India Tourism » Kannur Kerala

As we entered the portals of St Angelo’s Fort (also known as Kannur Fort) in North Kerala’s Kannur district, the incessant chatter of tourists immediately greeted us. Images and sounds of gunshots, artillery and soldiers of a bygone era flashed across our minds filling us with a sense of dread and wonder. We looked around wank, almost expecting a soldier to pounce upon us from behind a pillar or a trench, targeting us with a rifle. The splashes of surf of the Arabian Sea added to the mystery and aura of this triangular structure of laterite that stood on its shores. A sea wall projecting from the fort separated the rough sea from the inland waters.

Back in time
Steeped in history, the erstwhile strategic seaside military base witnessed the rule of three colonial rulers—the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English. The moat, imposing bastions, laterite walls, jails, barracks, stables, an ordnance storehouse, cement cannons and a baroque-style church are reminiscent of immense military activities that took place here. Mysterious secret underground escape tunnels and routes add to its intrigue. From the fort, we had a captivating view of the Arakkal Mosque and the fishing boats anchored at the Moplah Bay, a natural fishing harbour.

Trade affairs
The spice-scented shores of Kannur have beckoned visitors from faraway lands ever since Solomon’s ships anchored along its coast to collect timber to build the ‘Temple of the Lord’. This ancient kingdom of the Chirakkal Rajas has always been a preferred destination for dauntless foreign travellers such as Marco Polo, Fa Hien, Abdul Razzak and Ibn Battuta, who have praised its legendary wealth and beauty. Kannur was a busy outpost for the spice trade, enticing enterprising voyagers, seafarers and traders from around the world. Malabar’s coffee, coconut, ginger and other legendary spices such as cardamom, cinnamon and pepper have beckoned the Arabs, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Dutch and the British to her shores to trade, fight and win battles for domination of the spice trade.

Sands of time
Besides the intriguing history, there is a multitude of attractions for tourists in and around Kannur. For beach buffs, there are beaches galore to explore along the 82-km coastline of Kannur. Each beach has its own allure. Payyambalam Beach, on the outskirts of Kannur towards the cantonment, is where P. T. Usha, Kerala’s ace athlete, sprinted to world fame. With its well laid-out gardens and the massive sculpture of mother and child by reputed sculptor Kannayi Kunhiraman, Payyambalam is currently a hot spot for tourists and locals alike. Some of the smaller beaches such as Baby Beach and Meenkunnu are isolated and relatively unknown to a large multitude of tourists. And that is their biggest USP.

At Ezhimala, the site of India’s largest naval academy, you can stroll along the spotless, desolate beach with its silver sands, a gentle lapping sea, huge boulders and a lighthouse that once used to guide ancient mariners. Carved stone pillars and an ancient burial chamber can be seen at the of the hills. There are also chances spotting dolphins here. Several of rare medicinal plants have also discovered here. Legend has it that when Lord Hanuman was carrying the mountain with the lifesaving growing on it, he accidentally dropped a few pieces this land. Cradled in rocks with vegetation, Kizhunna Ezhara is a secluded beach just 11 km from Kannur.

Idol talk
If you are spiritually inclined, include in your itinerary the temples at Taliparamba Trichambaram Vishnu and Raja Rajeswari where women allowed to worship only after 8 p.m. and also the Sree Ramaswami term with its exquisite carvings. We took a boat ride along the Valapattanam River to reach the Muthappan in Parassinakadavu, situated along riverbank. One unique feature of the temple is that the much-revered is propitiated with offerings of dried fish and toddy! It is said that foreign liquor will also do. Dogs too, are for the lore, well, folklore is special favourites of the deity an just outside the sanctum sanctorum. Another interesting feature is that performing art of Kerala) is performed the year only in this temple with snake pits and cages that holdan impressive variety of reptiles.

Kannur culture
We drove out of Kannur to visit the Kanhirode Weavers Co-operative, one of the largest of the innumerablehand-weaving co-operatives in Kerala. It was a treat to watch weaver sat work on traditional pit looms, handlooms and shuttles, weaving and international use. The next halt was Dinesh Beedi Co-operative, to the latest political developments one of the largest beedi (local leaf-wrapped cigarette) factories in Kerala. It is just a hop away from theweaving centre. We saw men an women cutting the leaves and fill in cotton and silk fabrics for domestic land of cakes, circuses, cricket; the them with tobacco as they listen across the globe read out loud from a newspaper by a ‘newspaper reader as for the lore, well folklore is omnipresent in Kannur. It is the cradle of the ritualistic theeyyam performances featuring colourfully costumed performers enacting fascinating folk tales in temples spread over Kannur district. Its rich cultural legacy is also reflected in the kalaripayattu, an ancient martial art form. There’s more to unravel in Kannur other than looms lores, beedis, beaches and temples. Other tourist spots include Brown’s plantations at at Anjarakandy, Asia’s largest spice plantation; Aralam Sanctuary, a trekkers paradise; and Pythal Mala, a picturesque hill station.

Around town
A trip to Kannur is incomplete without visit to Thalassery town (20 km), tie the land of cakes, circuses, cricket the house of Dr Herman Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam-English dictionary, the Odathil Palli a medieval mosque and Mambally, the first western style bakery in Kerala where English tea cakes were first baked. As for cricket, it was Arthur Wellesley who first introduced the game among commoners. The 2000-year-old Thodikkalam

Siva Temple is a 24-km detour from Thalassery. It is famed for its woodcraft and exquisite mural paintings, dating back to the 18th century. The Kottiyur Shiva Temple (50 km away), deep in the lush forests of Kottiyur, is also worth a visit.

At Muzhappilangad Beach supposedly India’s only drive-in beach at low tide, we saw tourists zipping and zooming past on motorbikes and in four-wheel drives. We took a leisurely stroll along the 4 km stretch and then relaxed blissfully on the beach overlooking Dharmadam Island (Green Island), a 5 acre island encircled by a river and the sea. Being a Buddhist stronghold, it was earlier known as Dharmapattanam. One can see the water gushing up madly and then receding as quickly in turns. At low tide, one can daily in knee-deep waters for hours on end and wade all the way up to the island. There are laterite cliffs, some with deep fissures, protruding into the sea. The serenity of a new moon night with the waves dashing furiously against the ring of laterite cliffs lingered in our memories long after our departure.

Getting there
ByAir.- Jet Airways has daily flights from Mumbai to Kozhikode, which is the nearest airport (90km) to Kannur.
By Rail: Kannur is well connected on the national railway grid.
By Road: There are several private, buses and State Transport buses that ply daily to Kannur from Mysore (8 hours), Mangalore (4 hours), Kozhikode (2.5 hours) and Ernakulum (8 hours).

Accommodation
Kannur has several accommodation options that cater to all kinds of budgets.