The three separate pre-Independence political entities-Travancore, Kochi, and Malabar-looked for the relics of human settlements in their areas separately. And the innumerable relics and records the colonial investigators and native enthusiasts recovered were helpful in writing the region’s separate histories. The Travancore, Kochi, and Malabar Manuals, the Travancore histories written by Vaikom Pachu Moothathu and Shankunny Menon, the history of Kochi authored by K.P. Padmanabha Menon, and the history of the Zamorins by K.V. Krishna Iyer came out as a result. But once these separate political entities were brought under one umbrella-the idea of Kerala-the focus of investigations shifted to the common heritage of Kerala. It became the responsibility of the unified Kerala Archaeological Department to search for and retrieve evidence of human settlement, mode of subsistence, production and exchange of goods, evolution and use of tools, organization of community, social structure, cultural peculiarities, etc., in their evolutionary order. The Department also has the duty to preserve and protect heritage objects for future generations.
The Department initially laid emphasis on the survey, excavation and preservation of the heritage sites. The archaeology-related laws that prevailed in Travancore and Kochi were integrated and refined into the 1968 Kerala Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act and the Kerala Treasure Trove Act. The rules related to these laws were framed in 1972, and all the monuments were brought under the ambit of the new laws.
The Department has identified ten areas for its operations based on its work experience, the growth of archaeology in the changed world scenario, and the need to fulfil its aims and objectives. Besides its administrative wing, there are surveys and excavations, chemical conservation, structural conservation, epigraphical studies, folk art studies, numismatics, publication, public awareness promotion, and museum studies. With the backing of strong legislation, the Department was able to forge ahead substantially as far as survey excavation and protection of monuments were concerned. It brought to light several relics and monuments dating from pre-historic times to the time of the colonization of the country, preserve them, and make them available for research and studies. The establishment in 1979 of the Kerala Institute of Folklore and Folk-Arts, the School of Epigraphy, and the Regional Conservation Laboratory are important milestones in the growth of the Department.
