Send Flowers to Kozhikode

Kozhikode (Calicut) offers fare to suit every palate. It is famous for Kozhikodan Malabar Biriyani. The city is also famous for Kozhikodan Haluva called as Sweet Meat by Europeans due to the texture of the sweet. Kozhikode (Calicut) has a main road in the town named Mittai Theruvu (Sweet Meat Street, or S.M. Street for short). It derived this name from the numerous haluva stores which used to dot the street. Another specialty is banana chips, locally known as nenthra-kaaya oopperi or just upperi, which are made crisp and wafer-thin. Other popular dishes include seafood preparations (prawns, mussels, mackerel) . Vegetarian fare includes the sadya. However, the newer generation is more inclined towards to Chinese and American food. Chinese food is very popular among the locals.

The Kozhikode (Calicut) Monorail planned now under implementation stage.The construction will start by the end of 2012. The state government has submitted the proposal for the monorail project to the central government and is awaiting approval. It is an undertaking by DMRC.The routes planned: MedicCalicut Medical College-Meenchanda-Calicut International Airport .The monorail will connect through the railway station. The first phase of the project has an estimated cost of around 2000 crore, and is proposed for completion in three phases. It will reach to meenchanda. After completing this project, Kozhikode (Calicut) is the first city have Monorail in south India.The Kozhikode (Calicut) Monorail will be extended to Malapparamba, and plans exist to later extend it to Kunnamangalam.

Many prominent writers of Malayalam literature hail from Kozhikode (Calicut). Among them are S. K. Pottekkatt, Thikkodiyan, U. A. Khader, K. T. Muhammed, Akbar Kakkattil, N. V. Krishna Warrier, N.N. Kakkad, M.P.Veerendra Kumar, P. Valsala and M. T. Vasudevan Nair. Sanjayan a known satirist was also from the city. S. K. Pottekkatt was a famous Malayalam writer, author of nearly sixty books which include ten novels, twenty-four collections of short stories, three anthologies of poems, eighteen travelogues, four plays, a collection of essays and a couple of books based on personal reminiscences. His biographical novel Oru Desattinte Katha won the Kerala Sahithya Academy Award in 1972, the Kendra Sahithya Academy Award in 1977, and the Jnanpith Award in 1980.

A television transmitter has been functioning in Kozhikode (Calicut) since 3 July 1984, relaying programmes from Delhi and Thiruvananthapuram Doordarshan. Doordarshan has its broadcasting centre in Kozhikode (Calicut) located at Medical College. The Malayalam channels based on Kozhikode (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.

Pre-modern Kozhikode (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. 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 Muslims of Kozhikode (Calicut) are known as Mappilas, and according to the official Kozhikode (Calicut) website “the great majority of them are Sunnis following the Shafi school of thought. There are also some smaller communities among the Muslims such as Dawoodi Bohras. Many of the Muslims living in the historic part of the city follow matriliny and are noted for their piety. 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.

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.

Kozhikode (Calicut) 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 (Calicut) District with 8% of the state population makes 12% contribution to the state’s income. Kozhikode (Calicut) has witnessed a building boom in recent years. This is particularly evident in the number of malls and buildings built in recent years. Kozhikode (Calicut) is also going to be the first city in Kerala to have a mono rail transporting system.The KSRTC bus terminal which is under construction is the biggest bus terminal in Kerala.

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 (Calicut). 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 (Calicut) district formed a part, holds a high rank among the districts of Madras Presidency in secondary education.

The Tamil Brahmins are primarily settled around the Tali Siva temple. They arrived in Kozhikode (Calicut) as dependants of chieftains, working as cooks, cloth merchants and moneylenders. 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 Kozhikode (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 Kozhikode (Calicut) who were basically moneylenders.

A number of rivers originating from the Sahyadri run along the outer reaches of the city. 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 (Calicut). 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 Kozhikode (Calicut). The length of the river is 22 kilometres (14 mi).

In the field of Malayalam language and literature, Kozhikode (Calicut) 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 celebrate the exploits of Thacholi Othenan and Unniyarcha. An intellectual debate for Vedic scholars, where winners receive the title of Pattathanam, takes place at Thali temple during the month of Thulam. Kozhikode (Calicut) also has a strong associations with ghazals and football.

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.

Kozhikode (Calicut) which is the biggest city in the Malabar region, also has a vital role in the entertainment segment as well. City has more than 10 theatres and 1 Multiplex which encourages the entertainment segment to its top. The first multiplex in Malabar became a reality following the efforts of P.S. Nataraj, managing director, P.V.S. Film City, and M.M. Ramachandran, chairman of Atlas Group of Companies with establishment of PVS Film City. Two of the screens have active 3-D facility, which is said to be the first of its kind in the State.

Ibn Battuta (1342–1347), who visited six times, gives us the earliest glimpses of life in the city. He describes Kozhikode (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”.

Kozhikode (Calicut) features a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). 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.

Some of the other major institutes in Kozhikode (Calicut) 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.

The Kozhikode (Calicut) 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. It operates 16 police stations functioning under the Home Ministry of Government of Kerala.

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 the only VLSI(very large scale integration) research institute in the whole of Kerala.

The name Kozhikode (Calicut) derives, according to K.V. Krishna Ayyer, from koyil (palace) plus 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 (Calicut).