A Brief History of Kerala

Keralan history dates back to the Mauryan Empire in 232BC. Myths and legends are rife through the county’s history, thanks to the Sangam Age. Europeans first arrived in Kerala in 1498, by this time there were strong trade links between India and the Arabs, which the Europeans were determined to stop, and the Portuguese introduced new links. This resulted in civil unrest in Kerala, due to the disagreements over trade links. Eventually a treaty was signed in 1513, and the Portuguese have as a result had great influence on Keralan’s. Shortly after the treaty the Dutch went on to settle, trying to ‘cash-in’ on the potential Indian trade links. Britain also joined the battle for trade links, and several regions came under British power, the Keralans, Dutch and French were all battling for power. Throughout the early 1900’s Kerala was struggling a battle for Independence along with the rest of India, eventually independence was gained in 1947. Since then the regions of Kerala have merged to become unified and strong. Tourism has developed and has recently started to grow very rapidly, providing the rest of the world with a fantastic opportunity to experience Kerala as it is today… a beautiful, exciting, vibrant, and deeply cultural country.