Sandwiched between the mighty Arabian sea and the hefty Western Ghats, a world heritage site declared by the UNESCO, is Kerala – a narrow strip of land that for many centuries opened the doors of the Indian landmass to explorers and travelers from all around the world. Cultural curiosity is in the genes and blood of Keralites. Legends and archaeological evidence indicate that Islam and Christianity may have arrived at the coasts of Kerala soon after the respective times of Prophet Mohammed and Christ. Much before that Kerala had also been the happening place for Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. Merchants, tradesmen, mathematicians and scholars from China and Arabia frequented Kerala for centuries on end. The European fleets that anchored at Kerala coasts marked the beginning of the western invasion in India. Political ideologies like communism had also found fertile grounds in Kerala.
