Kannur

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For the district with the name Kannur, see Kannur District.

For town with same name in Karnataka, see Kannur, Dakshina Kannada

Kannur
Kannur Location of Kannur in Kerala and India
Country	India
State	Kerala
District(s)	Kannur
Population	63,797 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Codes • Pincode • 670 0xx • Telephone • +91 497 • UN/LOCODE • IN-KL-KNR • Vehicle • KL-13
Website	www.kannur.nic.in

Coordinates: 11°52′08″N 75°21′20″E / 11.8689°N 75.35546°E / 11.8689; 75.35546

Kannur, (Malayalam: കണ്ണൂര്‍), is a city and a municipality in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the district of Kannur. It is known as Land of Looms and Lores. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its portuguese name of Cannanore, which is still in fairly common usage.

Kannur is the fourth largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi, Thiruvananthapuram and Kozhikode, and has a population of 498207. Kannur is popularly known as the city of Looms and Lores. Kannur is famous for its pristine beaches, its native performing art Theyyam, and its handloom industry.

Kannur is of strategic military importance. It houses one of the 62 military cantonments in the country, the Kannur Cantonment, and is the current seat of the Defence Security Corps.

History

Kannur was an important port on the Arabian Sea and carried out trade with Persia and Arabia in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. It was also the British military headquarters on India's west coast up to 1887. In conjunction with her sister city Tellicherry, it was the third largest city on the western coast of British India in the eighteenth century after Bombay and Karachi.^{[citation needed]}

St. Angelo's Fort was built in 1505 by Sir Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India and is situated along the Arabian sea about 3 km from Kannur town. The fort has changed hands several times. In 1663, the Dutch captured it and sold it to the Arakkal royal family in 1772. The British conquered it in 1790 and transformed it into one of their major military stations on the Malabar Coast. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument under the Archaeological Survey of India. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it is on display at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The head of Kunjali Marakkar was exhibited in the Fort after his assassination. Here Kerala Police have posted six Tourism Police officers for the protection and guidance to the tourists. Among them one Policeman named Sathyan Edakkad Has written and published a book of this fort named Vasco da Gaamayum Charithrathile Kaanaappurangalum (Vasco da Gama and the unseen pages of history). He has detailed knowledge about the fort and the surrounding places.

Demographics

St. Angelo Fort

According to the 2001 census of India,^[1] Kannur has a population of 63,795. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Kannur has an average literacy rate of 83%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 84%, and female literacy is 83%. In Kannur, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Places in Kannur

Kannur City Centre on Fort Road

Shenoy Centre on Fort Road

Cannon at St. Angelo Fort. Mappila Bay is seen in the distance.

• St. Angelo Fort was built in 1505 by the first Portuguese Vicereroy of India Don Francisco de Almeida> In 1663 Dutch captured and in 1772 then they sold the fort to the Arakkal King the 1790 British Captured then it was under British until 1947. History book of St Angelo Fort is Vasco Da Gaamayum Charithrathile Kaanaappurangalum (Vasco Da Gama and the unseen pages of history) written by a Tourism Policeman named Sathyan Edakkad.
• Payyambalam Beach is a famous Kannur beach with an unbroken coastline of a few kilometres. From the beach, one can see ships in transit along the Malabar coast, from beyond Calicut (Kozhikode) moving towards Mangalore, Goa and Bombay (Mumbai). The well laid out garden and the massive landscaped sculpture of Mother and Child erected by noted sculptor Kanayi Kunhiraman makes it extremely captivating.
• Arakkal Museum, located in Ayikkara, is a museum dedicated to the Arakkal family, the only Muslim royal family in Kerala, south India. The museum is actually a section of the Arakkalkettu (Arakkal Palace). The durbar hall section of the palace has been converted into a museum by the Government of Kerala. It was opened in July 2005 after a Rs. 9,000,000 renovation and is managed by the Arakkal Family Trust.
• The Cannanore Lighthouse near the Sea View Park is another place of interest. The first lighthouse at Kannur was built in 1843 by the British at St. Angelo's Fort. Over the years, the lighthouse was renovated and in 1948, it was moved to the current location. The lighthouse is still in use.
• The Cannanore Cantonment is one of the 62 cantonments in the country and the only one in Kerala. It was established by the British in the 19th century and is still an important location for Indian armed forces
• The Defence Security Corps (DSC) Centre and DSC Records is located in Kannur town, on the road to Payyambalam Beach. The area is a part of the Cannanore Cantonment and is well-maintained by the Cantonment Board. The DSC centre at Kannur is the mother depot to all platoons in the country.
• Baby Beach, so-called because it is smaller than its larger neighbour, Payyambalam Beach. St. Angelo Fort is adjacent to it. The baby beach is part of the Cannanore Cantonment and access may be restricted at times.
• Meenkunnu Beach at Azhikode, just a few kilometres from the town.
• Mappila Bay in Ayikkara, near the St. Angelo fort, is a major fishing harbor overlooking the Arabian Sea.
• The Azhikkal Ferry — near Azhikode, about 10 km from Kannur town, where the Valapattanam river joins the Arabian sea. The Azhikkal ferry gives a magnificent view of the sunset. There is a granite pathway here which stretches 2 km into the sea.
• The Kannur City Center is a prominent shopping center on Fort Road.
• The Sea View Park, near the Payyambalam beach is overlooked by the Government Guest House. The Park is at an elevation from the sea level and gives a magnificent view of the sunset.
• Kannur Central Bus Terminal,its Kerala's biggest bus terminal, located at Thavakkara,its also India's first bus terminal to be developed on a build-operate-transfer(BOT)basis.
• Vismaya amusement park,the Vismaya amusement park is at Parassinikadavu, 17 km from Kannur town. The amusement park is located in 30 acres of land and can handle 3,000-3,500 visitors at a time.
• Thana,The hot spot of Kannur,located on National Highway #17 through which most of the inter-district commutation takes place.

Kannur town and Kannur City

Kannur City Skyline

The region in and around the municipality of Kannur has been so developed that it has become known as Kannur City, but it should not be confused with the old town, Kannur city.

• Kannur town — this is the actual city of Kannur and the administrative headquarters of Kannur District. The major business establishments, government offices, shopping centres, hotels, and showrooms are located in Kannur town.
• Kannur City — although named "city", Kannur City is the old town, just a few kilometres from Kannur town, and is different from Kannur town. Both Kannur town and Kannur City fall under the Kannur Municipal Council. Kannur City was the ancient capital of the Arakkal kingdom. The Kannur district HQ hospital and city bus stand are located near Kannur City.

Transportation

Kannur Railway Station

Kannur is easily reachable by road, rail, air and sea.

Kannur is on the National Highway 17 (NH-17) between Mahe and Talapady. The roads in the city are well laid out, although the condition of the roads is affected during the monsoon season.

The two airports at Mangalore, Karnataka in the north and Kozhikode in the south are just about 125 kilometers away from Kannur. Kannur International Airport is proposed at Mattanur.

Kannur is an ancient sea port. The nearest all-weather sea port is Mangalore, presently in Karnataka state. The inland water transport system connecting Perumba and Thaliparamba was constructed in 1766 by the Ali Raja of Kannur. This 3.8 km long canal is known as the Sultan's Canal. The west flowing rivers are used for navigation. The Valappattanam river, 55 km and Anjarakandi river, 23 km. The nearest airport is in Kozhikode.

Media

Private FM Radio stations

Radio Mango (the Malayala Manorama Co Ltd) -91.9

Club FM (the Mathrubhumi Printing And Publishing Co Ltd) -94.3

S FM (kal Radio,sun Network) 93.5

Best FM (asianet Communications Ltd) - 95.0

AIR FM Radio Station

Kannur - 101.5

Print Media

Besides this, almost all news papers like Mathrubhumi,Thejas, Manorama, Deshabhimani, Deepika, chandrika, Keralakoumudi, Madhyamam and other leading dailies are published from Kannur

See also

• Kannur (Lok Sabha constituency)
• Kannur district
• Thalassery
• Thalassery fort
• Muzhappilangad
• Dharmadam
• Chirakkal Raja
• Arakkal Adi Raja
• Arakkal Museum
• Muthappan
• Muthappan Theyyam
• Payyambalam Beach
• Kottiyoor Temple

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kannur

• Official website
• Kannur City map
• Kannur Jilla Panchayath Community website

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