Kozhikode കോഴിക്കോട് Calicut
—  City  —
Kozhikode Beach
Nickname(s): City of Spices
Kozhikode
Coordinates: 11°15′N 75°46′E / 11.25°N 75.77°E / 11.25; 75.77Coordinates: 11°15′N 75°46′E / 11.25°N 75.77°E / 11.25; 75.77
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Kozhikode
Government
• Mayor	A. K. Premajam[1]
• Collector	K. V. Mohan Kumar[2]
• City Police Commissioner	G. Sparjan Kumar IPS[3]
Area
• City	128 km2 (49 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Population (2011)
• City	432,097
• Density	3,400/km2 (8,700/sq mi)
• Metro[4]	2,030,519
	[5]
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	673 0xx
Telephone code	91 (0)495
Vehicle registration	KL 11
Sex ratio	0.915  ♂/♀[5]
Literacy	96.8%[5]
Website	kozhikodecorporation.org

Kozhikode (Malayalam: കോഴിക്കോട് [koːɻikːoːɖ] ( listen), also known as Calicut, is a city in the state of Kerala in southern India on the Malabar Coast. Kozhikode is the third largest city in Kerala and is part of the second largest urban agglomeration in Kerala with a metropolitan population of 2,030,519 as per 2011 census.^[6]It is the headquarters of the Kozhikode district.

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.^[7] It was the capital of an independent kingdom of the same name ruled by the Samoothiris (Zamorins) in middle ages and later of the erstwhile Malabar district under British rule. Muslim Arab merchants traded with Kozhikode as early as 7th century, and Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Kozhikode on May 20, 1498. A Portuguese factory and fort was intact in Kozhikode for short period (1511–1525, until the Fall of Calicut), the English landed in 1615 (constructed a trading post in 1665), followed by the French (1698) and the Dutch (1752). In 1765, Mysore captured Kozhikode as part of his occupation.

Kozhikode, once famous cotton-weaving center, is known as the place which gave name to the Calico cloth.^[8]

According to data compiled by economics research firm Indicus Analytics on residences, earnings and investments, Kozhikode ranked as the second best city in India to reside in.^[9] It was ranked eleventh among Tier-II Indian cities in job creation by a study conducted by ASSOCHAM in 2007.^[10]

Etymology[link]

The name Kozhikode is thought to be derived, according to Prof. K.V. Krishna Ayyer, from koyil (palace) + kota (fort), meaning "fortified palace." The place was also referred to as Chullikkad, meaning "shrubby jungle," probably referring to the marshy nature of the land.

Linguistically, ya and zha are interchangeable in Malayalam, and kode stands for fort (kotta). While the city has been known by different names by people of other lands, Malayalees have called it Kozhikode.

The Arabs called it قَالِقُوط Qāliqūṭ (IPA: qˠaːliqˠːuːtˤ),.^[11] The Tamils called the city Kallikkottai while for the Chinese it was Kalifo

The word Calicut is thought to have been derived from a fine variety of hand-woven cotton cloth that was exported from the port of Kozhikode.

Although the city's official name is Kozhikode, it is also very commonly called by its Anglicized version, Calicut.^[12]

History[link]

Vasco da Gama lands in Calicut on May 20, 1498.

Kozhikode is a town with a long recorded history. From time immemorial, the city has attracted travelers with its prosperity.It has traded in spices like black pepper and cardamom with the Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians, and the Chinese since more than 500 years. As Kozhikode offered full freedom and security, the Arab and the Chinese merchants preferred it to all other ports. The globe-trotter Ibn Batuta (A.D. 1342-47) said:

"We came next to Kalikut, one of the great ports of the district of Malabar, and in which merchants of all parts are found."

Kozhikode was the capital of Malabar during the time of Zamorins, who ruled the region before the British took over.

The city's first recorded contact with Europe was when Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad in May 1498, as the leaders of a trade mission from Portugal. He was received by the Zamorin himself.

Early Calicut in foreign accounts[link]

Accounts of the city and the conditions prevailing then can be gleaned from the chronicles of travelers who visited the port city.

Ibn Battuta (1342–1347), who visited six times, gives us the earliest glimpses of life in the city. He describes Calicut as "one of the great ports of the district of Malabar" where "merchants of all parts of the world are found". The king of this place, he says "is an infidel who shaves his chin just as the Haidari Fakeers of Rome do...The greater part of the Muhammedan merchants of this place are so wealthy that one of them can purchase the whole freightage of such vessels put here and fit out others like them".

Ma Huang (1403 AD), the Chinese Muslim sailor part of the Imperial Chinese fleet under Cheng Ho (Zheng He)^[13] lauds the city as a great emporium of trade frequented by merchants from around the world. He makes note of the 20 or 30 mosques built to cater to the religious needs of the Muslims, the unique system of calculation by the merchants using their fingers and toes (followed to this day) and the matrilineal system of succession.

Abdur Razzak (1442–43) the ambassador of Persian Emperor Sha-Rohk finds the city harbour perfectly secured and notices precious articles from several maritime countries especially from Abyssinia, Zirbad and Zanzibar.

The Italian Niccolò de' Conti (1445), perhaps the first Christian traveler who noticed Calicut describes the city as abounding in pepper, lac, ginger, a larger kind of cinnamon, myrobalans and zedary. He calls it a noble emporium for all India, with a circumference of eight miles (13 km).

The Russian traveler Athanasius Nikitn or Afanasy Nikitin(1468–74) calls 'Calecut' a port for the whole Indian sea and describes Calicut as having a "big bazaar."

Other travelers who visited Calicut include the Italian Ludovico di Varthema^[14] (1503–1508) and Duarte Barbosa.^[15]

Image of Calicut, India from Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg's atlas Civitates orbis terrarum, 1572

The Zamorins[link]

The Udaiyavar of Ernad, whose headquarters was at Nediyiruppu, wanted an outlet to the sea and after fighting with the Polatthiri king for 48 years conquered the area around Ponniankara and built a fort at a place called Velapuram. Thus the city of Calicut came into existence sometime in the 13th century AD.

The status of Udaiyavar increased and he come to be known as Swami Nambiyathiri Thirumulpad, which gradually became Samuri or Samuthiri over the years. The Europeans called him Zamorin.

According to K.V. Krishna Iyer, the rise of Calicut is at once a cause and a consequence of Zamorin's ascendancy in Kerala. By the end of the century, Zamorin was at the zenith of his powers with all princes and chieftains of Kerala north of Cochin acknowledging his suzerainty.^[16]

Vasco da Gama[link]

The Portuguese in Calicut

Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut in 1498 and obtained permission to carry out trade. The Arabs sensing the threat posed by Portuguese to their commercial supremacy opposed the Europeans. Bitter fights started between Portuguese and Arabs. The Portuguese went to Cochin for trade and the Raja of Cochin had an alliance with the Portuguese with aim of attaining sovereignty from Zamorin.

The hostilities between the Zamorin and the Portuguese continued for many decades and the role played by the Kunjali Marakkar in these battles can not been forgotten.

Kunjali Marakkars were the hereditary admirals of the zamorin and organized a powerful navy to fight the Portuguese.Kunhali II, was one of the greatest of Zamorin's Admirals. Kunjali III built a fort at Kottakkal and enjoyed all the privileges enjoyed by the Nair chiefs.

His actions against the Portuguese fleets caused heavy damages to Portuguese shipping and trade from Calicut.

The Portuguese built a fort at Chaliyam at the mouth of the Baypore River in the middle of the Zamorin's territory. Due to the prolonged struggle, Zamorin's military strength deteriorated and he entered into a treaty with them in 1540, which allowed the Portuguese to have monopoly over trade at Calicut port. The peace was temporary and war broke out again resulting in the demolition of Chaliyom Fort in 1571 by the Zamorin forces.

The battles between the Portuguese and the Zamorin continued till 1588 when the Portuguese were allowed to settle down at Calicut. However Kunjali opposed the move.

At around this time, Kunjali IV declared himself as the 'King of the Moors' and moved away from the Zamorin. The Zamorins now took the help of the Portuguese to destroy the powerful Kunjalis. In 1600, kunjali surrendered and was executed.

In the meanwhile, the Dutch, English and the French arrived in Kerala. Zamorins allowed the Dutch to trade in Calicut and sought their help to drive out the Portuguese. The position of Portuguese weakened gradually due to international events and their position in Kerala deteriorated. the Dutch captured Cochin and Cannanore and established trade. However, by 1721, the Dutch formally withdrew from all interference in native wars.^[16]

Geography and climate[link]

Geography[link]

The city of Kozhikode is 410 kilometres (255 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Kozhikode is located at approximately 11°15′N 75°46′E / 11.25°N 75.77°E / 11.25; 75.77. It has an elevation of 1 metre (3 ft) along the coast with the city's eastern edges rising to at least 15 metres, with a sandy coastal belt and a lateritic midland. The city has a 15 km (9.3 mi) long shoreline and small hills dot the terrain in the eastern and central regions. To the city's west is the Arabian Sea and from approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) to the east rises the Sahyadri Mountains.

The geographical conditions of city area and suburban areas are similar to the other parts of the district falling in coastal and midland zones. The region comprising Kozhikode Corporation and peri-urban blocks belong to the low- and midlands in the typical classification of land in Kerala as low-, mid- and highlands. Lagoons and backwaters characterize the lowland which receives drainage from the rivers. The lowland is often subjected to salinity intrusion. The coastal plains exhibit more or less flat, narrow terrain with landforms such as beach ridges, sandbars, and backwater marshes. A few kilometers from the sea to the east, the surface gathers into slopes and clustering hills with numerous valleys in between formed due to floods and sediment transport. The Midlands is represented by hummocky rocky terrain with lateritised denudational hills and intervening valley fills (locally called elas). The ‘elas’ are fairly wide in the lower reaches of midlands and narrow towards the upper parts of the midlands.

A number of rivers originating from the Sahyadri run along the outer reaches of the city of Kozhikode. These include the Chaliyar puzha, Kallayi Puzha, Korapuzha river, Poonoor puzha (river), and Iravanjhi puzha. Of these, Kallai river that runs through the southern part of the city has been the most important culturally and historically for Kozhikode. The Kallai River has its origin in Cherikkulathur village. It is connected with Chaliyar on the south by a man-made canal. The river passes through Cherukulathur, Kovur, Olavanna, Manava and Kallai before finally joining the sea near Calicut. The length of the river is 22 kilometres (14 mi).

The Korapuzha river is formed by the confluence of the Agalapuzha with the Punnurpuzha, and it joins the sea at Elathur. The Agalapuzha is more or less a backwater while the Punnurpuzha originates from Arikkankunni. The total length of the river is 40 kilometres (25 mi). Panurpuzha is a tributary of Korapuzha. It passes through the northern boundary of the study area and joins to the sea. The river is perennial.

Canoly Canal was built in 1848 to connect the Korapuzha river in the north to Kallayi river in the south. It functions as a drain to reduce flooding in the city during the rainy season and as a navigation channel.

A system of wetland (mangrove) forests pervade the city from Kallai river to Eranjikkal.

The coastal area is about 1.2 m above sea level, whereas the eastern part of the city is at about 15 m above sea level. The city has a long seashore of 15 kilometres (9.3 mi). Small hills dot the city terrain in the eastern and central portions. In the city nearly 5500 Hectares of land is used for cultivation and nearly 321 Hectares are waterlogged area.^[17]

Climate[link]

Kozhikode features a tropical monsoon climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city has a highly humid tropical climate with high temperatures recorded from March to May. A brief spell of pre-monsoon Mango showers hits the city sometime during April. However, the primary source of rain is the South-west monsoon that sets in the first week of June and continues until September. The city receives significant precipitation from the North-East Monsoon that sets in from the second half of October through November.

The average annual rainfall is 3,266 mm. The weather is milder from December/January until March when the skies are clear and the air is crisp. Winters are seldom cold. According to climate charts, 12 locations in India are cooler, 26 are warmer, 37 are dryer and only 1 is wetter than Kozhikode.^[18] The highest temperature recorded was 39.4 °C in March 1975. The lowest was 14 °C recorded on 26 December 1975.

Civic administration[link]

The city is administered by the Kozhikode Corporation, headed by a mayor, and with its headquarters in Kozhikode. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 75 wards,^[20] from which the members of the corporation council are elected for five years. Recently neighboring suburbs Beypore, Elathur, Cheruvannur and Nallalam were merged within the municipal corporation.

Kozhikode corporation has four assembly constituencies — Kozhikode North, Kozhikode South, Beypore and Elathur — all of which are part of Kozhikode (Lok Sabha constituency).^[21]

Law and order[link]

The Kozhikode City Police is headed by a commissioner, an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The city is divided into six zones each under a circle officer. Apart from regular law and order, the city police comprises the traffic police, bomb squad, dog squad, fingerprint bureau, women's cell, juvenile wing, narcotics cell, riot force, armed reserve camps, district crime records bureau and a women's station.^[22] It operates 16 police stations functioning under the Home Ministry of Government of Kerala.

Transport[link]

Road[link]

Kozhikode Mavoor Road Bus Stand, a distant view

The city has a reasonably well-developed transport infrastructure. A large number of buses, predominantly run by individual owners, ply on the major routes within the city and to nearby locations. City buses are painted green. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) runs regular services to many destinations in the state and to the neighbouring states. The city has three bus stands. All private buses to the suburban and nearby towns ply from the Palayam Bus Stand. Private buses to adjoining districts start from the Mofussil Bus Stand (one of the largest bus stand in Kerala) on Indira Gandhi Road (Mavoor Road). Buses operated by the KSRTC drive from the KSRTC bus stand on Indira Gandhi Road.

There are two routes available to Bangalore. One is Kozhikode-Gundlupet-Mysore-Bangalore; this road is most preferred one but is very busy. Another route, less used, is Kozhikode-Gundlupet-Chamarajanagar-Kollegal-Bangalore.

Private tour operators maintain regular luxury bus services to Mumbai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai, Ernakulam, Trivandrum, Ooty etc. and mainly operate from the Palayam area. These are usually night services.

National Highways[link]

National Highway 17 connects Kozhikode to Mumbai via Mangalore, Udupi and Goa to the north and Kochi to the south along the west coast of India. This highway connects the city with the other important towns like, Kasaragod, Kanhangad, Kannur, Thalassery, Mahe, Vadakara, Quilandy, Kottakkal, Kuttipuram, Ponnani, Guruvayur, Chavakkad, Kodungallur, North Paravur and Edapalli.

National Highway 212 connects Kozhikode city with Bangalore in Karnataka via Mysore, Nanjangud, Gundlupet, Sulthan Bathery, Kalpetta and Thamarassery. This highway also connects the city with the suburbs like Malaparambu, Kunnamangalam and premier institutes like IIM-K, NIT-C and CWRDM.

National Highway 213 connects Calicut with Palakkad. It covers a distance of 125 kilometres (78 mi). At Feroke, suburb of Calicut, it joins NH 17. It also passes through towns like Kondotty, Malappuram, Perinthalmanna, and Mannarkkad. This stretch also connects the city and Calicut International Airport.

State Highways[link]

SH 28 is the Kerala section of highway connecting Kozhikode and Gudalur near Ooty. The highway is 103.6 kilometres (64.4 mi) long. It passes through important towns like Manjeri and Nilambur.

SH 29 passes through the city. It connects NH 212, Malabar Christian College, civil station, Kunnamangalam and also Padanilam, Thamarassery, Chellot, Chitragiri and Road to Gudallor from Kerala border.

SH 54 is connecting city and Kalpetta. The highway is 99.0 kilometres (61.5 mi) long. The highway passes through Puthiyangadi, Ulliyeri, Perambra, Poozhithodu, Peruvannamuzhi and Padinjarethara.

SH 68 starts from Kappad and ends in Adivaram. The highway is 68.11 kilometres (42.32 mi) long.

Rail[link]

Main Entrance of Kozhikode Railway Station

The history of railways in Malabar dates back to 1861 when the first tracks were laid between Tirur and Beypore.^[23] Today, Kozhikode is well connected by rail to cities like Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Palakkad, Coimbatore, Chennai, Bangalore, Kannur, Mangalore, Mumbai and New Delhi.

Air[link]

Calicut International Airport is 22 kilometres (14 mi) from the city at Karipur near Kondotty. Regular domestic services are operated to major Indian cities. There are frequent international flights to the Middle eastern air hubs like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Muscat, Dammam, Riyadh, Jiddah, Sharjah and to Colombo.

Monorail[link]

A monorail is proposed for the city. The state government has submitted the proposal for the monorail project to the centre and is awaiting approval. Two routes are planned: Medical College-Meenchanda-Airport and Elathur-Beypore-Ramanattukara. The first phase of the project has an estimated cost of around 1700 crore and is proposed to be completed in three phases.

Economy[link]

Kozhikode is one of the main commercial cities of Kerala. The economy is mainly business oriented. The city currently is the major trade hub of North Kerala with good connectivity through road, rail and air.It also has large timber yards along the banks of the Kallayi River.

Kozhikode District with 8% of the state population makes 12% contribution to the state’s income. Calicut has witnessed a building boom in recent years. This is particularly evident in the number of malls and buildings built in recent years.

The District has an intermediate post at Kozhikode (including Beypore) and a minor port at Vadakara. In coast line of the Kozhikode port extends from Elathur cape to the south bank of Kadalundi river and treads roughly in straight line. This port has two Piers, but this cannot be used due to the dilapidate condition. Traffic is mainly dealt at Beypore port. The Kozhikode Port has a Light House and a Signal Station. The godown at South Pier is used as transit sheds.

There are two IT parks under construction in calicut ,one is the UL cyber park which is constructed and operated by ULCCSC a calicut based company formed by sri Vagbhadanandha Guru in 1925.UL cyber park began operation in 2012 and the first phase of it will be completed at 2013.The second IT park is the government cyberpark .The first phase of gov cyberpark will be completed in 2014. Cyberpark, is a Government of Kerala organization planned to build, operate and manage IT parks for the promotion and development of investment in IT and ITES industries in Malabar region of Kerala and will be the third IT hub in the state of Kerala.The two IT park will create a total 1 lakh(100000) direct job opportunities. It is in the process of setting up IT parks at Kozhikode, at the SEZs approved at Kannur and Kasargod.Its first project is the development of Cyberpark hub in Kozhikode with its spokes at Kannur and Kazargode IT parks.^[24][25] Other planned projects include the Birla IT park (at Mavoor) and Malaysian satellite city (at Kinaloor) where KINFRA has plans to set up a 400-acre (1.6 km²) industrial park.

There are over 40 IT companies operating in and around Kozhikode. The KINFRA Park at Kakkancherry has accommodated 16 companies. The NIT, Kozhikode has incubated about 14 companies. There are two professional organizations, CiTi (Kozhikode IT initiative) and Caffit, who organize IT related seminars and workwhops in association with NASSCOM and KSITM.

Demographics[link]

The municipality of Kozhikode has an average literacy rate of 96.8%^[5] (national average is 74.85%). The male literacy rate is 97.93% and female literacy rate is 95.78%.^[5] Malyalam is the most spoken language. Hindi, English and Tamil are widely understood.^{[citation needed]}

Kozhikode has been a multi-ethnic and multi-religious town since the early medieval period. Hindus form the largest religious group, followed by Muslims and Christians.^[26]

The Hindus engage in beliefs spanning all forms of theism as well as atheism. Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and other Gods and Goddesses of the Hindu pantheon are worshipped. Many places have temples with local deities, more often a Goddess (Devi). Festivities like Theyyam, Thira and art forms like Ottamthullal, Kathakali are performed in stages attested to temple estates. Many temples have associated oracles called Velichappad. Serpent and ancestral worship are also practiced.

The Muslims of Kozhikode are known as Mappilas, and according to the official Kozhikode website "the great majority of them are Sunnis following the Shafi school of thought.^[26] There are also some smaller communities among the Muslims such as Dawoodi Bohras.^[27] Many of the Muslims living in the historic part of the city follow matriliny and are noted for their piety.^[28] Though Christianity is believed to have been introduced in Kerala in 52 CE, the size of community in Malabar (northern Kerala) began to rise only after the arrival of the Portuguese towards the close of the 15th century. A few Christians of Travancore and Cochin have lately migrated to the hilly regions of the district and are settled there.^[28]

Pre-modern Calicut was already teeming with people of several communities and regional groups. Most of these communities continued to follow their traditional occupations and customs till the 20th century. These included Kosavan (potter), Vannan (washerman), Pulayan (agricultural worker), Chaliyan (weaver), Chetti (merchant), Thiyya (physicians, militia and toddy tappers), Ganaka (astrologer), Vettuvan (salt-maker), Paanan (sorcerer), Eravallan (firewood and grass carrier), Kammalas, Parayan etc.^[29] A number of Brahmins too lived in the city mostly around the Hindu temples. Regional groups like the Tamil Brahmins, Gujaratis and Marwari Jains became part of the city at various periods and lived around their shrines. The story of Kozhikode is the story of all the communities. However, the social groups that exerted the greatest influence in the history of Calicut has been the Nairs and the Mappilas.^[30]

The Nairs formed the rulers, warriors and landed gentry of Calicut. The Zamorin had a ten thousand strong Nair bodyguard called the Kozhikkottu pathinaayiram (The 10,000 of Kozhikode) who defended the capital and supported the administration within the city. He had a larger force of 30,000 Nairs in his capacity as the Prince of Eranadu, called the Kozhikkottu Muppatinaayiram (The 30,000 of Kozhikode). The Nairs also formed the members of the suicide squad(chaver). The aristocratic Nairs had their Taravad houses in and around the capital. Several Nairs in the city were traders too. The Nairs could not be imprisoned or fettered except for serious crimes like cow slaughter, criticizing the King etc.^[31] The Mappila community of Kozhikode acted as an important support base for the city's military, economic and political affairs. They were settled primarily in Kuttichira and Idiyangara. Their aristocratic dwelling houses were similar to the tharavad houses of the Nairs and the Thiyyas. Two Ghazi's were recognized as their spiritual leaders. Travellers like Barbosa were intrigued by the extent to which the Mapillas blended into the local society, who spoke the same language and looked like any other Nair (except for the round caps and long beards).^[29]

The Thiyyas formed the vaidyars(Physicians), local militia and traders of Kozhikode. Several aristocratic thiyya families such as 'Kallingal madom' were settled in and around the city.

The Tamil Brahmins are primarily settled around the Tali Siva temple. They arrived in Calicut as Dependants of chieftains, working as cooks, cloth merchants and moneylenders.^[32] They have retained their Tamil language and dialects as well as caste rituals. The Gujarati community is settled mostly around the Jain temple in and around the Valliyangadi. They owned a large number of establishments, especially textile and sweet meat shops. They must have arrived in Calicut at least from the beginning of the 14th century. They belong to either the Hindu or the Jain community. A few Marwari families are also found in calicut who were basically moneylenders.

Places of interest and historical significance[link]

Kozhikode is famous for its boat-building yard, timber industry and historic temples and churches. There are a large number of tourist locations in the district while tourists visiting Kozhikode are attracted more towards leisure tourism including beaches and historical monuments. Kozhikode functions mostly as a transit point for domestic and foreign tourists. There are 148 classified hotels in Kerala, as listed by the Tourism Department, 22 hotels are located in Kozhikode city and constitute 15% of the state’s total classified hotels.^[33]

Some of the popular places of interest are Kozhikode Beach, Veliyangadi (big bazaar), Mananchira, S.M. Street, Regional Science Centre and Planetarium, Sarovaram Biopark, Tali Siva Temple, Mishkal Mosque, Panniyankara Bhagavati Temple, Thiruvannur Siva Temple, Kappad Beach, Beypore, Thusharagiri Falls, Raja Ravi Varma Art Gallery^[34]

Culture[link]

In the field of Malayalam language and literature, Kozhikode has made many significant contributions. A 17th century Zamorin king named Manavedan authored the famous 'Krishnattam', a manipravala text describing the childhood of Lord Krishna in eight volumes. 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 and Unniyarcha. 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 ghazals and football.

The city has a strong mercantile streak to it. The main area of business was once 'Valiyangadi' (Big Bazaar) near the railway station. As time progressed, it shifted to other parts of the city. These days, the commercial heart has moved to Mittai Theruvu (Sweet Meat Street), a long street crammed with shops that sell everything from saris to cosmetics. It also houses restaurants and sweetmeat shops. The name Mittai Theruvu or S.M. Street comes from the famous Kozhikode Halwa which was often called Sweet Meat.^[35]

Cuisine[link]

Kozhikode offers fare to suit every palate. Vegetarian fare includes the sadya. Some popular dishes include the biriyani, ghee rice with beef curry, seafood (prawns, mussels, mackerel) and paper-thin pathiris to provide accompaniment to spicy gravy. Another well-known specialty is banana chips, which are made crisp and wafer-thin.

Music[link]

In addition to the Malabar Mahotsavam, every year since 1981 the Tyagaraja Aradhana Trust has been conducting a five-day music festival in honour of Sri Tyagaraja. The festival is complete with the Uncchavritti, rendering of Divyanama kritis, Pancharatna Kritis, concerts by professional artistes and students of music from morning to late in the evening.

Media[link]

Film industry[link]

The film history of Calicut dates back to 50s. Some of the main production companies of malayalam films like Grihalakshmi productions, Kalpaka, Swargachithra, etc. are calicut based companies. The city was also an important hub of top notch film makers like M. T. Vasudevan Nair, I. V. Sasi, T.Damodaran, etc. Kozhikode produced some notable actors. Late Ummer, Mammukoya, Balan K. Nair, Sudeesh, Santha Devi and the late Kuthiravattam Pappu are some examples of the popular Malayalam actors. The ever green musician Baburaj, The late Gireesh Puthenchery, arguably one of the best lyricists in Malayalam film industry, lyricist and music director Kaithapram Damodaran Namboothiri, director, script writer and actor Ranjith, V. M. Vinu, Shajoon Kariyal, and cinematographer P. S. Nivas also hails from Kozhikode.

Print media[link]

Kozhikode occupies a prominent position in the history of Malayalam journalism. The origin of journalism in the district can be traced back to 1880. The Kerala Pathrika is likely the earliest newspaper published from Kozhikode. Keralam, Kerala Sanchari and Bharath Vilasam are among the other newspapers that were published from Kozhikode pre-1893.

Kozhikode is the 'birthplace' of the widely circulated Malayalam dailies Mathrubhumi, Desabhimani and Madhyamam. Chandrika, Thejas, Siraj, Varthamanam and Calicut Times are the another dailies from Calicut. Along with those papers, noted dailies like Malayala Manorama, Kerala Kaumudi, Mangalam, Deepika, New Indian Express, The Hindu, Deccan chronicle,Janmabhumi, Veekshanam and evening dailies like Pradeepam, Rashtra deepika, News Kerala and Flash are published from Calicut. Nearly all news agencies, other major newspapers published from outside the state are represented in Kozhikode. A large number of weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies are also published here. Newspapers in other regional languages like English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu are available.

Writers[link]

Many prominent writers of Malayalam literature hail from Kozhikode. Among them are S. K. Pottekkatt, Thikkodiyan, U. A. Khader, K. T. Muhammed, Akbar Kakkattil and P. Valsala . Noted writers who made Kozhikode their second home include M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Uroob, Sukumar Azhikode and N. P. Mohammed. Sanjayan a known satirist was also from the city.

Radio[link]

The Kozhikode radio station of All India Radio was commissioned on 14 May 1950. It presently has two transmitters: Kozhikode AM (100 kilowatt) and Kozhikode FM [Vividh Bharathi] (10 kilowatt). Private FM radio stations: Radio Mango 91.9 operated by Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd. and Red FM 93.5 of the SUN Network. AIR FM radio station: Kozhikode – 103.6 MHz; AIR MW radio station: Kozhikode – 684 kHz.

Television[link]

A television transmitter has been functioning in Kozhikode from 3 July 1984, relaying programmes from Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram Doordarshan. Doordarshan has its broadcasting centre in Calicut located at Medical College. The malayalam channels based on Calicut are the Darsana TV and Media One TV. All major channels in malayalam viz. Manorama News, Asianet, Surya TV, Kairali TV, Amrita TV, Jeevan TV, Indiavision and Jaihind have their studios and news bureaus in the city. Satellite television services are available through DD Direct+, Dish TV, Sun Direct DTH and Tata Sky. Asianet Cable Vision popularly known as ACV telecasts daily city news. Spidernet is another local channel. Other local operators include KCL and Citinet.

The Calicut Press Club came into existence in 1970. It is the nerve centre of all media activities, both print and electronic. Began with around 70 members in the roll, this Press Club over the years has grown up to be a very prestigious and alert media center in the state with a present membership of over 280.^[36]

Telecommunications[link]

Telephone services are provided by various players like Airtel, Idea cellular, Vodafone, Aircel, Reliance Infocomm, Tata Docomo, MTS, Uninor, Tata Indicom and the state owned BSNL and most of them provide 3G services also. The city also has broadband wireless services on WiMAX platform.^[37]

Education[link]

There were reputed centres of learning and culture in Kozhikode even in the early and medieval periods. Under the rule of the enlightened Zamorins, it became famous all over South India as a rendezvous of scholars and men of learning.

The beginning of western education may be traced back to the first half of the 19th century, when in 1848 the basal Evangelical Mission started a primary school at Kallai. In 1877, a school for the young Rajas was started in Kozhikode. This was later thrown open to all caste Hindu boys. In 1879, it was affiliated to the University of Madras as a second grade college and with this, collegiate education in the district received a fillip. Secondary education recorded an appreciable progress since 1915. The erstwhile Malabar district, of which the present Kozhikode district formed a part, holds a high rank among the districts of Madras Presidency in secondary education.^[38]

Primary education[link]

Kerala primary education starts with pre-primary institutions just like Anganvadis and play schools where it is the basic stage in schooling. Primary school is further divided lower primary (LP) [classes I–IV] and into upper primary (UP) [classes V–VII]. The pattern of primary education is essentially the same all over the state. Each school is affiliated with either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), Kerala State Education Board or the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). English is the language of instruction in most private schools, while government run schools offer English or Malayalam as the medium of instruction.The city is widely known through the functioning of educational institutions like St.Josephs Boys High School ( which is more than 200 years old -Established in 1794), Silver Hills Public School and Spring Valley School.

Higher education[link]

Kozhikode is home to two premier educational institutions of national importance; the Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode (IIMK), and the National Institute of Technology, Calicut (NITC). The NITC and IIMK are institutions with university status.

The NITC was formerly known as Calicut Regional Engineering College (CREC). CREC was born in September 1961 as the ninth of its kind and the first one to be established during the Third Five Year Plan period. It become a Deemed University under the name National Institute of Technology Calicut in June 2002. NITC is located about 22 kilometers northeast of Calicut City. It started management education also (School of management Studies) in the year 2009.

The University of Calicut the main university named after the city, is in Thenjipalam, about 24 kilometres (15 mi) south of Kozhikode city, in the district of Malappuram. This university established in 1968 was the second university to be set up in Kerala. Most of the colleges offering tertiary education are affiliated with this university.^[39]

The Calicut Medical College was established in 1957 as the second medical college in Kerala. Since then, the institution has grown into a premier center of medical education in the state. Presently it is the largest medical institute in the state with an yearly intake of 250 candidates for the undergraduate program.

Some of the other major institutes in Kozhikode are the (CUIET), Government Engineering College (GEC), Malabar Christian College, Zamorin's Guruvayurappan College, St. Joseph's College, Devagiri, Mohammed Abdurahiman Memorial Orphanage College, Manassery, Farook College, Government Arts and Science College, Providence Women's College, Government Homeopathic Medical College, Government Law College, Government College of Teacher Education, Kerala School of Mathematics, DOEACC Calicut, formerly known as CEDTI etc.

Research institutes[link]

There are a few research institutes located in or around the city. These include the Indian Institute of Spices Research (IISR), the Centre for Water Resources Development and Management (CWRDM), Western Ghats Field Research Station (Zoological Survey of India) and the Regional Filaria Training and Research Centre (a centre of the National Institute of Communicable Diseases, Centre for Mathematics.DOEAC is a electronics research institute which is the only VLSI(very large scale integration) research institute in the whole of kerala.

Sports[link]

Calicut is known as second Mecca of football lovers in the country (after Calcutta).^[40] The other most popular games in Calicut are cricket,^[41] basketball, badminton and volleyball.

The E. M. S Stadium hosted many international football matches of major football teams in the past. The city is home to many international footballers. One of the famous was Olympian Abdurahman who played for the nation in many international games including Melbourne olympic games. K.P. Sethu Madhavan, Premnath Philip, Sudheer etc. are some international footballers from Kozhikode. The seven-a-side form of football is also very famous in the city.

Jaseel P. Ismail, V. Diju, and Aparna Balan are three international badminton players from the city.

The Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT) was established to promote sports development in India with focus on football. Started in 2004 and based in Calicut, the trust has set up 22 centres called "football nurseries" spread across seven districts in Kerala.^[42] Since 2010, Calicut Mini Marathon runs have been organized by IIM Kozhikode and witness participation of around 7000 people every year.

Fictional depictions[link]

• In Assassin's Creed series, during the Renaissance, a guild of the Assassin Order was based out of Calicut and received aid from Ezio Auditore's Italian guild for several important assassination assignments

See also[link]

• Mananchira Square
• Sarovaram
• Kozhikode (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Kozhikode Railway Station
• List of people from Kozhikode
• Thiruvambady
• Fraternity Tower

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kozhikode

• Kozhikode District official website
• Memories about Kozhikode by MT Vasudevan Nair^{[dead link]}
• Calicut IT Initiative