The Raymer enterprise., 1922-05-18

prepared By the National Geographic 3d.
eisty. Warrington. D. c.)
The M0plahs. whose revolt In India
10 one Of the most serious the British
have had to contend with In recent
times, are operating in the portion Of
India-the Malabar coast-which was
the 6rst to be sighted by Europeans
and the first with which trading was
carried on. Yet It has been less known
than any other part Of the great penin-
sula empire. To the casual observer
Of maps this seems the front door to
India, and the region which should be
best known and most Influenced by
Europeans. For It is the coast facing
toward Europe and lies Just opposite
the main water gateway to and from
the west-the mouth Of the Red sea.
But although 1t was natural enough
that vasco da Cana, after he had
rounded Africa, should have his first
Indian land-fall in Malabar, 1t Is equal
" natural, when geographic conditions
are taken into account that most Of
the present-day argosies Of trade shun
this lower western coast of India and
turn instead northward to Bombay or,
doubling the point Of the peninsula,
anchor at India's shack DOORS" Mad.
ras and Calcutta. For. the Malabar
region IL only q narrow strip 20 to 60
miles wide with rugged mountains, the
Western Chats, cutting 1t OF from the
rest Of India almost as completely as
would many miles Of water.
Then, too. MAlabar has no good
ports. Calicut and Cochin did well
enough for the light-draft caravels Of
the early explorers, but cannot well ac-
commodats larger modern ocean-golne
craft In the east India has no such
continuous barrier AZ the Western
Chats, and 20 the wide portion Of the
peninsula to the east Of those rugged
mountains has become a familiar land
to travellers and has to degree be-
come Europeanixed, while the Malabar
coast has been little known and has
remained the best mirror Of ancient
India.
What the Region 10 Like.
In few other places will the West.
erner have his dreams Of the East and
Of India come 50 nearly true as In
Malabar. The climate Ia hot and the
annual rainfall amounts to nearly ten
feet. The coasts are fringed with mil
lions Of coconut palms. Just inland In
many parts Of the region are quiet la
goons and backwaters, connected by
canals, on which picturesque Eastern
"gondolas" ply. Along these inland
shores are still more coconut and other
palms, and IN the waters are croco-
dilss. Everywhere brown natives
swar1n-mostly bare above the waist
little different In appearance and GUS
toms from the first Indians which the
Portuguese found on those shores In
1893.
Back Of the coastal lagoons are fiat
rice fields and In many sections these
extend up the lower hlllsides on ter
races, irrigated from the countless
mouso0n.born streams that trickle
down from the Chats. Elsewhere the
hill slopes are given up to gardens
which even In the Fifteenth century
were models Of careful cultivation. In
them are grown characteristic Eastern
products, plantains, mangoes, pepper,
cinnamon, ginger, coffee, tea and many
vegetables.
Further from the coast In the higher
hills, are the luxuriant forests with
their undergrowth Of tree ferns, rho.
dodsndrons and reeds and their deli
cate and colorful orchids. And to COM
plete the Westerner's dream-plcture 0f.
the East, In the forests are tigers and
leopards and wild elephants. This re-
gion II IN fact the elephant country,
par excellence, Of India. In its small
forest reserves In the Western Chats
the British Indian government makes
! respectable amount Of 'pin money
BY selling the elephants which 1t traps.
LArge herds. too, roam over the pri-
vatsly owned forest lands Of the region
and Of Travancore, Immediately to the
south. These wooded mountains form
1 region Of great neutrality-suspicious.
peaks with dark-green ravlnes In which
sllver streams descend In numerous
watsffaIls and cascades.
lGsse y tis People Are HIrdus.
Though the Malabar coast is blessed
With rich sotl and luxuriant vegetation
Il ID NOT a. dependent on agrtculture
u most other portions Of India Fish
abouud In the ~ and are caught In
sreat quantitiss and saten. The tim
bsr industry. too. h important md
many natives an employed in H..
Fsminss ars practically unknown IN
khia favorSh eosuAr NJ India ~