ORIGIN OF THE NAME KERALA
There are many theories regarding the origin of the names Kerala, and most of them to a very great extent, shrouded in the mists of tradition. The history of Kerala is unique from the rest of India. The meaning of the word Kerala (Keralam) is "the land of coconuts". "Kera" in Malayalam (the language of Kerala) means coconut and “Alam” means land. As Kerala is abundant with coconut plants, it naturally got the name Kerala
Ancient Kerala was ruled by the Chera dynasty. Kerala was called as “ Chera alam” on those days. Which was eventually transformed into Kerala(Keralam). Cheralam can be split into cheral (mountain slope in classical Tamil) and Alam(land) basically meaning mountain land.
Another theory that is commonly spread among the people is that Kerala was derived from ‘Cheralam’, meaning ‘the land of the mighty Cheras. Cherar = Chera Dynasty + Alam =Maritime area.
The word Kerala is first recorded as Keralaputra (Sanskrit "son of Kerala"; or "son of Chera") in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription left by the Maurya emperor Ashoka (274–237 BCE), one of his edits about welfare. It is also believed that the state was named after Keralian Thamboran, the ruler of an independent province in southern India. Thamboran ruled during Emperor Ashoka’s reign.
Kerala's tourist industry, among others, also uses the phrase God's own country. Kerala was also known as malanadu ( land of hills).
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