The present state of Kerala was formed in 1956 incorporating the territories of erstwhile states of Travancore, Cochin and parts of British Malabar. Some territories of south Kanara or Tulunadu are today part of north Kerala and some territories of Travancore state in far south are today parts of Tamil Nadu state.

There were numerous forts and fortifications along the land stretch of Kerala. The World'kotta' found associated as prefix or suffix to place names indicate the prevalence of forts in many areas across Kerala. Forts have played a crucial role in delineating the history of the the region. Many of the old forts were construted using mud and timber or combinations of both and have been last in ravages of wars and time. Dresses stone become popular in the constructions of forts in Kerala, after the advent of European colonist and many surviving forts belong to this period.

There has been no holistic work on the forts of Kerala. The objective of this monograph, which is first of its kind, is to present a brief historical and architectural account of some of the forts in Kerala. History and architecture of 32 forts have been dealt in this book. It has been written and formatted with lot of photographs and plans with a view to make it appealing and conveyable equally to students, connoisseur of history, tourists, and the general public.