I recently had the opportunity to inaugurate an Onam celebration not in Kerala but in the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu, under the auspices of the Confederation of Tamil Nadu Malayalee Associations. It was a reminder of a rare kinship—the enduring bond between two neighbouring peoples who have shared geography, history, and destiny for countless centuries.

When we speak of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, it is easy to imagine the Western Ghats as a dividing line—the mountain wall that separates one state from another. But in truth, those hills have never been a barrier; they have been a bridge. The Palakkad Gap and the Aralvaimozhi Pass, along with gateways such as Tenkasi and Idukki, have for millennia connected the two lands. Through these openings travelled merchants and pilgrims, scholars and poets, stonecutters and weavers, administrators and soldiers. They carried not only goods but also ideas, languages, customs, and spiritual traditions. These mountain passes were not frontiers of separation but doorways of friendship.

Indeed, political unity and cultural exchange have defined our common past. The Ay dynasty, which flourished in the southern stretches, was shared by both present-day Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Later, under the British Raj’s Madras Presidency, Malabar was part of the same political unit as Coimbatore, Madurai, and Thanjavur. And even before the drawing of modern borders, the Travancore Kingdom extended deep into today’s Tamil Nadu, encompassing Vilavancode, Kalkulam, Thovala, and Agastheeswaram taluks. The majestic Padmanabhapuram Palace, with its unique blend of Kerala woodwork and Tamil architecture, stands today in Tamil Nadu but speaks profoundly of Kerala’s cultural genius. Eraniel and Kuzhithurai too bear testimony to this shared legacy, and even today Malayalam continues to be spoken in many parts of Kanyakumari district. Marthandam is virtually a Malayali town in Tamil Nadu!

In recent years, the excavations at Keezhadi in Tamil Nadu have opened a remarkable new window into our shared past. Keezhadi reminds us that long before modern boundaries were drawn, the Tamilakam region, embracing what is........

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