These Muslim traders settled on the Malabar Coast and married local Hindu women , and their descendants came to be known as Mappillas .
The contact between South India and Islam goes back to the 7th century , when trade between Hindu kingdoms and Islamic caliphates thrived .
These Islamic traders settled on the Malabar Coast and married local Hindu women , and their descendants came to be known as Mappillas .
The contact between South India and Islam goes back to the 7th century , when trade between Hindu kingdoms and Islamic caliphates thrived .