Mainly Dravidian in origin, the culture of Kerala however has been heavily influenced by a number of other civilizations like those of the Chera, Chola, and the Pandya cultures. Added to these were a number of other influences which arrived in Kerala across international boundaries thanks to her geographical position as the southern most state of the Indian peninsula. Some of the sub divisions of the culture of Kerala include:

Dances of Kerala

Kerala, like almost all the parts of India, is famous for her individualistic styles of dancing which include:
• Kathakali
• Chavittunatakom
• Oppana
• Krishnanattom
• Mohiniyattom
• Kakkarissi natakom
• Thiruvathirakali
• Kolkkali
• Thullal
• Kootiyattom
• Duffmuttu

Music of Kerala

The music of Kerala plays an extremely important role in the development of the culture of Kerala. The main form of music practiced in the state includes the Carnatic classical music which is common to almost all the various Dravidian civilizations.

Literature of Kerala

The origin of Malayalam literature like the other forms of culture in Kerala dates back to times immemorial with a number of prominent names of Malayalam literature like Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar as well as many notable poets like Kumaran Asan,Vallathol Narayana Menon and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer being some of the famous names associated with the literature of Kerala.