Kozhikode / Calicut – The capital of Malabar

Kozhikode / Calicut – The capital of Malabar

On 1956 The Government of India reorganized its states on linguistic basis, In that process, The Malabar region in the northern part of erst-while Kochi came under Kerala state. Kozhikode , known also as Calicut was the capital of the newly added region. Malabar being so large an area , was further divided in to three districts Malappuram formed by the southern part and Vayanad was formed by the eastern portion. kozhikode district has an area of 2344 sq. kms. population of about 850,000. Kozhikode is sub-divided in to five taluks (vadakara, Koyilandy,Kozhikode, Eranad and Tirur) It has a sea shore of 80 KMs which is acclaimed for the rich catch of fish for which whole Malabar is famous for.

Kozhikode will always be remembered as the landing place of the well known sailor Vasco Da Gama, who happens to be the first westerner visited India first through the sea route. It was The Gama who laid foundation for centuries old western rule that has changed the course of history of India - that was in 1498 at Kappad beach! The visit of Vasco Da Gama was not just a sight seeing tour it was intended to break the monopoly of the Arabs who so far enjoyed hefty profits by transporting the produces of Malabar and selling it to the western countries. Gama succeeded in gaining a foot-hold in Malabar by pleasing the king of Malabar the erstwhile Zamorins(Samoothiripad). The rest is history.

Population of Kozhikode has a cosmopolitan appeal. Hindus forms the majority followed by Muslims and Christians. The city of Kozhikode is well known for its friendly auto-rikshaw drvers who are very just in charging the commuters and never fleece them. People of Malabar are generally known for their simplicity and straight forward ness, Kozhikode in particular is blessed with such good behavior patterns.

People of Malabar enjoy celebrations of all sorts. Wedding ceremonies of the native muslims are never complete without the Mopla songs and dances (The native muslims are known as Moplas) in which the bride is seated in the middle and surrounded by color-fully dressed young girls who sing and go round and round while dancing. The art has gained great popularity all around Kerala. The Theyyam and Thira rituals performed in the temples here are feasts for the eye of any one who love traditions and customs which have been here for generation.

Since 1992 the district tourism promotion council conducts a grand festival in every year by name “Malabar Mahotsavam” In which all the traditional arts which have roots in Malabar region are performed by the masters of that particular art this festival is a must see to every tourist who visits kerala. The Peruvannamoozhi bird sanctuary,Lokanar kavu –temple, Payamkutty mala Thusharagiri are some of the tourist attractions of this district.

Kozhikode well connected with and road and rail. The air port of Kozhikode is at Malappuram. There is a view that the old values of Malabar is undergoing a sea change as the gulf remittances have made people and they are becoming like rich people elsewhere in the world. Whether rich or poor a Malabari is a Malabari! He can never get tired of loving his neighbor. And as long as there are the Nila river the Kallayi rivulet keep flowing their heart will never cease to love. Wishing Kozhikode a prosperous social life that never stop loving. Your own changayi ……….

Author: Sasi Kumar

Source: Naturemagics.com - website on Kerala Tourism

Back to the Articles index page - Kerala Articles

This article is copyrighted, using of this article on any website or other media is subject to the following conditions.

• The credits, about the author and the active link to the naturemagics website should be preserved.

We have implemented RSS feeds to keep you updated of the latest developments in Naturemagics, never miss out an event, get to know as and when a photo is uploaded, subscribe to our what's new RSS / XML feed now