Kannur district

Formation

Following the formation of the state of Kerala in 1956, the erstwhile Malabar District was divided into three: Kannur District, Kozhikode district, and Palakkad district. On 1 November 1980, the North Wayanad Taluk of Kannur district was separated to form Wayanad district. Again in 1984, Kasaragod and Hosdurg Taluks were separated to form Kasargod district.

History

Main article: History of Kannur

Pre-history and Ancient Era

The earliest evidence of human habitation in the district are rock-cut caves and megalithic burial sites of the Neolithic age. The Taliparamba-Kannur-Thalassery area abounds in rock-cut caves, dolmens, burial stone circles and menhirs, all of megalith. Kannur was the seat of powerful kingdom based at Ezhimala in the Sangam period (1st–5th century CE). The ancient port of Naura, which is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as a port somewhere north of Muziris is identified with Kannur.

The kingdom of Ezhimala had jurisdiction over two Nadus - The coastal Poozhinadu and the hilly eastern Karkanadu. According to the works of Sangam literature, Poozhinadu consisted much of the coastal belt between Mangalore and Kozhikode. Karkanadu consisted of Wayanad-Gudalur hilly region with parts of Kodagu (Coorg).{{cite book

Early Middle Ages

Ezhimala kingdom was succeeded by Mushika dynasty in the early medieval period, most possibly due to the migration of Tuluva Brahmins from Tulu Nadu. The Mushika-vamsha Mahakavya, written by Athula in the 11th century, throws light on the recorded past of the Mushika Royal Family up until that point. The Indian anthropologist Ayinapalli Aiyappan states that a powerful and warlike clan of the Bunt community of Tulu Nadu was called Kola Bari and the Kolathiri Raja of Kolathunadu was a descendant of this clan. The Kolathunadu (Kannur) Kingdom at the peak of its power, reportedly extended from Netravati River (Mangalore) in the north to Korapuzha (Kozhikode) in the south with Arabian Sea on the west and Kodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including the isolated islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.

An Old Malayalam inscription (Ramanthali inscriptions), dated to 1075 CE, mentioning king Kunda Alupa, the ruler of Alupa dynasty of Mangalore, can be found at Ezhimala (the former headquarters of Mushika dynasty) near Kannur. The Arabic inscription on a copper slab within the Madayi Mosque in Kannur records its foundation year as 1124 CE.{{cite book

Late Middle Ages

Until the 16th century CE, the Kasargod town was known by the name Kanhirakode (may be by the meaning, 'The land of Kanhira Trees') in Malayalam.{{cite book

Colonial era

Kannur was an important trading center in the 12th century with active business connections with Persia and Arabia. The port at Kozhikode held the superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, while Kannur, Kollam, and Kochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather. Kannur served as the British military headquarters on India's west coast until 1887. In conjunction with her sister city, Tellicherry, it was the third-largest city on the western coast of British India in the 18th century after Bombay and Karachi. The Arakkal kingdom had right over the city of Kannur and Laccadive Islands in the late medieval period.

The Portuguese arrived at Kappad Kozhikode in 1498 during the Age of Discovery, thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India. The St. Angelo Fort at Kannur was built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India. The Dutch captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1663. They modernized the fort and built the bastions Hollandia, Zeelandia, and Frieslandia that are the major features of the present structure. The original Portuguese fort was pulled down later. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The Dutch sold the fort to the king Ali Raja of Arakkal in 1772. The British conquered it in 1790 and used it as one of their major military stations on the Malabar Coast.

During the 17th century, Kannur was the capital city of the only Muslim polity in the Far-South of India – Arakkal – who also ruled the Laccadive Islands in addition to the city of Kannur. Arakkal Kingdom and Chirakkal kingdom were two vassal kingdoms based in the city of Kannur. The island of Dharmadom near Kannur, along with Thalassery, was ceded to the East India Company as early as 1734, which were claimed by all of the Kolattu Rajas, Kottayam Rajas, Mannanar and * Arakkal Bibi* in the late medieval period, where the British initiated a factory and English settlement following the cession.{{cite book

During the British Raj, Kannur was part of the Madras Presidency in the Malabar District. Initially the British had to suffer local resistance against their rule under the leadership of Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, who had popular support in Thalassery-Wayanad region. The municipalities of Kannur and Thalassery were formed on 1 November 1866 according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850) of the British Indian Empire, along with the municipalities of Kozhikode, Palakkad, and Fort Kochi, making them the first modern municipalities in the modern state of Kerala.

Government and politics

Main article: Political divisions of Kannur district

|} Kannur district consists of two revenue subdivisions - Taliparamba and Thalassery. For sake of rural administration, 71 Gram Panchayats are combined in 11 Blocks, which together form the Kannur District Panchayat. For the sake of urban administration, Kannur Municipal Corporation and 9 municipal towns are there.

For the representation of Kannur in Kerala Legislative Assembly, there are 11 assembly constituencies. These are included in three parliamentary constituencies, i.e., Kasaragod, Kannur, and Vatakara. The district is further divided into 132 villages which together form 5 subdistricts.{{cite web

Political divisions

State legislature

Parliament

Demographics

According to the 2018 Statistics Report, Kannur district has a population of 2,615,266, The district has a population density of 882 PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 4.84%.

The District has a population of 2,412,365 (2001 census). This was the most urbanised district in Kerala in 2001, but was pushed to 4th place after Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kozhikode in 2011. About 50.35% of the population reside in the urban agglomerations. The total urban population of Kannur district is 1,640,986. This is the second largest urban population in Kerala after Ernakulam and is more than the population of a metro city.

The high urban population is due to the 45 towns in the district which was the highest in Kerala as per 2001 census. 2011 census has Thrissur with 135 towns with Kannur having 67. Kannur district has one Municipal Corporation Kannur, and other major municipalities including Thalassery, Payyanur, Taliparamba, Kuthuparamba and Mattannur. In addition to this there are 60 including Ancharakandy, Azhikode North, Azhikode South, Chala, Chelora, Cherukunnu, Cheruthazham, Chirakkal, Chockli, Dharmadom, Elayavoor, Eranholi, Iriveri, Kadachira, Kadirur, Kalliasseri, Kanhirode, Kannadiparamba, Kannapuram, Kottayam-Malabar, Mayyil, Mavilayi, Munderi, Muzhappilangad, Narath, New Mahe, Paduvilayi, Pallikkunnu, Panniyannur, Panoor, Pappinisseri, Pathiriyad, Pattiom, Iritty, Peralasseri, Peringathur, Pinarayi, Puzhathi, Thottada, Valapattanam, Varam.

Religion

Hinduism is the majority religion of Kannur district with 59.83% of the population. Muslims and Christians form a significant minority with 29.43% and 10.41% of the population respectively.

Most of the Christians in Kannur district are descendants of Christians who migrated to Malabar in the 20th century.

Education

• Government College of Engineering, Kannur
• Government Brennen College, Thalassery
• S. N. College, Kannur
• College of Engineering, Thalassery

Culture

Kerala Folklore Academy, an autonomous centre for cultural affairs constituted by the Government of Kerala situated in Chirakkal, Kannur to promote and project the traditional art forms of Kerala. The academy awards prizes and to notable artistes and experts in the field of folklore. The fellowships comprise 15000 each and citation. The folklore awards and book award carries 7500 and citation. The Gurupooja and Yuvaprathibha award winners will get 5000 each and citation.

Theyyam

Main article: Theyyam

Theyyam is a popular ritual form of dance worship inKannur-Kasaragod region of Kerala. Theyyam consisted of several thousand-year-old traditions, rituals, and customs. The performers of Theyyam belong to the lower caste community in ancient caste structure formed by Namboothiri Brahmins in Kerala, and have an important position in Theyyam. It is performed mainly by males, except the Devakoothu theyyam. The Devakoothu is the only Theyyam ritual performed by women. It is performed only on the Thekkumbad Kulom temple.

There are 456 types of Theyyam, including Vettakkorumakan, Vishnumoorthy Theyyam, Muchilot Bhagavathi and Sree Muthappan.

A Theyyam museum is planned to be built at Chanthappura in Kalliasseri of Kannur district in 2019.

Tourism

Main article: Tourist attractions in Kannur

Kannur Cuisine

The Kannur cuisine depicts its culture and heritage. It is famous for Thalassery biriyani. The city is also known for Haluva. Another speciality is banana chips, which are made crisp and wafer-thin. Other popular dishes include seafood preparations (prawns, mussels, mackerel) . Vegetarian fare includes the sadya.

Kannur cuisine is a blend of traditional Kerala, Persian, Yemenese and Arab food culture. This confluence of culinary cultures is best seen in the preparation of most dishes. Kallummakkaya (mussels) curry, irachi puttu (irachi meaning meat), parottas (soft flatbread), Pathiri (a type of rice pancake) and ghee rice are some of the other specialties. The characteristic use of spices is the hallmark of the cuisine—black pepper, cardamom and clove are used profusely.

The Kerala version of biryani, popularly known as kuzhi mandi in Malayalam is another popular item, which has an influence from Yemen. Various varieties of biriyanis like Thalassery biriyani, and Kannur biriyani, are prepared here.

The snacks include unnakkaya (deep-fried, boiled ripe banana paste covering a mixture of cashew, raisins and sugar), pazham nirachathu (ripe banana filled with coconut grating, molasses or sugar), muttamala made of eggs, chatti pathiri, a dessert made of flour, like a baked, layered chapati with rich filling, arikkadukka, and more.

Geographical Indication (GI) tags

Payyanur Pavithra Ring

The Payyanur Pavithra Mothiram, a GI-tagged sacred ring, holds profound spiritual and cultural significance in North Malabar. Crafted by a specific family in Payyanur, this ring is traditionally worn during Pithru Bali rituals. Originally made from dharba grass, it is now often crafted from gold, while retaining its sacred importance.

Cannanore Home Furnishings

Cannanore Home Furnishings is a GI-tagged product line that emphasizes wide range of fabrics and lifestyle products, including curtains, linens, upholstery fabrics, and decorative accessories. Kannur fabrics are crafted on fly shuttle looms by generations of skilled artisans.

Kuttiattoor Mango

Kuttiattoor mango is popular and traditional cultivar of Kuttiattoor and neighbouring panchayats of Kannur district. Kuttiattoor mango received Geographical Indication (GI) tag from the GI registry at Chennai. The distinctiveness of Kuttiattoor mango is aided by the combination of specific environmental conditions of the area of its cultivation and varietal characters. Even though it is popularly known as Kuttiattoor mango, it is also known as ‘Nambiar mānga’, ‘Kannapuram mānga’, ‘Kunjimangalam mānga’ and ‘Vadakkumbhagam mānga’ in small pockets of Kannur district.

Notable people

• E. Ahamed – former Minister of State for Railways
• Salim Ahamed – film director, screenwriter, film producer
• Ayathan Janaki Ammal – first female doctor of Kerala
• Janaki Ammal – botanist
• Sukumar Azhikode – writer
• C. V. Balakrishnan – writer
• Ajit Balakrishnan – founder and current CEO of Rediff.com
• N. E. Balaram – one of the founding leaders of the communist movement in Kerala
• John Brittas – Journalist and managing director of Kairali TV
• Deepak Dev – music composer
• M. V. Devan – painter, sculptor, writer, art critic and orator
• Jimmy George – volleyball player
• A. K. Gopalan – politician, former leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)
• Ayathan Gopalan – doctor, social reformer, philanthropist
• Gita Gopinath – chief economist of the International Monetary Fund
• T. Govindan – former Member of Parliament
• Ifthi – music composer
• E. P. Jayarajan – politician and current Industries and Sports Minister of Kerala State
• K. Karunakaran – former Chief Minister of Kerala and Indian National Congress leader
• Shamna Kasim – actor
• Santhosh Keezhattoor – actor
• Shajith Koyeri – sound designer
• P. Santhosh Kumar - Member of Parliament. Former general secretary AIYF
• Vineeth Kumar – actor
• Major General C. K. Lakshmanan – first Malayali Olympian
• Sruthi Lakshmi – actor
• Tintu Luka – athlete
• V. K. Krishna Menon – academic, diplomat, and politician
• K. U. Mohanan- director of photography
• Malavika Mohanan – actor
• Geetu Mohandas – actor
• Mamta Mohandas – actor
• V. Muraleedharan – politician and the current union minister of state for external affairs and parliamentary affairs
• C. P. Krishnan Nair – businessman and founder of Leela group of hotels
• Bejoy Nambiar- director and screenwriter
• K. P. P. Nambiar – industrialist and technocrat
• M. N. Nambiar – actor
• Parvathy Nambiar – actor
• Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri – lyricist, music director, actor, singer, screenwriter, and performer of Carnatic music
• Unnikrishnan Namboothiri – actor
• Madhushree Narayan – playback singer
• Ramesh Narayan – music composer
• E. K. Nayanar – former three time Chief Minister of Kerala
• T. Padmanabhan – writer
• Deepak Parambol – actor
• Sayanora Philip- playback singer, music composer
• N. Prabhakaran – writer
• Azhikodan Raghavan – politician
• K. Raghavan – music composer
• M. V. Raghavan – former minister
• Shaan Rahman – music composer
• Pazhassi Raja – ruler of the Pazhassi Kingdom in present-day Kannur district
• Anaswara Rajan – actor
• Athmiya Rajan – actor
• Kannur Rajan – music composer
• T. V. Rajesh – politician
• Kadannappalli Ramachandran – Minister of Port of Kerala
• Moorkoth Ramunni – fighter pilot
• Neha Ratnakaran – actor
• Byju Raveendran – entrepreneur, founder of Byju's App
• Sreeja Ravi – voice-dubbing artist
• Sahal Abdul Samad – footballer
• Sanjayan – writer
• Mattannoor Sankarankutty – percussionist
• Sanoop Santhosh – actor
• Sanusha – actor
• A. K. Saseendran – politician andcCurrent Transport Minister of Kerala State
• Mafia Sasi – film actor, stuntman
• V. P. Sathyan – footballer
• Roshan Sebastian – playback singer
• K. K. Shailaja – politician and current Minister of Health and Social Welfare of Kerala State
• Sushin Shyam – music composer
• P. K. Sreemathy – MP
• Sreenivasan – actor
• Dhyan Sreenivasan – actor
• Vineeth Sreenivasan – actor, singer, film director
• K. Sudhakaran – Member of Parliament, Congress leader (KPCC Executive leader)
• Njattyela Sreedharan – lexicographer
• Samvrutha Sunil – actor
• Nivetha Thomas – actor
• Ashish Vidyarthi – actor
• Pinarayi Vijayan – former CPI(M) State Secretary and Chief Minister of Kerala.
• Nikhila Vimal – actor
• Vineeth – actor
• C. K. Vineeth – footballer
• Manju Warrier – actor (originally from Thrissur, lived in Kannur during her schooling)

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