: Kerala, the spice island, was a focus of attraction to the foreign countries long before the Common Era. Foreign merchants and colonies were common in the country's coastal regions. Vasco da Gama's accidental arrival on the Kerala coast in 1498 signaled the start of direct spice trade between Europe and Kerala. Kerala's polity, which mirrored India's political disunity, effectively used the colonial authority and attempted to build colonial dominance through various tactics such as conciliation and armaments. Despite their failure to establish direct political authority, the Portuguese were able to exert political influence over the native princely states. Kerala was the first region in India to taste the bitterness of colonial intrusion and was inherently rooted in indigenous resistance to colonial oppression. The resistance activities in Kerala against Portuguese intervention in their lives and independence reflect the characteristics of the early resistance movement against colonial powers.