Kerala can largely trace its non-prehistoric cultural genesis to around the 3rd century CE, to a vaguely-defined historical region defined by a common Tamil culture and encompassing the Chera, Chola, and Pandya kingdoms, an area known as Tamilakam and southern coastal Karnataka.

Later, Kerala’s culture was elaborated upon by centuries of contact with traders from different parts of the world — yet all through this time, its cultural heritage has remained defined by its antiquity and organic continuity.