The Birth of Kerala...

Geologists believe that submarine earth movements could have pushed up much of the sea bed cupped by the curve of the Western Ghats between Manjeshwar in the north and Parassala in the South. Possibly it was this same see-saw tilt that pushed down the continuation of the Aravalli Mountains and created the Lakshadweep Islands off the west coast and pushed up Kerala. But, whatever the reason may have been, once the sea cut off  this segment of the Western Ghats became shallow, nature's forces proceeded to make it shallower as is being done to this day. Three rivers flow off the mountains to the east, into the central plateau of peninsular India. But an amazing array of  41 rivers rush down the mountains to the coast of Kerala. Thanks to the heavy monsoon rains which drench Kerala, and keep it so beautifully green, these rivers carry down a great deal of fertile silt with them. This silt, deposited over the centuries created the sinuous mid-land plains of Kerala.

Then, when the rivers eventually joined the sea, a curious thing happened. Waves rolling in from the Arabian Sea, apparently, forced the suspended silt out of the river waters and deposited them on the ocean floor. Consequently, long, narrow, strips of land were laid down parallel to the coast. These, in time began to be filled up as the rivers deposited more soil on the seaward side. This continues to happen even to this day. Amazing isn't it ?!