Kozhikode
For the district with the same name, see Kozhikode District. |
Kozhikode district and city in Kerala |
Kozhikode in
Malayalam കോഴിക്കോട്, also known as
Calicut, is the third largest city (pop. 801,190:1991) in the southern state of
Kerala in
India. It is the headquarters of
Kozhikode district, and was formerly the capital of an independent kingdom, and later of the erstwhile
Malabar District. This city is famous as the place where
Vasco da Gama, the first
European to sail directly from
Europe (from
Lisbon,
Portugal) to India, landed in
1498.
Calicut is the
anglicised form of ‘Kalikut',
Arabic for the
Malayalam name Kozhikode. It is also called the Cock Fort. According to the historian K.V. Krishnan Iyer, the term means
koyil (palace)
kodu (fortified).
[[Image:Stellardiagram-Zhengho.jpg|thumb|right|200px|{{Zheng He}}'s navigation chart fromHormuz to Calicut, 1430]]The ports of the
Malabar Coast have participated in the Indian Ocean trade in spices, silk, and other goods for over two millennia. There are documented visits in as early as the 14th century, by Chinese travellers such as
Zheng He[Ma Huan: Ying Yai Sheng Lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores, translated by J.V.G. Mills, 1970 Hakluyt Society, reprint 1997 White Lotus Press. ISBN 974-8496-78-3]. Kozhikode had emerged as the centre of an independent kingdom by the 14th century, whose ruler was known as the
Samoothirippadu (often anglicised as Zamorin).
During the 16th century the Portuguese set up trading posts to the north in
Kannur and to the south in
Kochi, but the Zamorin resisted the establishment of a permanent Portuguese presence in the city, although in
1509 the kingdom was forced to accept a Portuguese trading post in
Chaliyar. The Samoothirippadu later allied with Portuguese's rivals, the
Dutch, 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 northern Malabar Coast, and came into conflict with the
British based in
Madras, which resulted in four
Anglo-Mysore Wars. Kozhikode and the surrounding districts were among the territories ceded to the British by
Tipu Sultan of Mysore at the conclusion of the
Third Anglo-Mysore War in
1792. The newly-acquired possessions on the Malabar Coast were organized into
Malabar District of
Madras Presidency, and Calicut became the district capital.
After Indian Independence in
1947, Madras Presidency became
Madras State. In
1956 the Indian states were reorganized along linguistic lines, and Malabar District was combined with the state of
Travancore-Cochin into the new state of
Kerala on
November 1 1956. Malabar District was divided into the districts of
Kannur, Kozhikode, and
Palakkad on January 1
1957.
The district has a generally humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to May. The most important rainy season is during the South West
Monsoon, 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.
The centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean gave Kozhikode a cosmopolitan population.
Hindus constitute the majority of the population, and next come the
Muslim and the
Christian communities respectively. The Muslims of Kozhikode District are known as
Mappilas. A great majority of them are traditional
Sunnis following the
Shafi School of thought and the second majority is the followers of "Salafi" thoughts.They are known as Kerala Nadvathul Mujahideen,who caused an accelerated growth in social development and education among Muslims.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.
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 that were published from Kozhikode before
1893. The two leading Malayalam newspapers, the
Malayala Manorama and the
Mathrubhoomi bring out Kozhikode editions. Mathrubhoomi and
Madhyamam, another important newspaper in Malayalam are having headquartes in Kozhikode. Recently two more dailies started publication from Kozhikode namely Varthamanam and Tejas. One of the major national dailies in English, the
New Indian Express also has a Calicut edition.
The Hindu also has its office in the city near Nadakkavu. Other major newspapers having Kozhikode editions are
Kerala Kaumudi and
Deshabhimani.
The Kozhikode station of
All India Radio was commissioned on
14 May 1950. 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 in many parts of the district.
Kozhikode is also the home ground for a number of periodicals. Most of them are literary magazines like
Mathrubhumi Azchapathippu,
Chilla, etc. Some technology magazines like
Information Technology Lokam (IT Lokam} are also published from Kozhikode.
The temples and mosques of this district contain sculptures and inscriptions which are of considerable interest to the students of art. Kozhikode town itself has many temples, the most important of which are the Tali Temple, Thiruvannur Temple, Azhokodi Temple, Valayanadu Temple, Varakkal Temple, Bilathikulam Temple, Bhairagi Madam Temple, and the
Lokanarkavu temple.
There is an art gallery and
Krishna Menon Museum 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 are other popular gathering spots.
Thusharagiri, a very beautiful waterfall is about 55 km from Calicut Railway Station. Thusharagiri is served by a KTDC (Kerala Tourism Development Corporation) hotel.
In the field of Malayalam Language and literature Kozhikode has made most 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 Othenan.One of the favourite past times of the Muslims of the district is the singing of the
Mappilapattu and
Oppana. The songs are composed in a composite language of
Arabic and
Malayalam. The famous intellectual debate for vedic scholars to win the coveted position of Pattathanam takes place at Thali temple during the month of Thulam.
Kozhikode also has strong associations with two things—
ghazals and football. The game has a huge fan following here, and the Football World Cup is followed with even greater enthusiasm than the unofficial national sport of India—cricket. Local clubs even pick favourites among competing nations, and vociferously support their teams.
The city also has a strong mercantile streak to it, with the major vein 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
"S M Street" comes from the famous sweet 'Kozhikode
Halwa' which was often called as the Sweet Meat by European traders. The multicultural 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 fare for every palate. Vegetarian fare includes the 'sadya' (the full-fledged feast with rice, sambhar, and seven different curries and pappadum). However, 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 sea-food preparations (prawns, mussels, mackerel, sea-fish) and paper thin
Pathiris to provide accompaniment to spicy gravy. Another well known Kozhikode speciality are banana chips, which are made crisp and wafer thin, and the 'Kozhikode Halwa' .
The story of Kozhikode culture is not complete without the mention of
Thekkepuram. Thekkepuram is a culturally and traditionally rich village located inside the Calicut metro city, Kerala, India. It got a loose boundary with Arabian Sea on West, Kallai River on South, Vellayil - a fishing/industrial village on North and Calicut metro at East.Most of the inhabitants here are Muslims with a unique tradition in marriage and joint family concepts.
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The Muchendi Mosque. One of the oldest mosques in Thekkepuram |
Big homes (tharavadu) having 20-40 bedrooms can be seen through out this area. Though some of it are demolished, 90% still remains with huge number of members living together amicably with and without direct blood relation.
Unlike other Muslim pockets in Kerala, here two Qazis (Religious leaders) supervise the religious jurisdiction and ceremonies.
*
Indian Institute of Management, kozhikode: The 5th IIM to be established in India, IIM Kozhikode's spectacular campus has earned it the plaudit of "God's Own Campus" and is regarded highly by Academia and Corporate's alike.
*
Calicut Medical College: One of the most prestigious medical institutions in India. The Institution recently made headlines by creating the
Calicut Medical Journal, the premier Open Access Medical Journal in India.Under CMC there are two more medical institutes,Government Dental Collegeand Government College of Nursing.
*
National Institute of Technology (NIT): One of the most renowned engineering instituions in India. It was formerly known as Regional Engineering College (REC) and was affiliated to University of Calicut. It is now a deemed university.
*
Government Engineering College (GEC), Kozhikode: It is one among the prestigious engineering institutions under the department of Technical Education, Kerala. GEC has been rated consistently among the top technical institutes in kerala, with students admitted purely on the basics of merit.
*
Government Homeopathic Medical College*
Government Law College*
Government College of Teacher Education*
Malabar Christian College: One of the most renowned institutions in India. It is affiliated to University of Calicut.
*
Zamorins Guruvayurappan College: One of the oldest colleges in the country, founded by
Zamorins of Calicut.
*
St. Joseph's College, Devagiri: A prestigious arts and science college, accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) with a grade A.
*
Farook College ,Calicut:The only College in Calicut University to be recognised as a Center of Excellence by the UGC and accredited at 5 star level by NAAC.
*Providence women's College
*Sree Narayana Guru College
*Goverment Poly Technic
Markazu Saqafathi Sunniyya is well known educational institute in Kozhikode, lead by Kanthapuram AP Aboobackar Musliar, who have a very good root in islamic world
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History of Medical Education in Calicut*
Kozhikode District official website*
Calicut (Kozhikode)City Map*
Massacre by the Portuguese Forces in Calicut*
Home Page of National Institute of Technology(formerly REC), one of the premier Engineering colleges in India
