Festival

Kerala is a land of colourful festivals, many of which are celebrated without distinction of caste or community. While basic rituals and customs are practised by those belonging to a particular religion, it is not surprising to find people from other faiths taking part in the celebrations and sharing their happiness.

The major festivals of Hindu origin are Onam, Vishu, Navarathri, Deepavali, and Thiruvathira. Christians and Muslims in Kerala join their brethren throughout the world in celebrating festivals. Christmas & Easter are the most important Christian festivals, while in Muslims celebrate Bakrid Ramzan, Milad-I-Sharif and Muharram with fevous. In addition, there are innumerable other local festivals associated with the temples, churches and mosques. They are unique in the sense that they are not observed elsewhere.

Among the typical festivals of Kerala, the boat regatta (vallamkali) has a place of honour. So does the Thrissur Pooram, a festival of the gods, caparisoned elephants, glitter of gold and blazing colours, throbbing percussion beats, quintessential Kerala music and spectacular fire works.

Onam – Festival sans Borders

Onam is the festival that is truly secular in nature and reflects the values that made Kerala ‘Gods Own Country'. Though legends and rituals associated with it have their roots in Hinduism, the festival is celebrated by one and all. It is ‘the' festival of Kerala. Observed in the month of Chingam (August – September) Onam is a celebration of a golden past. Not just the people, but even the nature puts on a new garb, colour springing forth in the form of flowers to welcome the festival. Courtyards of the houses are bedecked with flower carpets. The mood of the whole land changes and reverberates to the tune of festival beats.

Backwaters

Kerala's greenery is probably the most attractive feature of the “God's Own Country”, but you may fall short of words when it comes to expressing your boat cruise experience on the backwaters of Kerala. Mirror-still lagoons, picture book lakesides, palm fringed canals and tiny shimmering rivulets – a few words to describe Kerala's backwaters. The backwaters present excellent opportunities for Keralites to indulge in resplendent water carnivals and regattas like the Nehru Trophy Boat Race at Alappuzha (second Saturday of August every year), the Rajiv Ghandi Boat Race (last Saturday of August every year), the Indira Gandhi Boat Race at Kochi and the Aranmula Uthirattathi Boat Race. These have become major tourist events, attracting visitors from both India and abroad. Besides these big boat races, hundreds of colourful regattas are held on different lakes and inlets. In August and September, coastal Kerala reverberates with the gentle melody and foot-stamping rhythm of the age old strains of boatmen – the famed boat songs (vanchipattu) charging the entire atmosphere with thrill and excitement.

Architecture

Kerala has made its contributions to the science of Architecture. The influence of the non-Kerala style can be strongly seen in the varied architectural styles of temples (like the Sri Padmanabha Swamy Temple ), churches, mosques and palaces. One comes across buildings that bear the influence of South Indian styles (notably Pallava, Chalukya and Chola) as well as Himalayan (especially Nepal and Tibet ). The roofing pattern of houses seen along the coastal tract from Kollam to Kochi reflects the Chinese influence. Traditional houses known as Nallukettu where built in accordance with scientific architectural principles expounded in the Manushyalaya Chandrika, a work dealing exclusively with domestic architecture. The Kerala temple has a distinct architectural style. The earliest known temples are the rock cut ones. Many temples have their walls made of wood. The temples of Kerala, built in the Dravidian or indigenous style, are among the most ancient monuments of the State and are of considerable architectural and historical value. The Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple is the supreme specimen of Dravidian style of Kerala. Temple built in the indigenous style are characterised by low elevation.

In the early period Chiristians modelled their churches after temple design. This tradition continued till the advent of Portuguese in 15 th century. Latinisation changed the designs of church buildings. The massive arch replaced the thick entrance door and stained glass windows were installed to allow ventilation. In modern times, foreign styles have influenced the construction of churches, St. Joseph 's Cathedral at Palayam, Trivandrum and Kothamangalam Church were constructed in Romanesque style.

Mosque architecture drew inspiration from Persian and Turkish tradition. The traditional Kerala mosque is a simple two-storeyed building with tiled roof. It has a central hall meant for prayers with corridors on four sides.

Ayurveda

Evolved around 600 BC in India , it is believed that the Gods themselves handed over the wisdom of Ayurveda – “science of life”- to sages for the benefit of mankind.

The system of Ayurveda was carefully preserved and nurtured by traditional families of Ayurvedic doctors. Traditionally this was carried on by eight families of physicians known as the Ashta Vaidya. Scientific knowledge was handed down from father to son, and the eldest son practised independently only after the death of his father.

Ayurveda has been a part of Kerala life for centuries. Kerala's equable climate, natural abundance of forest and the cool monsoon season are best suited for Ayurveda's curative and restorative powers. Here, the science lives on, practised with authenticity and dedication.

Kerala's hilly tracts and forests – with their rich biodiversity – are home to numerous herbs, creepers, plants and tree invaluable in the preparation of Ayurvedic medicines.

According to traditional texts, ayurveda for rejuvenation is best carried out when the climate is neither hot nor cold (nasheethoshnavastha). The monsoon season in Kerala (June to November) is acknowledged as offering the most suitable climatic condition for rejuvenation programmes. During the monsoon, the air is comparatively dust-free and the atmosphere cool. Pores of the skin open and permit maximum absorption of Ayurvedic medicines and oils. Herbs used to make medicines are fresh and rich in medicinal value at this time of the year.

Ayurvedic Treatments

Broadly, two kinds of Ayurveda treatment enjoy wide patronage in contemporary Kerala – therapeutic and rejuvenative. The various therautic treatments practised in the state today are dhara, snehapanam, shirovasthi, pazhichil, udvarthanam, marmachikitsa, nasyam, kanapoornam, tharpanam, njavarakizhi etc. Rejuvenation programmes, designed to improve vitality, enhance immunity and increase longevity are extremely popular among tourists.

Usually, the physician designs an exclusive programme that matches the individual's body constitution and mental makeup. Hence, informing the physician in advance of a history of heart trouble, blood pressure, blood sugar, chronic skin disease or asthma is important.

Therapeutic massages and short – term treatments for minor ailments like back pain are rendered only on the physician's advice, and under his / her constant supervision. Ayurveda is promoted by the Kerala Government through the establishment of hospitals and teaching institutions in different parts of the State. There are speciality centres in the private sector too. For ailments-specific therapies, it is best to approach one of the many hospitals and speciality centres.

Following are the some of the popular rejuvenative packages offered by many hotels, spas and Ayurvedic centres across the State:

Rejuvenation Therapy (Rasayana Chikitsa): Tones up the skin and rejuvenates and strengthens all the tissues, so as to achieve ideal health and longevity. Increases primary vitality (ojas) and improves mental clarity (sattva) and increases the resistance of the body. This includes head and face massage with medicated oils and creams, body massage with herbal oil or powder, by hand and foot, internal rejuvenative medicines and medicated steam bath. Herbal baths are also used.

Body Immunisation and Longevity Treatment (Kaayakalpa Chikitsa); Prime treatment for retarding the ageing process, arresting the degeneration of body cells and immunisation of the system. Includes intake of special Ayurvedic medicines and diet (Rasayana) and comprehensive body care programmes, including many therapeutic treatments (snehapanam, nasyam, snehavasti, pizhichil, njavarakizhi, tharpanam, sirovasthi, karnapoornam and medicated steam bath, yoga and meditation). Most effective for either sex if underataken before the age of fifty. 28 days.

Body Purification (Shodhan Chikitsa): A process of purifying the whole body to attain proper balance of humours (vaatha, pitha, kabha), based on panchakarma and swethakarma treatment. Includes body massage, steam bath and many therapeutic treatments (snehapanam, vamana, nasyam, vivechanam, snehavasthi, kashayavasthi, pizhichil, njavarakizhi, tharpanam, sirovasthi). 15 days.

Body Sudation (Swetha Karma): Medicated steam baths eliminate impurities from the body, improves the tone and complexion of the skin, reduce fate and are recommended for certain rheumatic diseases, particularly for pain. Precious herbs and herbal leaves are boiled and the steam is passed over the entire body. Hand massage with herbal oils or herbal powder improves blood circulation and tones up the muscles. 10-20 minutes daily.

Body Slimming: Includes two types of massages (1) medicated herbal powder massage (2) medicated oil massage. Intake of herbal juice, herbal preparations, and ayurvedic diet is adviced during the period. 28 days.

Beauty Care: To improve complexion and beautify the figure. Involves herbal face package, herbal cream massage, herbal oil massage, and intake of oil tea.

Mental and Physical well being: Meditation and Yoga, exercises designed to hone concentration, boost health and attain mental peace through eight stages of training – disciplined behaviour (yama), self purification (niyama), bodily postures (asanas), control of breathing (pranayama), control of senses (pratyahara), concentrating on a chosen object (dhrana), meditation (dhyana) and a state of experiencing absolute tranquility and well-being.

Kerala has a rich tradition in art and dance forms. Like any land, Kerala also has its own typical art forms, which reflect the life and outlook of the people – from the renowned Kathakali, considered to be the complete art form as its synthesises all that is best in the fields of drama, music and dance, to the folks dances which are reflections of the rhythmic impulses.