Monday 19 December 2011

HISTORY OF KERALA

 KERALA HISTORY
The history of Kerala goes back more than several millennia. Stone age carving in Edakkal Caves had pictorial writings believed to be dating to at least 5000 BC, from the Neolithic man, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region.[1] From as early as 3000 BC, Kerala had established itself as a major spice trade center. Kerala had direct contact across the Arabian Sea with all the major Red Sea ports and the Mediterranean ports as well as extending to ports in the Far East. The spice trade between Kerala and much of the world was one of the main drivers of the world economy. For much of history, ports in Kerala were the busiest (Muziris) among all trade and travel routes in the history of the world.





PARASURAMA
There are myths concerning the origin of Kerala. One such myth is the creation of Kerala by Parasurama, a warrior sage. The Brahminical myth proclaims that Parasurama, an Avatar of Mahavishnu, threw his battle axe into the sea.As a result, the land of Kerala arose and was reclaimed from the waters.
He was the sixth of the ten avatars (incarnation) of Vishnu. The word Parasu means 'axe' in Sanskrit and therefore the name Parasurama means 'Ram with Axe'. The aim of his birth was to deliver the world from the arrogant oppression of the ruling caste, the Kshatriyas. He killed all the male Kshatriyas on earth and filled five lakes with their blood. After destroying the Kshatriya kings, he approached assembly of learned men to find a way of penitence for his sins. He was advised that, to save his soul from damnation, he must hand over the lands he had conquered to the Brahmins. He did as they advised and sat in meditation at Gokarnam.
Vasco da Gama

Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese navigator. At the end of the 15th century he led an expedition that opened the sea route to India by way of the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa.He was born in 1460 at Sines in Portugal, the son of a well known nobleman and explorer called Estavao. Estavo had planned to make the sea voyage from Portugal to India but he died before he succeeded in his endeavor.

He reached the Cape of Good Hope region on November 7.They crossed the Indian Ocean in 23 days, and reached Calicut on May 20, 1498. The Moors in Calicut instigated the Zamorin of Calicut against him, and he was compelled to return with the bare discovery and the few spices he had bought there at inflated prices (but it did help him make a 3000% profit) Vasco da Gama died of an illness in Cochin, India on December 24, 1524; his remains were returned to Portugal for burial.

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