From myths to language: examining the renaming of Kerala
The Union Government’s recent approval of the proposal to rename Kerala as Keralam prompts a re-examination of the term’s historicity, including its founding legend, the context of the United Kerala Movement, and arguments for the linguistic purity of ‘Keralam’
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Context
The Union Cabinet has approved the proposal to rename the state of Kerala as "Keralam", acting on unanimous resolutions passed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly. This move aims to align the state's constitutional English name with its native Malayalam pronunciation, sparking analytical discussions on linguistic identity, historical myths, and the constitutional mechanics of renaming states.
UPSC Perspectives
Polity & Governance
The renaming of a state is exclusively governed by of the Constitution, which empowers Parliament to form new states, alter areas, boundaries, or change the names of existing states. The constitutional procedure dictates that a bill for this purpose can only be introduced in Parliament with the prior recommendation of the President. Crucially, the President must refer the draft bill to the respective state legislature to express its views within a specified timeframe. However, the state's views are not legally binding on Parliament, showcasing the unitary bias of Indian federalism and reinforcing the concept of an indestructible Union of destructible states. Once passed by a simple majority in Parliament, the law amends the (which lists the names and territories of all states) without requiring a formal constitutional amendment under Article 368.
Historical
The administrative boundaries of modern Kerala are the result of intense political struggles, most notably the (United Kerala Movement) that gained momentum in the 1920s. Before independence, the Malayalam-speaking population was fragmented across the British-administered Malabar district and the princely states of and Cochin. The movement championed a linguistic nationalism that transcended these historical political borders. It faced significant hurdles, particularly from Travancore, whose leadership occasionally entertained the idea of existing as an independent, sovereign country and had a complex demographic mix including a powerful Tamil-speaking minority. Ultimately, the popular will for linguistic unification aligned with national reorganization policies, leading to the state's creation under the . This historical context proves that the state's foundation was rooted in linguistic affinity rather than a pre-existing, continuous territorial empire.
Cultural
The contemporary push to officially adopt "Keralam" over "Kerala" is framed as a reclamation of native Dravidian linguistic purity, yet historians note that both terms have coexisted for centuries. The traditional origin myth, recorded in the legendary text , claims that the coastal strip was reclaimed from the ocean by , an avatar of Vishnu. Interestingly, ancient historical records do not strictly differentiate the nomenclature; for instance, the Mauryan Emperor Ashoka’s rock edicts from the 3rd century BCE refer to the local ruler as (son of Kerala). Hermann Gundert’s pioneering 19th-century Malayalam dictionary also treats both terms as valid references to the "land of coconut trees." The renaming effort, therefore, is less about correcting an absolute historical error and more about the modern political assertion of Malayali sub-nationalism and cultural pride in the 21st century.