ENTE KERALAM 

A coastline that stretches for 600kms, virgin beaches,

 lush greenery, a highly literate people, and a treasure trove of rich and

 varied art forms all make up the fascinating land of Kerala.

 Enclosed by the Arabian Sea, the Lakshadweep Sea, and the

 towering Western Ghats, this paradise on earth has something

 to offer to everybody.

 Located at the southernmost tip of India,

Kerala has become one of the most sought after travel destinations in recent times.

 RAVIVARMA PAINTINGS

Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906) was born in Kilimanoor Palace

as the son of Umamba Thampuratti and Neelakandan Bhattathiripad.

At the age of seven years he started drawing on the palace walls

using charcoal. His uncle Raja Raja Varma noticed the talent of

the child and gave preliminary lessons on painting.

At the age of 14, Ayilyam Thirunal Maharaja took him to

Travancore Palace and he was taught water painting by the palace

painter Rama Swamy Naidu. After 3 years Theodor Jenson, a British

painter taught him oil painting.Most of Ravi Varma's paintings

are based on Hindu epic stories and characters. 

The glittering career of Raja Ravi Varma is a striking case study

of academic art in India. In the year following his death,

the ‘Modern Review' described him as the greatest artist

of modern India, a national builder who showed the moral courage

of a gifted 'high-born' in taking up the 'degrading profession of

painting'. He was courted assiduously by the British Empire as

well as by the Indian Maharajas. His less expensive prints

of his Hindu deities hung in every home. 

Ravi Varma is considered as modern among traditionalists and

a rationalist among moderns. He provided a vital link between

the traditional Indian art and the contemporary,

between the Thanjavoor School and Western Academic realism.

He brought Indian painting to the attention of the larger world.

ART FORMS OF KERALA

Kerala is famous for its art, poets and musicians, its

 traditional dance forms, and its distinctive architecture.

 For ages, the rich and vibrant culture of Kerala has intrigued people worldwide.

 The songs and dances of the people, their ballads, their rituals and

 their intellectual pursuits. Truly, the real treasures of

 Kerala lay in the cultural heritage of its people.

 Kerala has its own typical art forms which reflect the life and outlook of the people. 

BACKWATERS OF KERALA

A land of canals and lagoons, lakes and rivers, which Kerala backwaters have now become a part of the lives of its people and a kaleidoscope for the visitors to see the rural and real life in the heart of Kerala. The tough and labor-intensive jobs of boat building, prawn cultivation and coir manufacture are a part of the daily livelihood of Keralites. Alapuzha is often the starting-point of the boat cruise through these backwaters as one reaches the land of Kuttanad, also known as the rice bowl of Kerala because of its paddy fields. Kumarakom has a spectacular lagoon to behold and coconut trees have become icons of Kerala tourism industry.Take a visit to the land of swaying palm trees and blue waters and skies, which is aptly named as 'God's own country'.

BEACHES OF KERALA

Kerela has a 600 km long shoreline dotted with some of the finest, most charming beaches of the world, coconut groves, natural harbors, lagoons and sheltered coves. All of it as peaceful as the rest of the land, washed by the pleasant tropical sun and as pristine as ever.The blues of the sky and the blue waters of the beaches of Kerala come together to take away your blues. Amongst the popular beaches of Kerala are the Kovalam Beach and Alapuza beach,Fort Cochi beach.