speaking in Malayalam.
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It's not difficult to find vegetarian food even in small towns, most of them have 2 or 3 pure veg resturants but it's difficult to find pure vegetarian hotels in remote places.
 
Specialisttailender said:
Should have spoke English.

In southern state Muslims speak their local language.
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What?Most Muslims from Andhra,Telengana,Karanataka speak Urdu,Daccani.If by Southern states you mean only Tamil Nadu/Kerala then too multiple instances you are wrong.Chennai Shia population speaks urdu completely.
 
Me being a vegetarian as well am not fond of Kerala cuisine but [MENTION=62785]AamchiMumbaikar[/MENTION] Kerala paratha with Peas curry was available in many locations,that's usually my goto food in Kerala.
 
JaDed said:
Me being a vegetarian as well am not fond of Kerala cuisine but [MENTION=62785]AamchiMumbaikar[/MENTION] Kerala paratha with Peas curry was available in many locations,that's usually my goto food in Kerala.
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Is this what is called as 'karal curry' which people sell in all railway stations? :D

We got tricked with Kerala parantha on our first visit, assumed it will be a variant of parantha like aloo/ gobi :(

Anyway for people who don't eat meat/ fish/ egg options are less and taste is very different to what non South Indians are used to. There were some rice varieties like apam, putu, which we could not eat much.

Overall it's a nice place to visit, less trash on roads, greenery, backwaters and coconut trees :)
 
Hornbill said:
It's not difficult to find vegetarian food even in small towns, most of them have 2 or 3 pure veg resturants but it's difficult to find pure vegetarian hotels in remote places.
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We had a torrid time in finding places which did not serve fish/ meat. Most of the time we were on road passing through small hotels and dhabas.
 
AamchiMumbaikar said:
Is this what is called as 'karal curry' which people sell in all railway stations? :D

We got tricked with Kerala parantha on our first visit, assumed it will be a variant of parantha like aloo/ gobi :(

Anyway for people who don't eat meat/ fish/ egg options are less and taste is very different to what non South Indians are used to. There were some rice varieties like apam, putu, which we could not eat much.

Overall it's a nice place to visit, less trash on roads, greenery, backwaters and coconut trees :)
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Nope don't think that's veg (I could be wrong),I could be wrong. Yes Appam,Kuttu are hard to eat even for me as i prefer crispy and spicy that's why Kerala PAratha and some veg side dish.

In my hostel in Bangalore they used to make Kerala paratha with black channa that also was awesome but always loved it with peas curry.Kerala paratha is basically lacha paratha made from all purpose flour than Wheat flour.
 
MenInG said:
Out of interest, why does the ancestry matter?
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Well for a start , from my experiences in this forum, you always find a lot many Pakistanis saying we are actually Arabs and not Desis/South asians. These beliefs are founded on the Persian/Mongol invasions which brought Islam to the subcontinent, and the subsequent ethnic features of Pakistanis & Panjabis which show Iraninan/Mongol traits ..

By the same logic if we go by actual genetics , the Muslims along Kerala coast are gonna have as much or more "Arab genes" than your average Pakistani , simply because the are direct descendants of Hindus marrying Arabs, instead of the North where the genes would've taken the Arabia>Persia>Afghan>India route, which would mean a far more mixed ethnicity..

The Kerala Muslims have been here for over 1200-1400 years, so the resultant mixing of gene pools among the locals would mean they won't have the same "Arab" features in terms of physical appearance. The north western Indians have always had Indo-Iranian features even before the arrival of Islam , so those aren't exactly Arab feature. But the claim of "we are arabs" actually would suit the Kerala muslims more than the ones up north west .

Hornbill said:
Calling kerala gods own country is a bit of exaggeration, It's an ok place to visit, There are over 30 beaches, 44 rivers, backwaters, mountains and calm Reserve forests, If you are a rider it's the one of the best places to explore, total area is only 38,863 kmsq…5 with good network of roads.
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Do you know that unlike Kashmir, which was christened "Heaven On Earth" by the brits, Kerala as "God's On Country" is actually a myth created by us Keralites itself ! This has been successfully propagated as more or less a name given to us by the "Europeans" !:D

The story goes that the Kerala Govt, in the 60's was looking to popularize tourism to the state on a large scale.. So people came up with the tagline "Gods Country", but the Cabinet secretary/Chief secretary of the State Govt at the time , a smart guy said "Wait, Something's missing , Lets make it Gods OWN Country.. and that was that !! . The name got stuck and forever is the brand identity of our state.. :quote:

Hornbill said:
It's not difficult to find vegetarian food even in small towns, most of them have 2 or 3 pure veg resturants but it's difficult to find pure vegetarian hotels in remote places.
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Pure vegetarian hotels in Kerala are militarily Tamil or Udupi (mangalore) hotels , so you won't get authentic veggie kerala foods like Appam, Puttu , Idiyappam or the Kerala veggie meals (which are delicious) !.. To get a proper taste of Kerala vegetarian dishes, you'll need to be invited to a Hindu wedding ..
 
JaDed said:
What?Most Muslims from Andhra,Telengana,Karanataka speak Urdu,Daccani.If by Southern states you mean only Tamil Nadu/Kerala then too multiple instances you are wrong.Chennai Shia population speaks urdu completely.
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You probably have better knowledge than me as you live in Chennai. I'm from Madurai and from my knowledge rural muslims don't speak Urdu. Only those that migrated from else where does. Wonder if rural Telengana and Kannada muslims speak Urdu.
 
all these ancestry stuff will not get you bonus points on the day of judgment. as the last prophet Mohammad (SAW) said in his last sermon:
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.
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Specialisttailender said:
You probably have better knowledge than me as you live in Chennai. I'm from Madurai and from my knowledge rural muslims don't speak Urdu. Only those that migrated from else where does. Wonder if rural Telengana and Kannada muslims speak Urdu.
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Rural Telengana can,rural Kannada ones are dependent ,Shias can and Sunnis can understand urdu but I'm not sure about speaking.
Yes Most muslims from rural TN can't speak Urdu even the ones in outskirts of Chennai don't speak that well but can easily understand it,the mosques here most of the time the Imam speaks in Urdu and then in Tamil(could be a different Imam).
 
JaDed said:
Rural Telengana can,rural Kannada ones are dependent ,Shias can and Sunnis can understand urdu but I'm not sure about speaking.
Yes Most muslims from rural TN can't speak Urdu even the ones in outskirts of Chennai don't speak that well but can easily understand it,the mosques here most of the time the Imam speaks in Urdu and then in Tamil(could be a different Imam).
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Gulbarga Muslims speak in Urdu (Daccani)
 
srh said:
all these ancestry stuff will not get you bonus points on the day of judgment. as the last prophet Mohammad (SAW) said in his last sermon:
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A lot of things are said in the books. But do you honestly believe that the Arabs don't treat themselves as superior to the darker skinned South Asian Muslims or the Indonesians?
 
My name is Kerala and I am from the US

KOTTAYAM: She is eight years old and her name is Kerala. No, we are not kidding. US citizens Charles Kramer and wife Brenna chose the state's name for their daughter because they were so enamoured by Gods Own Country.

While choosing a name for their baby parents usually aim for something trendy rather than traditional. But Charles and Brenna fell in love with the people and culture of Kerala so much that they decided to name their first born in memory of their Kerala visit.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...and-i-am-from-the-us/articleshow/57969514.cms
 
IamIndian said:
KOTTAYAM: She is eight years old and her name is Kerala. No, we are not kidding. US citizens Charles Kramer and wife Brenna chose the state's name for their daughter because they were so enamoured by Gods Own Country.

While choosing a name for their baby parents usually aim for something trendy rather than traditional. But Charles and Brenna fell in love with the people and culture of Kerala so much that they decided to name their first born in memory of their Kerala visit.


http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/...and-i-am-from-the-us/articleshow/57969514.cms
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Here's the video. Such a beautiful thing ...

 
Al Jazeera recently did a feature on the origin of India's first mosque - The Cheraman mosque..

Good to see the Middle eastern media acknowledge the unique origin of Kerala's Islamic culture and general religious diversity .


http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/india-cheraman-mosque-symbol-religious-harmony-170406095923455.html


India's Cheraman mosque: A symbol of religious harmony


Kerala's Cheraman mosque points to a time of peaceful co-existence in an era when that seems increasingly under threat


Kodungallur, Kerala - On India's western coast, facing the Arabian Sea, there once lived a Hindu king who had a vision of the Moon splitting into two halves. Concerned that the dream was a warning, he immediately asked his court astrologers to interpret what he had seen.

They couldn't provide an explanation that would satisfy the king so the problem remained unsolved until a group of Arab traders arrived at his port, in what is now India's southern state of Kerala. The traders explained that the king's vision was most likely a reference to one of the miracles performed by the Prophet Muhammed.

Convinced, the king converted to Islam and set off to Mecca, Islam's holiest site. He died before he could return to his kingdom, but left instructions to build what would become India's first mosque.

That at least, is how the myth goes.

The actual history of the Cheraman mosque in the town of Kodungallur is murkier. According to a foundation stone on its premises, the mosque was built in AD629, but the evidence is conflicting.
A plaque shows date of construction of the mosque [Hui Zhong/Al Jazeera]

Historian Rajan Gurukkal, who is originally from Kerala, says that the mosque was probably built closer to the 11th or 12th centuries. But Mohamed Sayeed, the president of the mosque's managing committee, says tradition maintains that it was the first in India.

Kodungallur is about an hour north of Kochi city, a popular tourist destination, but few foreign visitors come here. The state government, however, hopes that will change as it embarks on an ambitious project that will highlight the area's history.

Known as the Muziris Heritage Project, it stretches across seven panchayats (village councils) in the state, with 27 museums and more than 50 sites of interest planned, ranging from a spice museum to an excavation site where shards of Roman amphorae and Italian ceramic ware have been found.

In the first phase of the project, the state government has restored two synagogues and opened them to the public.

In a state with a large proportion of religious minorities - combined, Muslims and Christians form nearly half of the state's population - the state government hopes the historical sites will push a message of religious harmony.
Communal harmony

The Cheraman mosque's appearance - baby blue with a coral tile roof, two minarets and a spacious courtyard - belies its age. It has been subjected to a series of renovations over the centuries.

It remains an active place of worship. Many of Kodungallur's more than 7,000 Muslim residents worship here, as do some Hindus.

"In the dusk and the early morning, you can see a lot of Hindus coming over here and praying here," Sayeed explains.
Marthoma Church, Azhikode [Photo courtesy: Muziris project ltd]

There are many other places of worship nearby. Fifty metres away is a Hindu temple, and there are at least five churches in the area.

Of more historical interest are the Paravur Synagogue, one of the oldest Jewish places of worship in the country, which is 10km away, and Kottakavu Church, one of the country's earliest churches, 8km away.

All are part of the heritage project, which started in 2009 and completed its first phase last year.

Those behind it say the close proximity of these different places of worship offers an important lesson for the world today.

"We're setting an example that all these people can co-exist without any problems," explains the project's senior consultant, Benny Kuriakose. "We want to put forward Muziris as an example of [religious] harmony."

Resident Antony Deign says multiculturalism continues to thrive in modern-day Kodungallur. "Kodungallur is the rarest of places, if you think about Hindus and Muslims and Christians living here," he says.

Deign, a practising Catholic, says he grew up going to temples with his Hindu friends. Any time there was a festival or a celebration, he would go with them. "It was a part of our culture," he reflects.

UK Viswanathan was born and raised in Kodungallur, but left his hometown to work in India's financial capital, Mumbai, in 1969. Forty years later, he returned.

Despite "all the facilities" a city like Mumbai could offer him, something drew him back to Kodungallur.

"We have got very good communal harmony," he says. "That's the very reason that I came back."

It's a sentiment that seems to be at odds with some other Indian states, where the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and its allies are trying to curb the sale and consumption of beef and where those accused of killing cows have been lynched by hardline Hindu cow-protection activists known as "gau rakshaks".
A need for spice

The origins of Kodungallur's celebrated religious harmony lie in one ingredient: black pepper.

Alhough black pepper is today found in kitchens all over the world, 3,000 years ago, traders travelled long distances to Muziris, a port town at the mouth of the River Periyar, to trade pepper and other spices.

The earliest traders were Egyptians, in the time of King Solomon (900BC). Later, Greeks, Phoenicians and Arab traders, pre-Islam and post-Islam, also came, according to Gurukkal, the author of Rethinking Classical Indo-Roman Trade.
Kodungallur Bhagavathi Devi Temple [Photo courtesy: Muziris project]

Some of these traders, he explains, ended up settling in Muziris out of necessity.

Around the first century, foreign traders started using the monsoon winds to sail to India in a relatively short period of time. These winds had a natural rhythm that the traders followed, sailing in on one wind and sailing out a few months later when the winds changed.

While waiting, Gurukkal says: "Naturally some of them might have made temporary arrangements, taken local spouses."

This practice lasted for a few centuries. But later on, others, such as Syrian Christians, arrived and built their own places of worship with the permission of the local ruler, creating what we might today call cosmopolitanism.

Despite the fact that these diverse groups lived so close together, there were no religious tensions, Gurukkal says, because they were not economic rivals. They all wanted different products from the port town. Conflict only came in the 16th century, with the arrival of the Portuguese, who sought an economic monopoly, he says.

By then, though, Muziris was no longer the epicentre of trade. The port was devastated by a flood and earthquake in the 14th century, and the centre of commerce shifted south to Kochi, which today remains the largest commercial centre in the state.
Kodungallur's revival

Kodungallur's history wasn't well known until the early 2000's when, after some rain, locals found colourful beads in the mud. News of the find eventually reached archaeologists, who started excavating the area in 2007.

Over the course of several years, they recovered more than 95,000 objects, ranging from glass beads to fragments of pottery pieces from Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq.

The state government came forward to fund a large-scale restoration project. The UN cultural body, UNESCO, is funding a separate project focused on the cultural connections between ancient cities that traded along the spice route, an ancient network of sea routes that connected the East and West. India is one of 31 countries participating.


Nine years into the restoration project, much work still remains to be done, explains Kuriakose. Phase II will start in May, and it is likely to take several more years until the project is completed.

Today the "first emporium of India", as Pliny the Elder, a Roman author from the first century called Kodungallur, is a shade of its former cosmopolitan self.

Once a place that exported great quantities of pearls, ivory, silk and spikenard, an ointment, from the Ganges and malabathrum, another aromatic ointment, from the interior to the rulers of Rome, the closest modern-day market now caters only to locals.

While only a few of Kodungallur's Jewish residents remain - many of them left for Israel in the 1950s - the area's multiculturalism remains.

Viswanathan, who is Hindu, recently went on a pilgrimage to a local Hindu temple. After praying at the temple, he went to the nearby mosque. There, he says, the imam asked him his name before reciting some verses of the Quran.

"I was enthralled by that feeling [that] a Muslim priest was blessing me," he recalls. "I had all the blessings in the world during those five seconds."

Source: Al Jazeera News.
Click to expand...
 
SandyB said:
A lot of things are said in the books. But do you honestly believe that the Arabs don't treat themselves as superior to the darker skinned South Asian Muslims or the Indonesians?
Click to expand...

Even if that's true, so what? All that shows is that people in general are still stuck in a very low level mentality. It's power and wealth that ultimately command respect, not skin colour. If India was like the USA do you think anyone would worry about pigmentation of skin?
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Even if that's true, so what? All that shows is that people in general are still stuck in a very low level mentality. It's power and wealth that ultimately command respect, not skin colour. If India was like the USA do you think anyone would worry about pigmentation of skin?
Click to expand...

The difference is that the USA as a country was built from scratch. The native population, their religions, culture etc were all completely wiped out. The prejudices and social evils they deal with were brought to their land only 300 or so years back by a wide variety of migrants. So they were far more successful with eradicating racial prejudice , because it wasn't around that far back.

Compare that to Asia. The religions and cultures of present day Asia contain remnants of the cultural and racial prejudices from the beginning of their earliest civilizations (persian, indus valley etc). There was never any "cultural reset" at any point . So even with all the so called modern religions, these prejudices remain.
 
SandyB said:
Al Jazeera recently did a feature on the origin of India's first mosque - The Cheraman mosque..

Good to see the Middle eastern media acknowledge the unique origin of Kerala's Islamic culture and general religious diversity .


http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2017/04/india-cheraman-mosque-symbol-religious-harmony-170406095923455.html
Click to expand...

Another mosque in kerala which is more than1000 years old

thazhathangadimosque-11-06.jpg.image.784.410.jpg


https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thazhathangady_Juma_Mosque?_e_pi_=7,PAGE_ID10,1048874451
 
Look at the Architecture above, it is distinctively "Kerala" syle (to handle the torrential rain and tropical climate of the state) and practically undistinguishable from a Hindu temple or a Church of the same period.

Even the Cheraman mosque used to look like this in the past (15 or so years back), during the renovation the pressure to Arabise the mosque led to the new building looking like what it is now.

Even many of the 800-1000 + year old Churches in Kerala during renovation were forced to move to the more European(read more christian) style. This happens because the architecture shown above is being seen as "Hindu style" instead of "Kerala style" as it rightly should be.
 
SandyB said:
The difference is that the USA as a country was built from scratch. The native population, their religions, culture etc were all completely wiped out. The prejudices and social evils they deal with were brought to their land only 300 or so years back by a wide variety of migrants. So they were far more successful with eradicating racial prejudice , because it wasn't around that far back.

Compare that to Asia. The religions and cultures of present day Asia contain remnants of the cultural and racial prejudices from the beginning of their earliest civilizations (persian, indus valley etc). There was never any "cultural reset" at any point . So even with all the so called modern religions, these prejudices remain.
Click to expand...

That would be true if the subcontinent prejudices still held when they travel to a first world country. But obviously they don't as the old castes are meaningless in a thriving economy where being a Brahmin means nothing to the non Hindus.
 
I see more similarities with the below picture of a random house in South India.

best-50-house-models.jpg
 
The Victorian era would coincide with British rule in India, so there may well be a crossover of architecture, either from Britain to India or the other way round.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
That looks like a British building. Is it really 1000 years old? Very impressive architecture whatever the origin.
Click to expand...

slider_img4.jpg

This is the Vadakkunnathan temple buit around in the same era. This temple is a classic example of the architectural style of Kerala.
 
kaayal said:
Actually this was built 1300 years ago. Now you decide who pinched their architecture from whom.:)
Click to expand...

Truthfully, this temple looks like two separate structures. Seems like the old temple has had the roofing bays added as a design taken from buildings during the era of the British Raj.

In the UK we have been referring to this type of design as Victorian era for over a century. I'm sure if it was Indian origin then you would have claimed it a long time ago.
 
Cpt. Rishwat said:
Truthfully, this temple looks like two separate structures. Seems like the old temple has had the roofing bays added as a design taken from buildings during the era of the British Raj.

In the UK we have been referring to this type of design as Victorian era for over a century. I'm sure if it was Indian origin then you would have claimed it a long time ago.
Click to expand...

May be you are right.The original base of the temple is calculated to be 1200 years old, while the current structure came into being 400 years back.This Temple was honoured with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
 
kaayal said:
May be you are right.The original base of the temple is calculated to be 1200 years old, while the current structure came into being 400 years back.This Temple was honoured with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation.
Click to expand...

Even 400 years ago there were no british in India.
 
God's own country is ranked second behind Paindoos' own country in terms of most obese people in India.Need to cut down those extra beers.
 
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