| world in 1957.
The history of Kerala extends back to about 1000 B.C. Legend has
it that Kerala rose from the sea , when Parasurama , an incarnation of
the Hindu God Vishnu, threw his axe into the sea. Because of the
protection offered by the Western Ghats , a mountain
range stretching along the eastern boundary of the state, Kerala has remained
immune from land invasions. But it has had a lot of visitors who came by
the sea. Kerala's wealth of spices had always made it an important destination
for ancient traders. Starting with the Phoenicians, Kerala is said to have
been visited by King Solomon's ships around 1000B.C. Kerala later had
trade links with Greece, Rome, China, Arabia and later on the Portugese,
Dutch and finally the British. Called a "mental asylum" by Swami Vivekananda
for its strong caste structure, Kerala became the first state to break
away from the shackles of casteism when the King of Travancore, one of
the three princely states which later formed the state, opened its temples
to all castes , in 1936. The Travancore Legislative Assembly is the
oldest in the country, making Kerala the cradle of Indian democracy.
Kerala has a rich religious tradition. It has one of the oldest Synagogues
in the country. Christianity and Islam reached its shores within a few
years of their founding. Both these religions have contributed in no small
way towards the cultural vibrancy of the state. Despite a heavy religious
mixture , Kerala has displayed high religious tolerance and has enjoyed
a level of communal harmony that is the envy of many
other regions of India.
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