Some places need no words. You see… there are lands where the crudeness of language is incapable of capturing its essence. Places where awe-inspiring cultures and experiences unfold that seem to speak without words. A place where your mind and heart expand in a cultural fusion where division doesn’t exist. Kerala is one of those places and there’s a reason why it’s known as ‘God’s own country’.
No matter how many times I visit India, I’m still captivated by its cultures, colours and diversity. As an Australian who grew up in the west, I never get used to India. Instead, I feel my pupils and mind expand every time I step off the plane into the spicy, humid and exotic landscape. On every journey, I’m constantly surprised, delighted, and overwhelmed as I travel through India. But… let me tell you that some places are even more enchanting than others because, there are moments you experience when travelling when, just as you think it couldn’t get any better, a place surprises you with absolute wonder.
On the south-western tip of India lies Kerala. A captivating region wedged between the rolling Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats, Kerala is like no other place on Earth. Here, meandering backwaters weave across cultures, ideologies and beliefs. These tranquil waterways run deep and, like veins, they connect close-knit lifestyles across remote islands. The famous Kerala backwaters whisper ancient stories, carrying 5000-year-old wisdom that dissolves boundaries… This is the essence of Kerala culture.
In Kerala, diversity isn’t just accepted, it’s celebrated as an inherent part of the culture. You see, there is no division here. Kerala’s history is deep and profound. Its birth as an ancient seafaring community has spawned many influences which have created the fusion of cultures we see today. This is one of the few places in the world where diverse beliefs, ideologies and cultures exist side-by-side in a single harmonious dance of celebration and tradition. This is indeed a place where cultural elements or experiences can’t be neatly categorised and classified and nor should they be. Ancient Ayurvedic medicine and traditional dance blend with modern-day life as ocean and rainforest co-exist in enchanting landscapes. In Kerala, everything fuses in eclectic awe that nourishes your soul.
Just as ideologies and beliefs fuse harmoniously, so do human and nature. The human-scape is as diverse as the incredible landscape and it’s the environment and natural beauty here that makes you human… human by nature. In Kerala, life unfolds on the backwaters and everything people do connects them with nature. Across islands and along coastlines communities nourish the land and the land nourishes them in return.
Here, even the ordinary becomes extraordinary. Something as mundane as a morning school commute becomes an enchanting journey, winding on waterways through eclectic scenes along the banks where communities gather.
Every day, fishermen row slender wooden boats before gracefully casting colourful nets. Back from the waterways, dense rain forests offer glossy deep-green foliage as far as the eye can see, only interrupted by the coarse, leathery skin of a passing elephant. These jungles abruptly unfold onto open plains peppered by colourful buildings and locals in bright saris. Then, as if this wasn’t enough, all of this is framed by beaches that stretch along the coastline where slender palm trees bend toward the ocean as the Arabian Sea comes to shore with a sigh. The orange-magenta sunsets are vivid and the crisp horizon is only interrupted by the slanted hulls of fishing boats heading out to sea.
The key experience to any visit to Kerala is a boat cruise along the backwaters. You can book an enchanting wide wooden barge with a traditional thatched roof that will take you on deep journeys into Kerala’s landscape and culture.
Such a trip is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that makes you realise that your way of living is only one among many. The diversity of Kerala’s culture certainly drives that message home in an unforgettable vivid carousel of cultural scenes that unfold in front of your wide eyes. These ancient waterways tell many stories and you’ll never be the same again after a journey through this magical place.
But it’s not all about the backwaters. Kerala has so much to offer. You can wander trails through tea plantations, absorbing the local culture and stories or experience Ayurveda healing for yourself as this 5000-year-old practice blends ancient wisdom with lifestyle practices of yoga and healthy eating. You can get even deeper into the culture by experiencing a Kathakali performance where incredible costumes and dance movement tell ancient stories from Hindu mythology and you may even catch a Theyyam ritual where you can watch the stories of Kerala enacted with mysterious masks, dance, music and mime.
Whatever journey you choose, any visit to Kerala will have a profound effect on your psyche as it will open your mind and heart. This land is captivating and wherever you go, you’ll find an eternity in the ordinary. This vibrant, ancient and eclectic culture and landscape will awe you with a dream-like mysticism and experiences that seem far too enchanting to be real.
This article was sponsored by Kerala Tourism.
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