• Dr. C. Godwinsam

Kerala is a land of temples, and temples here in a sense, were the pivot of the religious, social, economic and cultural life of the Malayalam people. The term Kerala was the first epigraphically recorded as Keralaputo (Cheras) in a 3rd-century BCE rock inscription by emperor Ashoka of Magadha. The Cheras transformed Kerala into an international trade centre by establishing trade relations across the Arabian Sea with all major Mediterranean and the Red Sea ports as well as those of the Far East. The early Cheras collapsed after repeated attacks from the neighboring Cholas and Rashtrakutas. It was mentioned as one of four independent kingdoms in southern India during Ashoka's time, the others being the Cholas, Pandyas and Satyaputras. The dominion of Cheras was located in one of the key routes of the ancient Indian Ocean trade. That Kerala’s temples show a distinctive style was accepted by one and all from the very beginning.

Temple – architecture – kovil – Dravidian – Kerala – gopuram – vimana – srikoil – palikkal - mandapa

"A HISTORICAL STUDY ON THE TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE OF KERALA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.3, Issue 12, page no.371-380, December-2016, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1702060.pdf

"A HISTORICAL STUDY ON THE TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE OF KERALA", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.3, Issue 12, page no. pp371-380, December-2016, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1702060.pdf