Rishi’s most recent newsletter sent me down a rabbit-hole on the Palakkad Gap - the lowest and most significant mountain pass in the Western Ghats in India. It all makes sense now - The weather patterns, our ancestral migration, the language effect… And then the word Kerala was derived from Cheralam. The Cheras Dynasty ruled this part of India then and the Palakkad Gap was instrumental in the Chola Dynasty engaging with the Cheras. Malayalam evolved from a western dialect of Old Tamil and was heavily influenced by Sanskrit. The words Pattar and Bhat evolved from sanskrit word bhaṭṭa! And the word Malayalam is most likely derived from mala and alam - language of the mountainous region. This is all so fascinating! 🔗
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