Kerala is an Indian state located in the southwestern part of our country near the Malabar Coast. It was formed in the year 1956 on the 1st of November according to the States Reorganization Act according to which places which have the same vernacular language were fused into one state.
Kerala has almost 96% of its population speaking the Malayalam language. Kerala has the lowest growth rate of population in the country. The state has the highest sex ratio with 1083 women per 1000 males. Kerala also has the lowest homicide rate in the whole country. Kerala is considered the cleanest city in the country but has the highest morbid rate. Onam is the biggest cultural festival of the region.
Kerala is a great promoter of art and culture and various art forms are encouraged to a large extent. The art forms are somewhat related to the temple culture of the region. The development of the classical music genre known as Sopana Sangeetham shows the rich contribution that the temple culture has made to the allover culture of the state of India.
The class of music here has its root in the Dravidian form of music which is an indigenous musical form with no roots in any foreign genre of music. The Hindustani classical music which is the musical form most practiced in the northern part of the country has its roots in the Middle Eastern family of music. Carnatic music is what dominates the Keralite style of classical music. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma is the person who popularized this style of music in the 19th century.
Sopanam style of music is what is played or sung along with kathakali performances. This is a raga based form of music. Melam which includes the paandi and panchari styles is a musical form based mostly on percussion. This is typical of this part of the country. The chenda which is a form of percussion is used in Kshetram centered festivals. Panchavadyam with ‘panch’ meaning fife is a type of performance where five percussion types are used. Apart from dance and music forms, Kerala is also known for its visual art forms.
This range includes mural art also known as painting on the walls some of which date back to historical times. Raja Ravi Varma was the most popular painter of the whole state of Kerala. Apart from the mainstream art and culture of the region, there are several tribes and communities of Kerala.
These generally have their own folk art forms and culture which is also quite rich and original by nature. The folk songs and ballads are generally associated with different themes. Vadakkan Pattukal and Mappila Pattukal are some examples of these.
