Kozhikode

Kozhikode (Calicut), the most important region of Malabar in yesteryears, was the capital of the powerful Zamorins and also a prominent trade and commerce center.

Kozhikode District found a place in the World History with the discovery of Sea Route to India in 1498 by the Portuguese Navigator Vasco Da Gama. Vasco Da Gama landed at the Kappad sea shore with three vessels and 170 men. A monument is constucted here to commemorate the historical landing.

Kozhikode city continues to be a centre of flourishing domestic and international trade. Its contribution to all round development of the district in trade, commerce and economic development over the years is spectacular. Kozhikode city is the marketing centre for commodities like pepper coconut, coffee, rubber, lemon grass oil etc., produced in Kozhikode and the neighbouring districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kannur.

Basking in the idyllic setting of the serene Arabian Sea on the west and the proud peaks of the Wayanad hills on the east, this district with the serene beaches, lush green countryside, historic sites, all combine to make Kozhikode a popular tourist destination filled with a warm ambience to fascinate a visitor
Location :Northern Kerala
What To See :Beaches-Kozhikode, Beypore
Museums- Pazhassirajah,Krishna Menon Waterfalls-Thusharagiri
Religious stuctures-Jama-at-palli,Tali Temple
Sanctuary - Kadalundi Bird Sanctury etc.
Must Taste :Kozhikodan Halwa
Fame :-The Second Mecca of football lovers
-The land of Kalaripayyattu
Climate :Tropical
STD Code :0495
Best Time To Visit :September To May
Topography :Sandy coastal belt, the rocky highlands,lateritic midland
Borders :Kannur district in North, Wayanad, district in East, Malappuram district in South, Arabian Sea on West.

SIGNIFICANCE

In the field of education: Kozhikode had its hold in the educational field even in the early and medieval periods. One of the most important of such centres was Kozhikode itself. Under the rule of the enlightened Zamorins, it became famous all over South India as a rendezvous of scholars and men of learning. In the field of agriculture: Kozhikode district has a rich heritage in agriculture as it was a port city famous for pepper & spice trade. Agriculture plays a major role in the district economy. In the field of fishing: Kozhikode district is endowed with a coast line of 71 kms., stretching from Chaliyar to Azhiyoor.The district is rich in brackish water area and there is great scope for shrimp farming too. In the coastal belt, fishing is the main occupation of a large number of people. The allied industries such as ice plant, freezing and processing units also provide employment to around 5,000 people in the district. As a whole, the fishing industry makes a sizeable contribution to the economy of the district as well as the State. In the field of sea transport: The Port of Kozhikode, Beypore and Badagara are open for foreign and coastal trade. Eventhough the port is opened for traffic, there has been no traffic during the recent years. Long ago it was famous for ship building which is located at Beypore. The boat building yards of this place are world renowned and boats made here are called Uru. These Urus used to carry goods to Arabia and were known for their seafaring quality.The shift in technology has reduced Beypore craftsmen to toy makers. Now Urus are made as toys and sold as souvenirs . In the field of media : Kozhikode district occupies a prominent place in the history of Malayalam Journalism. The origin of journalism in this district can be traced back to 1880. Kozhikode has the unique distinction of being the production centre of almost all major Malayalam Newspapers and dailies,weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies.The Kozhikode station of All India Radio was commissioned on 14th May, 1950 and it has two transmitters-Kozhikode A of 100 kilowatt power and Kozhikode B (Vividh Bharathi) of 1 Kilowatt power. In the field of heritage stuctures : Kozhikode has many heritage structures in the city, the old mosques around the Kuttichira square and the Muslim houses nearby are architecturally rich.The temple too has its gifts in sculptures and inscriptions.Thiruvilangad temple contains many ancient sculptures. In the field of cultural arts and festivals :  Kozhikode is famous for its martial art called Kalaripayyattu. The Northern kalarippayattu gives more emphasis on weapons than on empty hands. Northern kalarippayattu is distinguished by its meippayattu physical training and use of full-body oil massage. The system of treatment and massage, and the assumptions about practice are closely associated with Ayurveda.The historian Elamkulam Kunjan Pillai attributes the birth of northern kalarippayattu to an extended period of warfare between the Cheras and the Cholas in the 11th century. In the field of tourism: Kozhikode has a lot to offer the visitors. The Beaches-Kappad, Kozhikode, Beypore, Bird sanctuary, Planetarium, Science Lab etc make the visit worthwhile. In the field of personalities: V.K. Krishna Menon-who was the Defence Minister in Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet, P.T Usha -The queen of Indian track and field, etc. are the well known personalities from Kozhikode. In the field of Sports : The Kozhikode city known as the Second Mecca of football lovers (first being Calcutta) has a flood-lit stadium constructed by the Municipal Corporation. Near to this, stands a pucca indoor stadium of the District Sports Council. P.T. Usha , the Indian Sprint queen from Payoli, Kozhikode is the one who brought applauds to Kerala and India from the world over.

HISTORY

Kozhikode is a historical town with a hoary past. From time immemorial, the city attracted travellers, with its charming physical features and prosperity. Even today , the glory of Kozhikode(Calicut) has not faded.Kozhikode was the capital of Malabar during the time of Zamorins who where ruling before the British Rule in India. It was trading in spices like black pepper and cardamom with the Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians, Chinese , Dutch and Portuguese more than 500 years ago. The political history of Kozhikode is a story of treacherous and ill conceived conspiracies hatched by the Western powers. Vasco De Gama landed at Kappad in May 1498, as the leaders of a trade mission from Portugal and was received by the Zamorin himself. As Kozhikode offered full freedom & security, the Arab & the Chinese merchants preferred it to all other ports. The globe-trotter Ibn Batuta (A.D. 1342-47) quotes: "We came next to Kalikut, one of the great ports of the district of Malabar, and in which merchants of all parts are found." The history of Kozhikode district as an administrative unit begins from January 1957. When the states of the Indian Union were reorganised on linguistic basis on 1st November, 1956, the erstwhile Malabar district was separated from Madras state (Tamil Nadu) and added to the new unilingual state of Kerala. But malabar district was found to be too uniwieldy for administrative purposes. Consequently the state government ordered the formation of three districts with certain changes in the boundaries of some of the taluks. The Kozhikode district thus came into existence on 1st Jnauary 1957,orginally consisting of five taluks, Viz, Vadakara, Koyilandy, Kozhikode, Ernad & Tirur. With the formation of malapuram district on 1st june 1969 & Wayandu on 1st November 1980, kozhikode district now consist of one revenue division , three taluks, twelve blocks, 77 panchayats and 117 villages. The Zamorins The Udaiyavar of Ernad, whose headquarters was at Nediyiruppu wanted an outlet to the sea and after fighting with the Polatthiri King for 48 long years conquered the area around Ponniankara and build a fort at a place called Velapuram. Thus the city of Calicut came into existence sometime in the 13th Century AD. With the accession of Calicut, the status of Nediyirippu increased and he come to be known as Swami Nambiyathiri Thirumulpad, which gradually became Samuri or Samuthiri over the years. The Europeans called him Zamorin. According to K.V. Krishna Iyer, the rise of calicut is at once a cause and a consequence of Zamorin's ascendancy in Kerala. By the end of the century, Zamorin was at the zenith of his powers with all princes and chieftains of Kerala north of Cochin acknowledging his suzerainty. Vasco De Gamma  Vasco Da Gama arrived in 1498 and obtained permission to carry out trade from Calicut. The Arabs sensing the threat posed by Portuguese to their commercial supremacy, opposed the Europeans. Bitter fights started between Portuguese and Arabs. The Portuguese went to Cochin for trade and the Raja of Cochin had an alliance with the Portuguese with aim of attaining sovereignty from Zamorin. The hostilities between the Zamorin and the Portuguese continued for many decades and the role played by the Kunjali Marakkar in these battles can not been forgotten. Kunjali Marakkars were the hereditary admirals of the zamorin and organized a powerful navy to fight the Portuguese. Kunajali Kunajali II, the greatest of Zamorin's Admirals, fought bravely and captured the Portuguese ships and massacred the crew members. Kunjali III built a fort at Kottakkal and enjoyed all the privileges enjoyed by the Nair chiefs. This caused heavy damages to the Portuguese shipping and trade but with the defeats in 1528 and 1538 they lost their glory. The Portuguese built a fort at Chaliyam at the mouth of the Baypore River in the middle of the Zamorin's territory. Due to the prolonged struggle, Zamorin's strength deteriorated and entered into a treaty in 1540 and allowed the Portuguese to have monopoly over trade at Calicut port. The peace was temporary and war broke out again resulting in the demolition of Chaliyom Fort in the 1571 by the Zamorin. The battles continued unabated till 1588 when the Portuguese were allowed to settle down at Calicut. However Kunjali opposed the move. Moreover the Kunjali IV declared himself as the 'King of the Moors' and disobeyed the Zamorin. Zamorin could not digest this and sided with Portuguese to destroy the powerful Kunjalis and in 1600, kunjalis surrendered and were subsequently executed. It was really ironical that Zamorins had to ally with Portuguese and to fight the Kunjalis, who saved the Calicut Kingdom for decades in its fight against Portuguese. In the meanwhile, the Dutch, English and the French arrived in Kerala. Zamorins allowed the Dutch to trade in Calicut and sought their help to drive out the Portuguese. The position of Portuguese weakened gradually due to international events and their position in Kerala deteriorated. Dutch captured Cochin and Cannanore and established trade. However, by 1721, the Dutch formally withdrew from all interference in native wars.