Kozhikode district
Encyclopedia
Kozhikode District formerly Calicut, is a district of Kerala
state, situated on the southwest coast of India
. The city of Kozhikode
, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 38.25% urbanised. http://www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm
Kozhikode district is bordered by the districts of Kannur
to the north, Wayanad to the east, and Malappuram
to the south.The Arabian Sea
lies to the west. It is situated between latitudes 11° 08'N and
11° 50'N and longitudes 75° 30'E and 76° 8'E.
The district is divided into three taluks; Vadakara, Koyilandy
, and Kozhikode.
by Tipu Sultan
of Mysore
in 1792, at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Mysore War
. The newly-acquired British possessions on the Malabar Coast
were organized into Malabar District
, which included present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad
, and Wayanad. Calicut served as the administrative headquarters of the district. Malabar District was part of the Madras Presidency
, a province of British India.
After India's Independence in 1947, Madras Presidency was renamed Madras State
. When Madras state was divided along linguistic lines by the State Names Reorganisation Act, Malabar District was combined with the erstwhile state of Travancore-Cochin
and Kasaragod District
to form the state of Kerala
on 1 November 1956.
Malabar District was considered too large for effective administration. It was divided into the districts of Kozhikode, Kannur, and Palakkad on 1 January 1957. The district had five taluks, Vadakara, Koyilandy, Kozhikode, Ernad, and Tirur
. On 16 June 1969, Ernad and Tirur Taluks became part of the newly-created Malappuram District. South Wayanad, which forms the southern portion of present-day Wayanad District, was added to Kozhikode for a time, but in 1980 became part of newly-created Wayanad District.
form of Kalikooth, the name used by Arabs to refer to Kozhikode. It was also called the Cock Fort, a usage that may have came from kozhi (Rooster) kodu (fortified). According to the historian K.V. Krishnan Iyer, the word Kozhikode is derived from koyil (palace) kodu (fortified), meaning 'Fortified Palace'.
The ports of the Malabar Coast
have participated in the Indian Ocean trade of spices, silk, and other goods for over two millennia. Kozhikode emerged as the centre of an independent kingdom in the 14th century, whose ruler was known as the Zamorin.
During the Yong Le era of the Ming Dynasty
of China
, Admiral Zheng He
and his treasure fleet visited Kozhikode. Their visits were documented by on-board Arab language translators Ma Huan, Fei Xin and Gong Zheng. Each one of them published a book documented their visits to various countries, including Calicut. Ma Huan's book "Ying yai Sheng lan" (translated into English as The Overall Survey of the Ocean Shores) contains the following observations of Kozhikode:
Trade with several kingdoms of Asia, Africa and the middle- east made Kozhikode a popular trading centre. Vasco da Gama
landed at Kappad
(18 kilometers north of Kozhikode) in May 1498, as the leader of a trade mission from Portugal
and was received by the Zamorin himself. During the 16th century the Portuguese set up trading posts to the north in Kannur
and to the south in Kochi.However,the Zamorin resisted the establishment of a permanent Portuguese presence in the city. In 1503 a Portuguese trading post was built in Chaliyam on the mouth of the river Chaliyar with the consent of the King of Vettat (Tirur). The fort was used by the Portuguese to attack Zamorin's interests. The Zamorins later allied with the Dutch
to weaken the Portuguese and by the mid-17th century the Dutch had captured the Malabar Coast spice trade from the Portuguese. In 1766 Hyder Ali
of Mysore
captured Kozhikode and much of the northern Malabar Coast, and came into conflict with the British based in Madras
, which resulted in four Anglo-Mysore Wars
.
, which sets in the first week of June and extends up to September. The North East Monsoon extends from the second half of October through November. The average annual rainfall is 3266 mm. The best weather is found in towards the end of the year, in December and January — the skies are clear, and the air is crisp. The highest temperature recorded was 39.4 °C in March 1975. The lowest was 14 °C recorded on 26 December 1975.
(Details for 'Kozhikode Urban' retrieved from Census of India)
Kozhikode district has a population
of 3,089,543, roughly equal to the nation of Mongolia
or the US state of Iowa
. This gives it a ranking of 115th in India (out of a total of 640
). The district has a population density of 1318 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
over the decade 2001-2011 was 7.31 %. Kozhikode has a sex ratio
of 1097 females
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
of 95.24 %.
The centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean
has given Kozhikode a cosmopolitan population. Hindu
s constitute the majority of the population, followed by the Mopillas or Muslim
s and the Christian
s. The Muslims of Kozhikode District are known as Mappila
s. Christianity is believed to have been introduced in Kerala in 52
CE, and the Christian population expanded with the presence of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British starting in the 16th century.
, a Dravidian
language kept alive by the low education level of its 200 speakers.
, Koduvally
, Nadapuram
, Beypore
, Balussery
, Thiruvambady, Elathur
, Perambra
, Koyilandy
, Kuttiyadi, and Vadakara.
Kerala Sanchari and Bharath Vilasam are among the Other newspapers published from Kozhikode before 1893. The three major Malayalam newspapers, the Madhyamam
, Malayala Manorama
and the Mathrubhumi
bring out Kozhikode editions. One of the major national dailies in English, The New Indian Express
also has its edition in the city. Another national daily, The Hindu
has its office in the city.
The Kozhikode station of All India Radio
was commissioned on 14 May 1950 and it has two transmitters, Kozhikode A of 10 kilowatt power and Kozhikode B (Vividh Bharathi) of 1 kilowatt power. A television transmitter has been functioning in Kozhikode from 3 July 1984, relaying programmes from Delhi
and Thiruvananthapuram
Doordarshan
. Cable and satellite television are also available throughout the district.
in Memunda
near Vadakara, The Sidda Samajam in Memunda, Sree Muthappan Payamkuty Mala, in Memunda
, Sandbanks Vatakara.
There is an art gallery and Krishna Menon
Museum located at East Hill in Kozhikode. Lalitha Kala Academy also has an art gallery adjacent to the Kozhikode town hall. There is a planetarium, situated in the heart of the city near Jaffer Khan Colony. Kozhikode Beach and Mananchira Square
and the recently developed Sarovaram
park are other popular gathering spots.
Thusharagiri Falls
, a very beautiful Waterfall is about 55 km from Calicut Railway Station. Thusharagiri is served by a KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation) hotel.
Nadakkave, this is heart of Kozhikode, situated just 10 km from the City, this area is famous for Automobile spare parts, you can get spare part of almost any kind of vehicles, residents here are mostly business people,doctors and middle class people. The Regional Passport office, Regional Work shop KSRTC (Transport Corportaion), Sales Tax Office are situated here.
"Kuttiyadi Dam" is one of the biggest and beautiful dams in Kerala.
"Kappad Beach" is the place were Vascodagama reached first time in India.
"Beypore Port" is the another attraction of Calicut. It has a prominent place in the history of the Malabar Trade. It is the only place in kerala where "Uru"s(Arabian Trading Vessel) are made.
.
Mappilapattu
and Oppana
are cultural heritages of the Muslims. The songs are composed in a composite language of Arabic and Malayalam. The intellectual debate for vedic scholars to win the position of Pattathanam takes place at Thali temple during the month of Thulam
. Kozhikode also has strong associations with ghazal
s and football. The football game has a huge fan following here, and the Football World Cup
is followed great enthusiasm.
The city has a strong mercantile streak to it, with the major hub of commerce being the Mithai Theruvu, a long street crammed with shops that sell everything from sarees to cosmetics, and house hotels to sweetmeat shops. The name Mithai Theruvu or SM Street comes from the sweet Kozhikode Halwa
which was often called as Sweetmeat by European traders. The multi cultural mix of Kozhikode ensures that Onam
, Christmas
, and Id-ul-Fitr
(the festivals of the Hindus, Christians, and Muslims) are celebrated with equal pomp.
Kozhikode also offers a fare for every palate. Vegetarian fare includes the sadya (the full-fledged feast with rice, sambhar, papadum
, and seven different curries). The non-vegetarian food offered in the city is a unique mix of Muslim and Christian preparations. Some popular dishes include the Biriyani
, Ghee Rice with meat curry, a whole host of seafood preparations (prawn
s, mussel
s, mackerel, sea-fish) and paper thin Pathiri
s to provide accompaniment to spicy gravy. Other well known Kozhikodan snacks are the banana chips
and the Kozhikodan Halwa.
, National Institute of Technology
(formerly known as Regional Engineering College) (REC), and the Calicut Medical College.
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
state, situated on the southwest coast of India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. The city of Kozhikode
Kozhikode
Kozhikode During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikkode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. Kozhikode was once the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name and later of the erstwhile Malabar District...
, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 38.25% urbanised. http://www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm
Kozhikode district is bordered by the districts of Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
to the north, Wayanad to the east, and Malappuram
Malappuram
Malappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...
to the south.The Arabian Sea
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea is a region of the Indian Ocean bounded on the east by India, on the north by Pakistan and Iran, on the west by the Arabian Peninsula, on the south, approximately, by a line between Cape Guardafui in northeastern Somalia and Kanyakumari in India...
lies to the west. It is situated between latitudes 11° 08'N and
11° 50'N and longitudes 75° 30'E and 76° 8'E.
The district is divided into three taluks; Vadakara, Koyilandy
Koyilandy
Koyilandy is a city and a municipality in Kozhikode district in North Malabar region of the Indian state of Kerala. This town is between Calicut and Badagara and is on NH 17. It can be identified with Tyndis in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The freedom fighter K...
, and Kozhikode.
Administrative history
Present-day Kozhikode District was among the territories ceded to the British East India CompanyBritish East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
by Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan
Tipu Sultan , also known as the Tiger of Mysore, was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore. He was the son of Hyder Ali, at that time an officer in the Mysorean army, and his second wife, Fatima or Fakhr-un-Nissa...
of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
in 1792, at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Mysore War
Third Anglo-Mysore War
The Third Anglo-Mysore War was a war in South India between the Sultanate of Mysore and the British East India Company and its allies, including the Mahratta Empire and the Nizam of Hyderabad...
. The newly-acquired British possessions on the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
were organized into Malabar District
Malabar District
Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad , and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District in the northern part of...
, which included present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad
Palakkad district
Palakkad District is one of the 14 districts of the Indian state of Kerala. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram District, on the southwest by the Thrissur District and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The...
, and Wayanad. Calicut served as the administrative headquarters of the district. Malabar District was part of the Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, a province of British India.
After India's Independence in 1947, Madras Presidency was renamed Madras State
Madras State
Madras State was the name by which the Indian districts in Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Northern Kerala, Bellary and Dakshina Kannada were collectively known as from 1950 to 1953....
. When Madras state was divided along linguistic lines by the State Names Reorganisation Act, Malabar District was combined with the erstwhile state of Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin
Travancore-Cochin or Thiru-Kochi is a former state of India . It was created on 1 July 1949 by the merger of two former princely states, the kingdoms of Travancore and Cochin....
and Kasaragod District
Kasaragod district
Kasaragod District is one of the districts of the Indian state of Kerala. Kasaragod District was organised as a separate district on 24 May 1984...
to form the state of Kerala
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
on 1 November 1956.
Malabar District was considered too large for effective administration. It was divided into the districts of Kozhikode, Kannur, and Palakkad on 1 January 1957. The district had five taluks, Vadakara, Koyilandy, Kozhikode, Ernad, and Tirur
Tirur
Tirur is a town and a municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of 16.55 km2 . It is birth place of Thunchathu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, the father of Malayalam literature. Thunchan Parambu is highly venerated and its sand is believed to be sacred. The...
. On 16 June 1969, Ernad and Tirur Taluks became part of the newly-created Malappuram District. South Wayanad, which forms the southern portion of present-day Wayanad District, was added to Kozhikode for a time, but in 1980 became part of newly-created Wayanad District.
History
The History of the district is inevitably intertwined with the history of the city of Kozhikode. Calicut is the anglicizedEnglish language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
form of Kalikooth, the name used by Arabs to refer to Kozhikode. It was also called the Cock Fort, a usage that may have came from kozhi (Rooster) kodu (fortified). According to the historian K.V. Krishnan Iyer, the word Kozhikode is derived from koyil (palace) kodu (fortified), meaning 'Fortified Palace'.
The ports of the Malabar Coast
Malabar Coast
The Malabar Coast is a long and narrow coastline on the south-western shore line of the mainland Indian subcontinent. Geographically, it comprises the wettest regions of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden monsoon rains, especially on their westward-facing mountain...
have participated in the Indian Ocean trade of spices, silk, and other goods for over two millennia. Kozhikode emerged as the centre of an independent kingdom in the 14th century, whose ruler was known as the Zamorin.
Ming Dynasty
The Ming Dynasty, also Empire of the Great Ming, was the ruling dynasty of China from 1368 to 1644, following the collapse of the Mongol-led Yuan Dynasty. The Ming, "one of the greatest eras of orderly government and social stability in human history", was the last dynasty in China ruled by ethnic...
of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Admiral Zheng He
Zheng He
Zheng He , also known as Ma Sanbao and Hajji Mahmud Shamsuddin was a Hui-Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the Voyages of Zheng He or Voyages of Cheng Ho from...
and his treasure fleet visited Kozhikode. Their visits were documented by on-board Arab language translators Ma Huan, Fei Xin and Gong Zheng. Each one of them published a book documented their visits to various countries, including Calicut. Ma Huan's book "Ying yai Sheng lan" (translated into English as The Overall Survey of the Ocean Shores) contains the following observations of Kozhikode:
- Calicut was a large kingdom on the West Ocean, bordering CoimbatoreCoimbatoreCoimbatore , also known as Kovai , is the second largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a major commercial centre in Tamil Nadu and is known as the "Manchester of South India"....
kingdom to the east, Kochi to the south, and HonavarHonavarHonavar or Honnavar , is a port town in Uttara Kannada district of Karnataka, India. The town is the headquarters of Honnavar taluk.- History :...
to the north. - The king of Calicut (Vana Vikraman) was a Brahmin and a Buddhist. His chiefs were Muslims (This we now know is an incorrect observation. The king of Calicut was always a Nair and a Hindu. His chiefs were both Muslims and Hindus).
- The throne passes to the king's sister's son.
- In the fifth year of Yong Le 1407, the emperor of Ming dynasty ordered Admiral Zheng He to deliver an imperial honor to King of Calicut, with grant of silver seal, and promoted the chiefs with titles and awards of hats and girdles of different grades.
- Admiral Zheng He erected a pavilion with ceremonial stone tablet in Calicut to celebrate this event.
- The king minted fanam (panam) coins of 60% gold and also silver coins as currency.
- The people of Calicut were honest and trustworthy.
- The people of Calicut made silkSilkSilk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
out of silkworm, and dyed silk into different colors. - The main produce of Calicut were turnips, onions, gingerGingerGinger is the rhizome of the plant Zingiber officinale, consumed as a delicacy, medicine, or spice. It lends its name to its genus and family . Other notable members of this plant family are turmeric, cardamom, and galangal....
, eggplants in four seasons; also red and white rice, but no wheat. - The king of Calicut ordered craftsmen to draw fifty ounces of gold into hair-like fine threads, and weaved them into ribbon to make a gold girdle embedded with pearls and precious stones of all sort of colors, and sent envoy Naina (Narayana) to present the gold girdle to the Ming emperor as tribute.
- According to Ming dynasty Imperial Guard Recruitment Record, Nanking area town guard chief Shaban was a native of Calicut. He was recruited to join Zheng He's expedition, and was promoted on his return. Another officer Shasozu from Nanking military division was also a native from Calicut, who joined Zheng He's expedition and too was promoted. Admiral Zheng He later re-visited Calicut several times. On April of 1433 during his 6th and last expedition, he died in Calicut. The ceremonial stone tablet erected by Zheng He stood at least another two hundred years in Calicut; Jesuit Godinho de Eredia wrote that he saw this tablet in 1613.
Trade with several kingdoms of Asia, Africa and the middle- east made Kozhikode a popular trading centre. Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama
Vasco da Gama, 1st Count of Vidigueira was a Portuguese explorer, one of the most successful in the Age of Discovery and the commander of the first ships to sail directly from Europe to India...
landed at Kappad
Kappad
Kappad, or Kappakadavu locally, is famous as the beach near Kozhikode , India, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama landed on May 20, 1498. His voyage established the sea route from Europe to India...
(18 kilometers north of Kozhikode) in May 1498, as the leader of a trade mission from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
and was received by the Zamorin himself. During the 16th century the Portuguese set up trading posts to the north in Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
and to the south in Kochi.However,the Zamorin resisted the establishment of a permanent Portuguese presence in the city. In 1503 a Portuguese trading post was built in Chaliyam on the mouth of the river Chaliyar with the consent of the King of Vettat (Tirur). The fort was used by the Portuguese to attack Zamorin's interests. The Zamorins later allied with the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
to weaken the Portuguese and by the mid-17th century the Dutch had captured the Malabar Coast spice trade from the Portuguese. In 1766 Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali
Hyder Ali was the de facto ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore in southern India. Born Hyder Naik, he distinguished himself militarily, eventually drawing the attention of Mysore's rulers...
of Mysore
Kingdom of Mysore
The Kingdom of Mysore was a kingdom of southern India, traditionally believed to have been founded in 1399 in the vicinity of the modern city of Mysore. The kingdom, which was ruled by the Wodeyar family, initially served as a vassal state of the Vijayanagara Empire...
captured Kozhikode and much of the northern Malabar Coast, and came into conflict with the British based in Madras
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
, which resulted in four Anglo-Mysore Wars
Anglo-Mysore Wars
The Anglo-Mysore Wars were a series of wars fought in India over the last three decades of the 18th century between the Kingdom of Mysore and the British East India Company, represented chiefly by the Madras Presidency...
.
Climate
The district has a generally humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to May. The rainy season is during the South West MonsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
, which sets in the first week of June and extends up to September. The North East Monsoon extends from the second half of October through November. The average annual rainfall is 3266 mm. The best weather is found in towards the end of the year, in December and January — the skies are clear, and the air is crisp. The highest temperature recorded was 39.4 °C in March 1975. The lowest was 14 °C recorded on 26 December 1975.
Religious Demographics
| % of Dt. Population | Sex Ratio | Literacy Rate(L.R) | L.R Males | L.R Females | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hindus | 58.79 | 1049 | 94.5 | 97.3 | 91.9 |
| Muslims | 38.37 | 1058 | 91.6 | 95.3 | 88.1 |
| Christians | 2.7 | 1178 | 98.2 | 98.6 | 97.8 |
| Jains | 0.06 | 1003 | 97.7 | 99.3 | 96.1 |
(Details for 'Kozhikode Urban' retrieved from Census of India)
Demographics
According to the 2011 census2011 census of India
The 15th Indian National census was conducted in two phases, houselisting and population enumeration. Houselisting phase began on April 1, 2010 and involved collection of information about all buildings...
Kozhikode district has a population
Demographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
of 3,089,543, roughly equal to the nation of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
or the US state of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. This gives it a ranking of 115th in India (out of a total of 640
Districts of India
A district is an administrative division of an Indian state or territory. Districts are further subdivided, in some cases into Sub-Divisions, and otherwise directly into tehsils or talukas.District officials include:...
). The district has a population density of 1318 PD/sqkm . Its population growth rate
Family planning in India
Family planning in India is based on efforts largely sponsored by the Indian government. In the 1965-2009 period, contraceptive usage has more than tripled and the fertility rate has more than halved , but the national fertility rate is still high enough to cause long-term population growth...
over the decade 2001-2011 was 7.31 %. Kozhikode has a sex ratio
Sex ratio
Sex ratio is the ratio of males to females in a population. The primary sex ratio is the ratio at the time of conception, secondary sex ratio is the ratio at time of birth, and tertiary sex ratio is the ratio of mature organisms....
of 1097 females
Women in India
The status of women in India has been subject to many great changes over the past few millennia. From equal status with men in ancient times through the low points of the medieval period, to the promotion of equal rights by many reformers, the history of women in India has been eventful...
for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate
Literacy in India
Literacy in India is key for socio-economic progress, and the Indian literacy rate grew to 74.04% in 2011 from 12% at the end of British rule in 1947. Although this was a greater than sixfold improvement, the level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84%, and India currently has the...
of 95.24 %.
The centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
has given Kozhikode a cosmopolitan population. Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s constitute the majority of the population, followed by the Mopillas or Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
s. The Muslims of Kozhikode District are known as Mappila
Mappila
Mappila or Moplah refers to a Muslim community of Kerala, primarily in the northern region called Malabar, which arose in Malabar as a result of the pre and post Islamic Arab contacts. Significant numbers of the community are also present in the southern districts of Karnataka and western parts of...
s. Christianity is believed to have been introduced in Kerala in 52
52
Year 52 was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sulla and Otho...
CE, and the Christian population expanded with the presence of the Portuguese, Dutch, and British starting in the 16th century.
Languages
Languages used in the district include AranadanAranadan language
Aranadan is a Dravidian language spoken by approximately 200 people, predominately in the Malappuram District of Kerala state, India. It is similar to Malayalam and Tamil, and also contains elements of the Kannada language. It is also known as Aranatan and Eranadans....
, a Dravidian
Dravidian languages
The Dravidian language family includes approximately 85 genetically related languages, spoken by about 217 million people. They are mainly spoken in southern India and parts of eastern and central India as well as in northeastern Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Iran, and...
language kept alive by the low education level of its 200 speakers.
Legislative constituencies
Kozhikode North, Kozhikode South, KunnamangalamKunnamangalam
Kunnamangalam is a census town located about 15 km east of Kozhikode city on the Calicut-Bangalore National Highway. Nearby places are Koduvally, Chathamangalam, and Kettangal. The locality is home to one of India's premier management institute Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode and Spring...
, Koduvally
Koduvally
Koduvally is a small town in Kozhikode district. It is located on the Calicut-Wayanad National Highway 212 and is about 25 km northeast of Kozhikode city. It is an intermediate Panchayat consisting of a number of village Panchayat including Kattippara, Kizhakkoth, Koduvally, Koodaranji,...
, Nadapuram
Nadapuram
Nadapuram is a special grade Panchayath, coming under Nadapuram assembly constituency. It is in North Malabar region of Kerala, India. Four times Nadapuram won the best panchayat award of Kozhikode district....
, Beypore
Beypore
Beypore or Beypur is a ancient port town and part of Calicut municipal corporation in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. The place was formerly known as Vaypura / Vadaparappanad. Tippu Sultan named the town “Sultan Pattanam”.This place also has a marina and a beautiful beach...
, Balussery
Balussery
Balussery is a small but fast developing town area located at the heart of Kozhikode district in Kerala state, south India.- Geography :Balusseri is located at . It has an average elevation of .- Overview :...
, Thiruvambady, Elathur
Elathur, Kozhikode
Elathur is a town which is recently added to Kozhikode corporation in the Indian state of Kerala. It is located about 12 km north of Calicut city on the Calicut-Kannur National Highway 17 and is bounded by Arabian Sea on the west and Korapuzha River on the north...
, Perambra
Perambra
Perambra is a town in Koyilandy taluk of Kozhikode district in North Malabar region of Kerala state, India. This is one of the 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala, and one of the 12 block Panchayats in Kozhikode district....
, Koyilandy
Koyilandy
Koyilandy is a city and a municipality in Kozhikode district in North Malabar region of the Indian state of Kerala. This town is between Calicut and Badagara and is on NH 17. It can be identified with Tyndis in Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The freedom fighter K...
, Kuttiyadi, and Vadakara.
Media
Kozhikode occupies a prominent place in the history of Malayalam Journalism. The origin of journalism in this district can be traced back to 1880. The Kerala Pathrika is likely to be the earliest newspaper published from Kozhikode. Keralam,Kerala Sanchari and Bharath Vilasam are among the Other newspapers published from Kozhikode before 1893. The three major Malayalam newspapers, the Madhyamam
Madhyamam
Madhyamam is a Malayalam daily newspaper published from Kerala, India, since 1987.. It was founded in 1987 by the initiatives of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind. It has 10 editions in India and its Gulf edition Gulf Madhyamam has 9 in the Middle East...
, Malayala Manorama
Malayala Manorama
Malayala Manorama is a daily news paper, in Malayalam language, published in the state of Kerala, India. It was first published as a weekly on 14 March 1890, and currently has a readership of over 16 million . The Malayalam word "manorama" roughly translates to "entertainer"...
and the Mathrubhumi
Mathrubhumi
Mathrubhumi is a Malayalam language newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. Mathrubhumi was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British.-History:...
bring out Kozhikode editions. One of the major national dailies in English, The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express
The New Indian Express is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as the Indian Express, under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naidu. In 1991, following the death of the then owner Ramnath Goenka, the Goenka...
also has its edition in the city. Another national daily, The Hindu
The Hindu
The Hindu is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded and continuously published in Chennai since 1878. According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, it has a circulation of 1.46 million copies as of December 2009. The enterprise employed over 1,600 workers and gross income reached $40...
has its office in the city.
The Kozhikode station of All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
was commissioned on 14 May 1950 and it has two transmitters, Kozhikode A of 10 kilowatt power and Kozhikode B (Vividh Bharathi) of 1 kilowatt power. A television transmitter has been functioning in Kozhikode from 3 July 1984, relaying programmes from Delhi
Delhi
Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...
and Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
. Cable and satellite television are also available throughout the district.
Places of interest
The temples and mosques of this district contain sculptures and inscriptions which are of considerable interest to the students of art. Kozhikode city itself has many temples, the most important of which are the Tali Temple, Thiruvannur Temple, Azhakodi Temple, Sree Valayanad Temple, Varakkal Temple, Bilathikulam Temple, Bhairagi Madam Temple, the Lokanarkavu TempleLokanarkavu temple
Lokanarkavu Temple is situated at Memunda 5 km from Vatakara, in North Malabar region of Kerala state of south India. Lokanarkavu is a short form of Lokamalayarkavu which means lokam made of mala , aaru and kavu...
in Memunda
Memunda
Memunda is a small village near Vatakara town in Kozhikode district of Kerala, south India. The Story of Thcholi Othenan is related to this place. Many exploits of Tacholi Othenan, the hero of the ballads of north malabar were held in is the Lokanarkavu , in Memunda...
near Vadakara, The Sidda Samajam in Memunda, Sree Muthappan Payamkuty Mala, in Memunda
Memunda
Memunda is a small village near Vatakara town in Kozhikode district of Kerala, south India. The Story of Thcholi Othenan is related to this place. Many exploits of Tacholi Othenan, the hero of the ballads of north malabar were held in is the Lokanarkavu , in Memunda...
, Sandbanks Vatakara.
There is an art gallery and Krishna Menon
Krishna Menon
Vengalil Krishnan Krishna Menon , commonly referred to as Krishna Menon, was an Indian nationalist, diplomat and statesman, described as the second most powerful man in India by Time Magazine and others, after his ally and intimate friend, Jawaharlal Nehru.Described as "vitriolic,...
Museum located at East Hill in Kozhikode. Lalitha Kala Academy also has an art gallery adjacent to the Kozhikode town hall. There is a planetarium, situated in the heart of the city near Jaffer Khan Colony. Kozhikode Beach and Mananchira Square
Mananchira
Mananchira Square is a park in the centre of Kozhikode, Kerala state, southern India. The historic maithan, adjacent to Manachira has been converted into an arcadia with trees and plants, an artificial hill, shrubs, sculpture, an open air theatre, and a musical fountain.Mananchira Square is named...
and the recently developed Sarovaram
Sarovaram
Sarovaram is an eco-friendly development near the city of Kozhikode in the southern Indian state of Kerala, situated adjacent to Canoly Canal. The project has been developed with an eco-friendly theme and is located in an ecosystem consisting of wetlands and mangrove forests containing bird habitats...
park are other popular gathering spots.
Thusharagiri Falls
Thusharagiri Falls
Thusharigiri Falls is a waterfall located in Kozhikode district in the Indian state of Kerala.Two streams originating from the Western Ghats meet here to form the Chalippuzha River. The river diverges into three waterfalls creating a snowy spray, which gives the name, 'Thusharagiri'. The word...
, a very beautiful Waterfall is about 55 km from Calicut Railway Station. Thusharagiri is served by a KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation) hotel.
Nadakkave, this is heart of Kozhikode, situated just 10 km from the City, this area is famous for Automobile spare parts, you can get spare part of almost any kind of vehicles, residents here are mostly business people,doctors and middle class people. The Regional Passport office, Regional Work shop KSRTC (Transport Corportaion), Sales Tax Office are situated here.
"Kuttiyadi Dam" is one of the biggest and beautiful dams in Kerala.
"Kappad Beach" is the place were Vascodagama reached first time in India.
"Beypore Port" is the another attraction of Calicut. It has a prominent place in the history of the Malabar Trade. It is the only place in kerala where "Uru"s(Arabian Trading Vessel) are made.
Culture and cuisine
In the field of Malayalam Language and literature Kozhikode has made significant contributions. The district is famous for folk songs or ballads known as Vadakkan Pattukal. The most popular songs among them are those which celebrate the exploits of Thacholi OthenanThacholi Othenan
Thacholi Meppayil Kunjhu Othenan or Mepayil Tacholi Manikoth Kovilakathu Kunji Othena Kurup or more popularly Thacholi Othenan was a legendary hero who is believed to have lived during 16th century in North Malabar region of Kerala, India...
.
Mappilapattu
Mappila Songs
Mappila Paattu or Mappila Song is a folklore Muslim song genre rendered to lyrics in colloquial Mappila dialect of Malayalam laced with Arabic, by the Mappilas of Malabar. Mappila songs have a distinct cultural identity, while at the same time, remain closely linked to the cultural practices of...
and Oppana
Oppana
Oppana is a popular form of social entertainment among the Mappila community of Kerala, south India, prevalent all over, especially in the northern district of Malappuram.. The Oppana Pattu might have come from Tamil culture. The Malayalam word Oppana Pattu is the derivation of Tamil word 'Oppanai...
are cultural heritages of the Muslims. The songs are composed in a composite language of Arabic and Malayalam. The intellectual debate for vedic scholars to win the position of Pattathanam takes place at Thali temple during the month of Thulam
Malayalam calendar
Malayalam calendar is a solar and sidereal Hindu calendar used in Kerala, India. The origin of the calendar has been dated as 825 CE....
. Kozhikode also has strong associations with ghazal
Ghazal
The ghazal is a poetic form consisting of rhyming couplets and a refrain, with each line sharing the same meter. A ghazal may be understood as a poetic expression of both the pain of loss or separation and the beauty of love in spite of that pain. The form is ancient, originating in 6th century...
s and football. The football game has a huge fan following here, and the Football World Cup
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often simply the World Cup, is an international association football competition contested by the senior men's national teams of the members of Fédération Internationale de Football Association , the sport's global governing body...
is followed great enthusiasm.
The city has a strong mercantile streak to it, with the major hub of commerce being the Mithai Theruvu, a long street crammed with shops that sell everything from sarees to cosmetics, and house hotels to sweetmeat shops. The name Mithai Theruvu or SM Street comes from the sweet Kozhikode Halwa
Halva
Halva refers to many types of dense, sweet confections, served across the Middle East, South Asia, Central Asia, West Asia, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Malta and the Jewish world.The term halva ,...
which was often called as Sweetmeat by European traders. The multi cultural mix of Kozhikode ensures that Onam
Onam
Onam is a Hindu festival celebrated by the people of Kerala, India. The festival commemorates the Vamana avatar of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of the legendary Emperor Mahabali. It falls during the month of Chingam and lasts for ten days...
, Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, and Id-ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr
Eid ul-Fitr, Eid al-Fitr, Id-ul-Fitr, or Id al-Fitr , often abbreviated to Eid, is a Muslim holiday that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting . Eid is an Arabic word meaning "festivity," while Fiṭr means "breaking the fast"...
(the festivals of the Hindus, Christians, and Muslims) are celebrated with equal pomp.
Kozhikode also offers a fare for every palate. Vegetarian fare includes the sadya (the full-fledged feast with rice, sambhar, papadum
Papadum
Papadum, also known as papad in Northern India, , pappadam in Malayalam, happala in Kannada, appalam in Tamil, appadum in Telugu, pappadum or poppadom in the UK, is a thin, crisp Indian preparation sometimes described as a cracker. It is typically served as an accompaniment to a meal in India...
, and seven different curries). The non-vegetarian food offered in the city is a unique mix of Muslim and Christian preparations. Some popular dishes include the Biriyani
Biryani
Biryani, biriani, or beriani is a set of rice-based foods made with spices, rice and meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. The name is derived from the Persian word beryā which means "fried" or "roasted"....
, Ghee Rice with meat curry, a whole host of seafood preparations (prawn
Prawn
Prawns are decapod crustaceans of the sub-order Dendrobranchiata. There are 540 extant species, in seven families, and a fossil record extending back to the Devonian...
s, mussel
Mussel
The common name mussel is used for members of several families of clams or bivalvia mollusca, from saltwater and freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other edible clams, which are often more or less rounded or oval.The...
s, mackerel, sea-fish) and paper thin Pathiri
Pathiri
Pathiri is a pancake made of rice flour. It is part of the local cuisine among the Mappilas of North Malabar and Malabar in Kerala State of Southern India. Crushed rice is made into a white dough and baked on pans called oadu...
s to provide accompaniment to spicy gravy. Other well known Kozhikodan snacks are the banana chips
Banana chips
Banana chips are deep-fried and/or dried slices of bananas . They can be covered with sugar or honey and have a sweet taste, or they can be fried in oil and spices and have a salty and/or spicy taste. Variants of banana chips may be covered with chocolate instead...
and the Kozhikodan Halwa.
Educational institutions
Major educational institutions are Indian Institutes of ManagementIndian Institutes of Management
The Indian Institutes of Management , are graduate business schools in India. They were set up with the objective of providing management education and to assist the industry through research and consulting services. The IIMs award diplomas and not degrees.- Institutes :Indian Institute of...
, National Institute of Technology
National Institute of Technology Calicut
The National Institute of Technology Calicut is a federally funded technical university and an institute of national importance governed by an act passed by the Parliament of India. The campus is situated 22 km north-east of Kozhikode city on the Calicut – Mukkam Road. It was established in 1961...
(formerly known as Regional Engineering College) (REC), and the Calicut Medical College.