Kerala culture is a blend of Dravidian and Aryan culture. During 10th century Kerala was a part of great Tamil heritage region known as Tamilakam and was greatly influenced by the Dravidian culture. The unique art forms of Kerala include:
KOODIYATTOM, in which Chakyar is the main actor who performs the ritualistic Koothu and attam inside the temple or in the Koothambalam.
KATHAKALI which is a combination of five elements of fine art: such as Expression, Dance, Enactment, Song and Instrument.
OTTAMTHULAL: A single actor wears colorful costumes, while reciting thullal (dance songs), all the while acting and dancing.
MOHINIATTAM: The term comes from the words "Mohini" meaning a woman who enchants onlookers and "aattam" meaning graceful and sensuous body movements and Chakyar Koothu in which Koothu" means dance - which is a misnomer, since there is minimal choreography involved in this art form; facial expressions are most important.
THEYYAM: The other art forms are more or less religious and triballike Theyyam. The term Theyyam is a corrupt form of daivam or God.

It is a rare combination of dance and music and reflects important features of a tribal culture and are mainly practised in north kerala , Markkam Kali the subject usually is the arrival of Mar Thoma and his efforts to convert other people to Christianity in Kerala and Oppana generally presented by females, numbering about fifteen including musicians, on a wedding day. The bride dressed in all finery, covered with gold ornaments is the chief spectator who sits on a peetam, around which the singing and dancing take place. While they sing, they clap their hands rhythmically and move around the bride using simple steps. Two or three girls begin the songs and the rest join in chorus. It is usually practised by the Muslim community.

Kerala Literature marks its separate identity from 14th century onwards, with Niranam a small village in Kerala near Mannar poets such as Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar whose works mark the dawn of both modern Malayalam language and indigenous Kerala poetry. The Niranam poets freed the literature from Manipravala, a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam. Poets like Kumaran Asan, Vallathol Narayana Menon and Ullor S. Parameswara Iyer were recoganised as poets who moved Kerala poetry to more lyrical mode. Modern writers like G. Sankara Kurp, S.K Pottakkat, M.T Vasudevan Nair, O.V Vijayan , M Mukundan and Arundhati Roy enriched the modern Malayalam literature.

Kerala music also has ancient roots. Carnatic music dominates Kerala traditional music which was popularised by Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma in 19th century. Panchavadyam is a different form of percussion ensemble in which hundred of artists use five different types of instruments and the performance may last for four to five hours. Tayambaka is a solo chenda performance, supported by other itantala (treble) and valanthala (bass) chenda and ilatalam cymbals.

God's own country, Kerala also prides itself for its repertoire of rich cultural heritage. Kerala holds a place of honour among the people of India who have enriched Indian Cultural Heritage and helped the cause of national integration. Kerala's culture is in fact, an integral part of Indian culture. Kerala is a great place to tour to during your holiday. Kerala's performing arts are feast to the eyes of tourists. A sheer variety of art forms, when performed by consummate artistes with the requisite paraphernalia make watching them worth. Legends and legendary characters resurrect from the dog-eared pages of history books and make their apparitions on the stages leaving the audience in ecstasy. The attire roves and facial expressions of the artistes are a sumptuous treat for eyes. Centuries down, Kerala's performing arts had enjoyed the patronage and pats from successive rulers. Besides, the now defunct feudal system had also contributed for the nourishment of art and culture.

The Northern region of the state is a repertoire of arts and culture. Many of these performing arts are enmeshed with the cultural history of religious communities. While classical art forms such as Kathalkali and Bharathayatyam were the stronghold of upper class, those from lower strata of the society performed dance forms such as Theyyam and Padayani. If the former class performed in the temple premises and specially erected stages, the later had to venture on streets to show their artistic prowess.

A majority of the people of Kerala are Dravidians, who also inhibit most of the southern part of India. Hinduism is the main religion with significant percentages of Muslims and Christians. Kerala's culture is also a composite and cosmopolitan culture to which several people and races have made their significant contributions. It is an educationally advanced state with its own language, Malayalam, and has the literacy rate of 100%, the only state in India to achieve such honor. With passing phase, Kerala is adjusting to the new values and at the same time trying to maintain the good things of its old tradition.

Kerela is also known for Kathakali - a 300-year-old dance form developed exclusively in the state combining the performing art forms of opera, ballet, masque, and pantomime. The dance is a beautiful blending of color, dance, music, drama, and expressions. Other dance forms of Kerala are Krishnanattom, Mohiniyattom, Thullal, Koodiyattom, Kolkkali, Thiruvathirakali, Kakkarishi Natakom, Oppanna, and Chavittunatakom, Panchavadyam, Nadanpattu, Omanathinkal Kidavo and many more music forms have evolved over the centuries in Kerala.

Onam is a time for sports and festivities and in Kerala - where one third of the area is low lying, covered with canals, lakes and backwaters - the people take to their boats and country crafts to celebrate. This is perhaps the best time to go on a tour of Kerala, India. Christmas is another festival that is celebrated with much vigor and enthusiasm in the state. Other important festivals of Kerala are Eid, Muharram, and other festivals that are traditionally celebrated all over the country. Kerala's genius for adaptation and fusion of old traditions and new values in every sphere of human thought and endeavor is also evident in its cuisine.

Kerala has a distinctive cuisine, very unusual and different from the rest of India. Cooking in Kerala is all about discoveries, aromas and colors. It's a melting pot of different ingredients sprinkled by the various communities down the ages. Kerala is known for its variety of pancakes and steamed rice cakes made from pounded rice. In seafood, mussels are a favorite. For the Christians, who can be seen in large concentration in areas like Kottayam and Pala, Ishtew with Appam is a must for every marriage reception. Kerala also has its own fermented beverages -the famous Kallu (Toddy) and Patta Charayam(Arrack). Arrack is extremely intoxicating and is usually consumed with spicy pickles and boiled eggs (Patta and Mutta). During your Kerala tour you can experiment with the myriad cuisine of Kerala, which are a gastronome's delight. Thus, in its totality, the culture of Kerala represents the quintessence of the collective achievements of a people in the fields of religion and philosophy, language and literature, art and architecture, education and learning and economic and social organization.