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 State
(pop., 2001 prelim.: 31,838,619), southwestern India. Lying on
the Arabian Sea, it is bordered by Karnataka and Tamil Nadu
states, and it surrounds the coastal enclave of Mahe (part of
Pondicherry union territory). It has an area of 15,005 sq mi
(38,863 sq km), and its capital is Trivandrum. During the 3rd
century BC, it was an independent Dravidian kingdom known as
Keralaputra. The Kulashekhara dynasty ruled the region in the
9th – 12th centuries, when the regional Malayalam language took
hold; it is still the dominant language. Portuguese intervention
from 1498 was followed by Dutch rule in the 17th century. The
Dutch were ousted in 1741 by the princely state of Travancore,
which itself in the 1790s came under British protectorate
status. It was given its present name in 1956. Kerala is one of
India's most densely populated states. |
