Culture
A destination and culture guide to Kerala - cities, backwaters, temples, arts, and festivals - written for curious travellers and locals alike.
Know Kerala
History, place, tradition, and the living arts that shape travel across the state.
Kerala’s story runs from ancient spice ports and Chera-era trade to colonial coastal towns and the modern state formed on 1 November 1956. Malayalam-speaking regions of Travancore-Cochin, Malabar, and Kasaragod came together as God’s Own Country - a land shaped by the Arabian Sea, the Western Ghats, and centuries of cultural exchange.
Kerala’s arts and customs are rooted in place. Theyyam belongs to Kannur and Kasaragod, Padayani to Pathanamthitta, Thrissur Pooram to the cultural capital, boat races to the backwater districts, and craft forms to towns such as Aranmula and Beypore. District and shrine geography still shape how traditions are practised.
Kerala’s living culture is shared across Hindu temple rites, Christian parish festivals, Mappila arts of Malabar, and Adivasi traditions of the hills. Village shrines, family craft lineages, and community troupes keep music, dance, and ritual knowledge alive alongside modern stages and schools.
Dress is part of Kerala’s visual language - white-and-gold kasavu for festivals, temple mundu and veshti, Theyyam’s towering red costumes, Kathakali’s monumental skirts and crowns, and the festive clothes of Oppana, Margam Kali, and village folk plays.
Face and body painting turn performers into characters and deities. Kathakali vesham, Theyyam designs, Pulikali tiger stripes, and ritual markings in Padayani or Mudiyettu are among the most striking makeup traditions in India.
Temple and folk soundscapes define Kerala’s festivals: chenda and maddalam, Panchavadyam’s five-fold ensemble, mizhavu in Koodiyattam, idakka in Sopana song, Pulluvan veena in serpent rites, and duff drums in Mappila performance.
Arts appear across the calendar - Onam and Vishu, Thrissur Pooram and local Poorams, Theyyam season in Malabar, Sabarimala pilgrimage months, temple festivals, weddings, and concert stages. Occasion and place are as important as the form itself.
Kerala’s reputation rests on hereditary ritual families, temple musicians, and institutional masters - from Koodiyattam and Kathakali lineages to kalari gurukkals, mural painters, and folk troupe leaders. On each art page we note notable names and communities where they are known.