Paper short abstract:

This paper traces the impact of historic trade routes in the weaving the cultural, social and economic fabric of the coastal belt of Kerala, a State in the South-Western Coast of India, with an extended coastline along the Arabian Sea.

Paper long abstract:

Kerala is a State in the South-Western Coast of India, with an extended coastline along the Arabian Sea. It has many port cities and has had trade relations with Chinese, Persians and Babylonians among others in the Ancient period and later with the Portuguese, Dutch and the British in the modern period. These trade routes has led to exchange of not only goods but also cultures and mixing of traditions. Unique cultural heritages and practices are still in existence in these thriving port cities bearing testimony to the role that the sea has played in shaping the culture and economy of the region. This paper traces the impact of these historic trade routes in weaving the cultural, social and economic fabric of the coastal belt of Kerala. The current dependence of the region on migration to the Arab countries along these ancient trade routes for income and employment is also tied into the narrative of the sea.