Kozhikode

Kozhikode ([koːɻikːoːɖ]), or Calicut, is a city in the state of Kerala in southern India on the Malabar Coast. Kozhikode is the second largest city in Kerala and is the largest urban area in the state with a metropolitan population of 239,4000 as of 2015. The city lies about 380 kilometres (236 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

During classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. It was the capital of an independent kingdom ruled by the Samoothiris (Zamorins) in the Middle Ages and later of the erstwhile Malabar District under British rule. Arab merchants traded with the region as early as 7th century, and Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Kozhikode on 20 May 1498, thus opening a trade route between Europe and Malabar. A Portuguese factory and fort was intact in Kozhikode for short period (1511–1525, until the Fall of Calicut), the English landed in 1615 (constructing a trading post in 1665), followed by the French (1698) and the Dutch (1752). In 1765, Mysore captured Kozhikode as part of its occupation of the Malabar Coast. Kozhikode, once a famous cotton-weaving center, gave its name to the Calico cloth.

University of Calicut

The University of Calicut is an affiliating university located at Thenjipalam in Malappuram district of Kerala state in India. The University has a number of off-campus centres in neighbouring districts especially Kozhikkode, Wayanadu, Thrissur, Palakkad and Lakshadweep islands and it conducts courses and examinations for the students of the affiliated colleges. The main campus in Thenjipalam has departments in most of the science and humanities areas. The departments offer post graduate courses and research programmes. However, the main business in the campus is administration and conduct of examinations for all the affiliated colleges which number above 250. In 2013 it is ranked as the 26th best university of India.

History

Calicut University was established in 1968 and was administered by Dr. M.M Ghani in the 1970s. The University had especially strong faculty in Physics, Zoology, Chemistry, Botany, History, Malayalam, English and Physical Education. The Campus locales spread over around 500 acres (2.0 km²) in rural outskirt of Malappuram, had the feel of a hill station. In the 1980s, a Cockroft-Walton particle accelerator was put in place on campus.