As modernization begins to grip India, Kerala's people (the Malayalee) hang on to traditional life-ways rooted in relationship to nature and a reverence for the power of female energy. This makes Kerala very fertile ground for women to experience the synergy of outer exploration and inner discovery.

Kerala is famous for its religious tolerance and social progressiveness. (For an insightful overview of how unique Kerala is to all of India, read Bill McKibben's piece:
What is True Development? The Kerala Model
http://www.ashanet.org/library/articles/kerala.199803.html

Ayurveda and Siddha medicine arose from and are still widely practiced all over South India.

The state of Kerala, has been a popular vacation spot for Europeans, the English and Northern Indians for centuries. Brimming with delicious sensual rewards, the tropical climate is abundant with a rich variety of flora, including most of the medicinal herbs in the Ayurvedic pharmacopeia.


Trivandrum
Trivandrum, officially renamed Thiruvananthapuram, is a treasure of Kerala. Trivandrum is the capital of Kerala and is an ancient city, dating back to at least 1,000 BC.

The city is named after the abode of Ananta, the sacred serpent, Lord Padmanabha (an emmanation of Vishnu) lies upon in the temple at the center of town.

Spread over the seven lush hills clad in coconut trees. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have referred to Trivandrum as the “Evergreen City.” Trivandrum is is a favorite city of Malayalee (or “Keralites”) as it remains relatively untouched by highrise buildings and Western fast food chains, while maintaining its colonial mansions, churches and small houses with red-tiled roofs, its narrow lanes, small shops and eateries–and slower, more traditional lifeways.