Kannur

Kerala > Kannur

With The Western Ghats In The East (Coorg District Of Karnataka State), Kozhikode (Calicut) And Wayanad Districts In The South, Lakshadweep Sea In The West And Kasaragod In The North, Kannur District Is Bounded By A Wealth Of Natural Beauty. The District Itself Which Shares Much Of This Natural Splendour Has Been A Key Contributor To The Cultural, Religious, Political And Industrial Heritage Of The State. In Addition, Kannur Enjoys The Credit Of Having Been The Cradle Of Many A Colourful Folk Art And Folk Music Of Kerala.

Kannur is the fourth largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, and has a population of 498,175.

According to data compiled by the economics research firm Indicus Analytics on residences, earnings and investments, Kannur is one of ten best cities in India to live. Indicus considered six parameters - health, education, environment, safety, public facilities and entertainment - for preparing the 'reside-in' index. It is popularly known as the city of Looms and Lores. Kannur is famous for its pristine beaches, its native performing art Theyyam, and its handloom industry.

Kannur or Cannanore is a district (and also the name of the town which is its headquarters) in northern Kerala, a state in India. Kannur district lies between Kasaragod district in the north and Kozhikode district in the south, It also shares its border with Karnataka state. The old name 'Cannanore' is the anglicised form of the Malayalam word Kannur. It is one among the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. Kannur district derived its name from the location of its headquarters at Kannur town.

Kannur is known as the land of looms and lores, because of the number of looms functioning in the district and festivals held in Temples. Kannur has been since the olden days the place of ageless folk arts and music and even today, the number of Kavus (small shrines) places the district as one of major centres of the Theyyam.

History of Kannur

Kannur was an important port on the Arabian Sea and carried out trade with Persia and Arabia in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It was also the British military headquarters on India's west coast up to 1887. In conjunction with her elder sister Tellicherry, it was the third largest city on the western coast of British India in the eighteenth century after Bombay and Karachi.[citation needed]

St. Angelo's Fort was built in 1505 by Sir Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India and is situated along the Arabian sea about 3 km from Kannur town. The fort has changed hands several times. In 1663, the Dutch captured it and sold it to the Arakkal royal family. The British conquered it in 1790 and transformed it into one of their major military stations on the Malabar Coast. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it is on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The body of Kunjali Marakkar was exhibited in the Fort after his assassination.

During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its Anglicised name of Cannanore, which is still in fairly common usage.

Statistics of Kannur

According to the 2001 census of India, Kannur has a population of 63,795. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Kannur has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 83%. In Kannur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Best time to Visit: August to March

Taluks of Kannur: Thaliparambu, Kannur, Thalassery

Transportation of Kannur

The two airports at Mangalore, Karnataka in the north and Kozhikode in the south are just about 125 killometers away from Kannur.Kannur international airport is coming up at mattanur,once operational Kannur international airport will be the largest airport in Kerala.

Kannur is on the National Highway 17 (NH-17) between Mahe and Talapady. The roads in the city are well laid out, although the condition of the roads is affected during the monsoon season.

How to reach Kannur

• Air: Nearest Airport Kozhikode (Calicut) (93 Km)
• Rail: Kannur Is An Important Railhead Of The Southern Railways
• Road: An Excellent Road Transport System Connects Kannur To All The Major Towns Of South India.

Distance from Kannur

• Trichambaram temple - 20 km
• Thalasseri fort - 22 km
• Sree Ramaswami temple - 23 km
• Pazhazzi dam - 37 kms
• Pythal mala (hill station) - 65 kms
• Aralam wildlife sanctuary - 35 kms