ABSTRACT
THE State of Kerala 1 was established under the States Reorganization Act of 1956. In 1957 a Communist 2 Government was voted into power in a free election. Presidential rule was proclaimed in 1964 and maintained when the election of March 1965 proved indecisive. The finely-drawn balance of power between the Congress Party and the Communist Party of India in Kerala is not, however, the only unique feature of a state which, in drawing together Travancore, Cochin and Malabar recreated a political unit which had, according to tradition been a prosperous little kingdom called Chera, ruled by the Perumals from the third to ninth century A.D. Its beauty is legendary, 3 but the Western Ghats running the length of the country from north to south and varying in height from 2,500 to 8,000 feet do more than add grandeur to the scene: in the past 4 they effectively cut Kerala off from the rest of India. The 340 miles of coastline connected in some places by canals to an extensive system of waterways parellel to the coast offer more than the charm of lagoons and backwaters; they have made access to Kerala from the sea easy. Pepper, spices and ivory attracted a succession of foreign traders, some of whom established colonies. Isolation from the rest of India and a rich admixture of foreign settlers are important factors which have contributed to Kerala's present position as the most literate state in India.
