Kannur district Cannanore district | |
|---|---|
     Clockwise from top: Vayalapra lake,Thalassery cuisine,St. Angelo Fort,Mappila Bay,Muzhappilangad Beach,Kannur International Airport. | |
| Nickname: Crown of Kerala | |
 Location in Kerala | |
 Kannur district | |
| Coordinates:11°52′08″N75°21′20″E / 11.8689°N 75.35546°E /11.8689; 75.35546 | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| Established | 1957 |
| Headquarters | Kannur |
| Subdistricts | |
| Government | |
| • District Collector | Arun K Vijayan. IAS |
| • City Police Commissioner | R Ilango, IPS[1] |
| • Rural Superintendent of Police | Navneet Sharma, IPS[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,966 km2 (1,145 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 5th |
| Population (2018)[3] | |
• Total | 2,615,266 |
| • Density | 882/km2 (2,280/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Kannurian |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL-KNR, IN-KL |
| Vehicle registration |
|
| HDI(2005) |  0.783[4] ( High) |
| Sex ratio | 1090♂/♀ |
| Literacy | 95.10% |
| Website | kannur |
Kannur district (pronounced[kɐɳ.ɳuːr]ⓘ) is one of the 14districts along the west coast in the state ofKerala, India. The city ofKannur is the district headquarters and gives the district its name. The old name, Cannanore, is the anglicized form of theMalayalam name "Kannur". Kannur district is bounded byKasaragod District to the north,Kozhikode district to the south,Mahé district to the southwest andWayanad District to the southeast. To the east, the district is bounded by theWestern Ghats, which forms the border with the state ofKarnataka (Kodagu district). TheArabian Sea lies to the west.Paithalmala is the highest point in Kannur District (1,372m). Enclosed within the southern part of the district is theMahé district of theUnion Territory ofPuducherry. The district was established in 1957.
Kannur Municipal Corporation is the sixth-largest urban local body in the state andKannur Cantonment is the only Cantonment Board in Kerala.Indian Naval Academy atEzhimala is the Asia's largest, and the world's third-largest, naval academy.[5][6]Muzhappilangad beach is the longest Drive-In Beach in Asia and is featured among the top 6 best beaches for driving in the world inBBC article for Autos.[7][8] Kannur district is home to some forts which includeSt. Angelo Fort, andTellicherry Fort.Thalassery town in the district is known for theThalassery pepper.
Kannur is the sixth-most urbanised district inKerala, with more than 50% of its residents living in urban areas. Kannur has an urban population of 1,640,986, which is the second largest in Kerala afterErnakulam district.[9][10] It was part of theMalabar District under theMadras province during theBritish Raj.
Following the formation of the state ofKerala in 1956, the erstwhileMalabar District was divided into three: Kannur District,Kozhikode district, andPalakkad district. On 1 November 1980, the North Wayanad Taluk of Kannur district was separated to formWayanad district. Again in 1984,Kasaragod andHosdurg Taluks were separated to formKasargod district.
The earliest evidence ofhuman habitation in the district are rock-cut caves and megalithic burial sites of theNeolithic age. TheTaliparamba-Kannur-Thalassery area abounds in rock-cut caves,dolmens, burial stone circles andmenhirs, all ofmegalith. Kannur was the seat of powerful kingdom based atEzhimala in theSangam period (1st–5th century CE). The ancient port ofNaura, which is mentioned in thePeriplus of the Erythraean Sea as a port somewhere north ofMuziris is identified withKannur.[11]
The kingdom ofEzhimala had jurisdiction over twoNadus - The coastalPoozhinadu and the hilly easternKarkanadu. According to the works ofSangam literature,Poozhinadu consisted much of the coastal belt betweenMangalore andKozhikode.[12]Karkanadu consisted ofWayanad-Gudalur hilly region with parts ofKodagu (Coorg).[13] It is said that Nannan, the most renowned ruler ofEzhimala dynasty, took refuge atWayanad hills in the 5th century CE when he was lost toCheras, just before his execution in a battle, according to theSangam works.[13]
Ezhimala kingdom was succeeded byMushika dynasty in the early medieval period, most possibly due to the migration ofTuluva Brahmins fromTulu Nadu. TheMushika-vamsha Mahakavya, written byAthula in the 11th century, throws light on the recorded past of theMushika Royal Family up until that point.[14] The Indian anthropologistAyinapalli Aiyappan states that a powerful and warlike clan of theBunt community ofTulu Nadu was calledKola Bari and the Kolathiri Raja of Kolathunadu was a descendant of this clan.[15] The Kolathunadu (Kannur) Kingdom at the peak of its power, reportedly extended fromNetravati River (Mangalore) in the north toKorapuzha (Kozhikode) in the south withArabian Sea on the west andKodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including the isolated islands ofLakshadweep in theArabian Sea.[14]
AnOld Malayalam inscription (Ramanthali inscriptions), dated to 1075 CE, mentioning king Kunda Alupa, the ruler ofAlupa dynasty ofMangalore, can be found atEzhimala (the former headquarters ofMushika dynasty) nearKannur.[16] TheArabic inscription on a copper slab within theMadayi Mosque inKannur records its foundation year as 1124 CE.[17] In his book on travels (Il Milione),Marco Polo recounts his visit to the area in the mid 1290s. Other visitors includedFaxian, the Buddhist pilgrim andIbn Batuta, writer and historian ofTangiers.
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Until the 16th century CE, theKasargod town was known by the nameKanhirakode (may be by the meaning, 'The land ofKanhira Trees') inMalayalam.[18] TheKumbla dynasty, who swayed over the land of southernTulu Nadu wedged betweenChandragiri River andNetravati River (including present-day Taluks ofManjeshwar andKasaragod) fromMaipady Palace atKumbla, had also been vassals to theKolathunadu, before theCarnatic conquests ofVijayanagara Empire.[19] The Kumbla dynasty had a mixed lineage ofMalayaliNairs andTuluva Brahmins.[20] They also claimed their origin fromCheraman Perumals of Kerala.[20]Francis Buchanan-Hamilton states that the customs of Kumbla dynasty were similar to those of the contemporaryMalayali kings, though Kumbla was considered as the southernmost region ofTulu Nadu.[20] Just like other contemporary kings of Kerala in the medieval period, The powerful Kolathu Raja also came under the influence ofZamorin later. TheKolathunadu in the late medieval period emerged into independent 10 principalities i.e.,Kadathanadu (Vadakara),Randathara or Poyanad (Dharmadom),Kottayam (Thalassery),Nileshwaram, Iruvazhinadu (Panoor,Kurumbranad etc., under separate royal chieftains due to the outcome of internal dissensions.[21] TheNileshwaram dynasty on the northernmost part ofKolathiri dominion, were relatives to both Kolathunadu as well as theZamorin ofCalicut, in the early medieval period.[22]
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Kannur was an important trading center in the 12th century with active business connections withPersia andArabia. The port atKozhikode held the superior economic and political position in medieval Kerala coast, whileKannur,Kollam, andKochi, were commercially important secondary ports, where the traders from various parts of the world would gather.[23] Kannur served as theBritish 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 ofBritish India in the 18th century afterBombay andKarachi. TheArakkal kingdom had right over the city of Kannur andLaccadive Islands in the late medieval period.[24]
The Portuguese arrived atKappadKozhikode in 1498 during theAge of Discovery, thus opening a direct sea route from Europe to India.[25] TheSt. Angelo Fort atKannur was built in 1505 by DomFrancisco 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. Theoriginal Portuguese fort was pulled down later. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in theRijksmuseum Amsterdam. The Dutch sold the fort to the kingAli Raja ofArakkal in 1772. The Britishconquered it in 1790 and used it as one of their major military stations on theMalabar Coast.
During the 17th century, Kannur was the capital city of the onlyMuslim polity in the Far-South of India –Arakkal – who also ruled theLaccadive Islands in addition to the city of Kannur.[26]Arakkal Kingdom andChirakkal kingdom were two vassal kingdoms based in the city of Kannur. The island ofDharmadom nearKannur, along withThalassery, was ceded to theEast India Company as early as 1734, which were claimed by all of theKolattu Rajas,Kottayam Rajas,Mannanar[27] and Arakkal Bibi in the late medieval period, where the British initiated a factory and English settlement following thecession.[28][21] In 1761, the British capturedMahé, and the settlement was handed over to the ruler ofKadathanadu.[29] The British restoredMahé to the French as a part of the 1763 Treaty of Paris.[29] In 1779, the Anglo-French war broke out, resulting in the French loss ofMahé.[29] In 1783, the British agreed to restore to the French their settlements in India, andMahé was handed over to the French in 1785.[29]
During theBritish Raj, Kannur was part of theMadras Presidency in theMalabar District. Initially the British had to suffer local resistance against their rule under the leadership ofKerala Varma Pazhassi Raja, who had popular support inThalassery-Wayanad region.[11] The municipalities ofKannur andThalassery were formed on 1 November 1866 according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850)[30][31][32][33] of theBritish Indian Empire, along with the municipalities ofKozhikode,Palakkad, andFort Kochi, making them the first modern municipalities in the modern state of Kerala.
Municipalities
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Kannur district consists of two revenue subdivisions - Taliparamba and Thalassery.[35] For sake of rural administration, 71 Gram Panchayats are combined in 11 Blocks, which together form the Kannur District Panchayat.[36] For the sake of urban administration,Kannur Municipal Corporation and 9 municipal towns are there.[34]
For therepresentation of Kannur inKerala Legislative Assembly, there are 11 assembly constituencies. These are included in three parliamentary constituencies, i.e.,Kasaragod,Kannur, andVatakara.[37]The district is further divided into 132 villages which together form 5 subdistricts.[38]
| Sl. No | Constituency | Member | Party | Alliance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 | Payyanur | T. I. Madusoodhanan | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 7 | Kalliasseri | M. Vijin | ||
| 8 | Taliparamba | M. V. Govindan | ||
| 9 | Irikkur | Sajeev Joseph | INC | UDF |
| 10 | Azhikode | K. V. Sumesh | CPI(M) | LDF |
| 11 | Kannur | Kadannappalli Ramachandran | Con (S) | |
| 12 | Dharmadom | Pinarayi Vijayan | CPI(M) | |
| 13 | Thalassery | A. N. Shamseer | ||
| 14 | Kuthuparamba | K. P. Mohanan | ||
| 15 | Mattanur | K. K. Shailaja | ||
| 16 | Peravoor | Sunny Joseph | INC | UDF |
| Parliamentary Constituency | Political Party | Political Coalition | Elected Representative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kasargod | INC | UDF | Rajmohan Unnithan |
| Kannur | INC | UDF | K. Sudhakaran |
| Vatakara | INC | UDF | Shafi Parambil |
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 529,623 | — |
| 1911 | 565,261 | +0.65% |
| 1921 | 578,680 | +0.23% |
| 1931 | 662,715 | +1.37% |
| 1941 | 743,322 | +1.15% |
| 1951 | 904,470 | +1.98% |
| 1961 | 1,177,948 | +2.68% |
| 1971 | 1,552,809 | +2.80% |
| 1981 | 1,930,726 | +2.20% |
| 1991 | 2,251,727 | +1.55% |
| 2001 | 2,408,956 | +0.68% |
| 2011 | 2,523,003 | +0.46% |
| 2018 | 2,615,266 | +0.51% |
| source:[39] | ||
According to the2018 Statistics Report, Kannur district has apopulation of 2,615,266,[3] The district has a population density of 882 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,280/sq mi).[40] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 4.84%.[40] The2011 Census of India gives the district a ranking of 170th in India (out of a total of640).[40] Kannur has asex ratio of 1133females for every 1000 males,[40] the highest among any district in India, and aliteracy rate of 95.10%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 3.30% and 1.64% of the population respectively.[40]Malayalam is the predominant language, spoken by 98.88% of the population. Small minorities speakTamil,Hindi andKannada, mainly in urban areas.[41]
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 afterErnakulam,Thrissur andKozhikode in 2011.[42] 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 afterErnakulam and is more than the population of a metro city.[43]
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 hasThrissur with 135 towns with Kannur having 67.[44] Kannur district has one Municipal CorporationKannur, and other major municipalities includingThalassery,Payyanur,Taliparamba,Kuthuparamba andMattannur. In addition to this there are 60 includingAncharakandy,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.[42]
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 59.83% | |||
| Islam | 29.43% | |||
| Christianity | 10.41% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.33% | |||
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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.[45]
Most of the Christians in Kannur district are descendants of Christians whomigrated to Malabar in the 20th century.[46]
Kerala Folklore Academy, an autonomous centre for cultural affairs constituted by theGovernment of Kerala situated inChirakkal, Kannur to promote and project thetraditional art forms ofKerala.[47][48] 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 andbook award carries₹7500 and citation. TheGurupooja andYuvaprathibha award winners will get₹5000 each and citation.[49][50]
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 byNamboothiri Brahmins in Kerala, and have an important position in Theyyam.[51] It is performed mainly by males, except theDevakoothu theyyam. The Devakoothu is the only Theyyam ritual performed by women. It is performed only on the Thekkumbad Kulom temple.[52]
There are 456 types of Theyyam, includingVettakkorumakan,Vishnumoorthy Theyyam,Muchilot Bhagavathi andSree Muthappan.[53]
A Theyyam museum is planned to be built at Chanthappura inKalliasseri of Kannur district in 2019.[54]
The Kannur cuisine depicts its culture and heritage. It is famous forThalassery biriyani. The city is also known forHaluva. Another speciality isbanana chips, which are made crisp and wafer-thin. Other popular dishes include seafood preparations (prawns, mussels, mackerel) . Vegetarian fare includes thesadya.
Kannur cuisine is a blend of traditionalKerala,Persian,Yemenese andArab food culture.[55] This confluence of culinary cultures is best seen in the preparation of most dishes.[55]Kallummakkaya (mussels)curry,irachi puttu (irachi meaning meat),parottas (soft flatbread),[55]Pathiri (a type of rice pancake)[55] andghee rice are some of the other specialties. The characteristic use of spices is the hallmark of the cuisine—black pepper,cardamom andclove are used profusely.
The Kerala version ofbiryani, popularly known askuzhi mandi inMalayalam is another popular item, which has an influence fromYemen. Various varieties ofbiriyanis likeThalasserybiriyani, and Kannurbiriyani,[56] are prepared here.[55]
The snacks includeunnakkaya (deep-fried, boiled ripe banana paste covering a mixture of cashew,raisins and sugar),[57]pazham nirachathu (ripe banana filled withcoconut grating,molasses or sugar),[57]muttamala made ofeggs,[55]chatti pathiri, a dessert made of flour, like a baked, layeredchapati with rich filling,arikkadukka,[58] and more.[55]
ThePayyanur 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 duringPithru Bali rituals. Originally made from dharba grass, it is now often crafted from gold, while retaining its sacred importance.[59][60][61]
Cannanore Home Furnishings is a GI-tagged product line that emphasizes wide range of fabrics and lifestyle products, including curtains, table linens, upholstery fabrics, bed and kitchen linens, bath linens, and decorative accessories like tassels, ropes, and nets, all crafted in Kannur district. Kannur fabrics, crafted on fly shuttle looms by generations of skilled artisans, bring a touch of luxury to it. The "Mushru" and "Damask" fabrics are particularly notable for their vibrant stripes and lustrous, reversible textures.[62][63]
Kuttiattoor mango is popular and traditional cultivar ofKuttiattoor 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.[64][65]
A very powerful and warlike section of the Bants of Tulunad was known as Kola bari. It is reasonable to suggest that the Kola dynasty was part of the Kola lineages of Tulunad.
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