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.
