Travelling southwards from the mountains and valleys of the Himalayan foothills, the desert landscapes and fortified towns of western India, or from the crowded Gangetic floodplains, one enters into another world, a world of the southern peoples. There are a great variety of cultures reflected in this region of diverse landscapes, which ranges from tropical plantations to barren boulder-strewn plateaus. In Andhra Pradesh the Mughal Empire reached the limit of its expansion into the once powerful Hindu kingdoms. Tamil Nadu is a colorful state packed with examples of Dravidian art and architecture; and Kerala shelters in the shadow of the Western Ghats as a fertile strip of coastal land whose people have mingled with alien seaborne traders, exiles and adventurers for thousands of years.