Calicut beach where Vasco da Gama first landed.

When Christopher Columbus set out on his first voyage in 1492, he thought that he was heading for India’s spicelands, the Kerala coast. Columbus went the wrong way, but his commercial rival, the Portuguese Vasco da Gama, went the right way and found a land rich in the treasures that Europeans sought: spices.Black pepper,cardamon, ginger and cinnamon all have their roots in this beautiful land in the southwestern corner of India. Often called the Venice of South Asia, Kerala has fabulous cultural and food traditions. And it might be the world’s first tolerant multi-religious society, a place where Hindus, Muslims, Christians, and Jews have lived together in peace and harmony for centuries.