Onam is an annual harvest and cultural festival related to Hinduism that is celebrated mostly by the people of Kerala. A major annual event for Keralites, it is the official festival of the state and includes a spectrum of cultural events.
Nagercoil, also spelt as Nagarkovil, is a city and the administrative headquarters of Kanyakumari District in Tamil Nadu state, India. Situated close to the tip of the Indian peninsula, it lies on an undulating terrain between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea.
Vishu is a cultural festival celebrating the Malayali New Year in Kerala, Tulu Nadu, and Mahe of India. Vishu falls on the first day of the month of Medam in the Malayalam Calendar. It is the traditional new year, while the Kollam era calendar new year falls on the 1st Chingham.
The Malayali people are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala in India, occupying its southwestern Malabar coast. They are predominantly native speakers of the Malayalam language, one of the six classical languages of India. The state of Kerala was created in 1956 through the States Reorganisation Act. Prior to that, since the 1800s existed the Kingdom of Cochin, the Kingdom of Travancore, Malabar District, and South Canara of the British India. The Malabar District was annexed by the British through the Third Mysore War (1790–92) from Tipu Sultan. Before that, the Malabar District was under various kingdoms including the Zamorins of Calicut, Kingdom of Tanur, Arakkal kingdom, Kolathunadu, Valluvanad, and Palakkad Rajas.
Sadya is a meal of Kerala origin and of importance to all Malayalis, consisting of a variety of traditional vegetarian dishes usually served on a banana leaf in Kerala as lunch. Sadya means banquet in Malayalam. Sadya is typically served as a traditional feast for Onam, the state festival of Kerala and Vishu.
Puran poli, Puran puri, Holige (ಹೋಳಿಗೆ), Obbattu (ಒಬ್ಬಟ್ಟು), or Bobbattlu (బొబ్బట్లు), Poley (పోళె), Bakshamulu (బక్ష్యములు), Boli (ബോളി), Boli (போளி) is an Indian sweet flatbread that originates from South India and Maharashtra.
The culture of Kerala has developed over the past millennia, influences from other parts of India and abroad. It is defined by its antiquity and the organic continuity sustained by the Malayali people. Modern Kerala society took shape owing to migrations from different parts of India and abroad throughout Classical Antiquity.
Kaalan is a Keralite dish from South India, made of yoghurt, coconut and a raw fruit nendra kaaya or a tuber like the chena.
Avial, Tamil: அவியல்) is an Indian dish with origins in the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu of India. It is a thick stew of usually 13 vegetables commonly found in the Western Ghats and coconut, seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. Avial is considered an essential part of the main meal in Kerala and is also served as a delicacy in South India.
Thoran (Malayalam: തോരൻ, pronounced ; or upperi in Northern Kerala is a class of dry vegetable dishes combined with coconut that originated in the Indian state of Kerala. This common dish is usually eaten with rice and curry and is also part of the traditional Keralite sadhya.
Kichadi is another name for Pachadi used in some parts of Kerala, for the sour variant of the dish. A sour dish made of curd, ground cumin paste and either cucumber, ash gourd or white gourd, with sautéed mustard seeds and curry leaves as garnish. Kichadi is often served as part of the Sadhya. It is somewhat similar to the Raita served in North India, with the difference being the seasoning with mustard and curry leaves. Kichadi is not to be confused with Khichdi.
Koottukari or Koottu curry is a prominent dish in the "Sadhya" of Kerala, south India. It is a yellow curry featuring one or two vegetables such as banana and coconut, and has a hot and sweet taste.
Pachadi refers to a traditional South Indian fresh pickle served as a side dish. Roughly translated, it refers to a plant which has been pounded or crushed.
Valla Sadya is a celebration in the Hindu temple at Aranmula, Kerala, India. During the festival, the village conducts a snake boat race in the Pampa River, and there is a feast at the temple. The Valla Sadhya is conducted on Ashtamirohoni day. During Valla Sadhya, Krishna, the main deity worshipped in the temple, will come to take the offerings from people. The legend is that in a Valla Sadya all dishes asked for must be given to the people in order to please the lord.
Puli kali is a recreational folk art from the state of Kerala, India. It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of Kerala. On the fourth day of Onam celebrations, performers painted like tigers and leopards in bright yellow, red, and black shake their bellies and dance to the beats of instruments like Udukku and Thakil. The literal meaning of Pulikkali is 'The tiger dance' hence the performance revolves around the theme of tiger hunting. Folk art is mainly practiced in the Thrissur district of Kerala. The best place to watch the show is at Thrissur on the fourth day of Onam, where Pulikkali troupes from all over the district assemble to display their skills. The festival attracts thousands of people to the Thrissur city. Pulikkali is also performed during various other festive seasons.
Olan is a dish that is part of the Kerala cuisine of the state of Kerala in South India. It is a light and subtle-flavored dish prepared from white gourd or ash-gourd, and black-eyed peas, coconut milk and ginger seasoned with coconut oil. It is usually served as part of a Sadhya.
Zambar is a restaurant in Gurgaon, Haryana, northern India, which serves South Indian cuisine. Zambar is situated on the third floor of Ambience Mall in Gurgaon, in a restaurant which is shaped like a long boathouse.
Puli is a 2015 Indian Tamil-language fantasy action adventure film written and directed by Chimbu Deven. The film stars Vijay in a dual role as demon prince, and his son a half-demon, alongside Hansika Motwani and Shruti Haasan in the female leads. Sudeep features as the main antagonist of the film, along with Prabhu and Nandita Swetha in cameo roles. Sridevi features as the possessed evil Queen.
Street food, as in other areas of India, are popular in Chennai, despite the common belief in India that street food is unhealthy. The idly sambhar is a popular dish, which is served as breakfast or dinner. Apart from regular South Indian street food, the city's streets are also filled with several North Indian street food outlets, most of them established by North Indian migrants themselves. Gujarati and Burmese are also available. Street food in Chennai is so popular that a game had developed based on the TV show The Amazing Race where contestants have to follow clues to street-food spots in the city.
Malaysian Malayalees, also known as Malayalee Malaysians, are people of Malayali descent who were born in or immigrated to Malaysia from the Malayalam speaking regions of Kerala. They are the second largest Indian ethnic group, making up approximately 15% of the Malaysian Indian population. The bulk of Malaysian Malayali migration began during the British Raj, when the British facilitated the migration of Indian workers to work in plantations, but unlike the majority Tamils, the vast majority of the Malayalis were recruited as supervisors in the oil palm estates that followed the kangani system, and some were into trading and small businesses with a significant proportion of them running groceries or restaurants. Over 90% of the Malayalee population in Malaysia are Malaysian citizens.
