The history of Kannur can be divided into different phases as it had been under the dominance of various rulers and dynasties. On the basis of the available historical records its history dates back to 9th century when it was under the dominance of Mooshaka Kings and Kolathiris. Thus, the first phase of its history begins with these rulers:
Mooshaka Kings and Kolathiris: In the beginning of the 9th century the rulers of Cheras dynasty re-established their dominance in this region under the leadership of Kulasekhra Varman. They established their capital at Mahodayapuram and maintained their control in the region till 1102 A.D. The huge portion of the land including the areas of present Kannur district were also under their dominance.
On the other side the rulers of next generation known as Mooshaka had their influence on Chirakkal and Kasargod areas and established their capital near mount Eli. By the end of 14th century the rulers of the Mooshaka kingdom were recognized as Kolathunad and the rulers were called as Kolathiris and had their dominance in the areas of north Kerala.
With the arrival of the Portuguese in the area by the end of 15th century the Kolathiris rulers were interested to expand their power on the region with the help of Portugueses. As the result of this the Zamorins of Kozhikkode became their political and commercial rival.
The Period of Vasco Da Gama: Vasco Da Gama was a Portuguese traveler who traveled India during May 1498 as visited the region of Kozhikkode. However he did not visited the region of Kannur but he had established the contacts with the rulers of Kolathiri dynasty. The main objective of Kolathiri rulers was to gain wealth and power with the help of Vasco Da Gama. On the other side the rulers of Zamorin dynasty had also acquired the help of Arab rulers to maintain their supremacy in the area.
As the result of the mutual conflicts between the rulers of Kolathiri and Zamorin rulers, Vasco Da Gama, entered in an alliance with the rulers of Kolathiri dynasties and fulfilled his interests to establish the monopoly of the pepper trade.
In the later years De Almeidia was sent from Portugal with instructions to capture the forts of both the dynasties. He constructed the Kannur Fort in 1505 and it was named as Saint Angelo.
On March 16th, 1506, the Portuguese captured the areas under the dominance of Zamorin which had captured with the help of Turks and Arabs. The Portugues navy under the supervision of Lorenzo Alemdia started the war against the rulers of Zamorin dynasty and captured the whole area with the help of their navy.
The Period of English East India Company: The area remained under the control of Portuguese till the end of 17th century. However by that time East India Company had established its control over India and stepped towards the Kerala region to capture the area of Thalassery.
By that time the rulers of Kolathiri dynasty also started loosing their dominance over the region and by the beginning of the 18th century as the result of weakening control the royal family surrendered against the East India Company.
Freedom Movement: The district of Kannur had played an distinctive role in the India’s Struggle for Freedom and various other political movements. With the formation of Indian National Congress in 1885 the people of Kannur got attracted towards its policies and started participating in the various movements started by it for freedom. A district committee was constituted in 1908 at Malabar. Apart, from this a branch of All India Home Rule League which was founded by Dr. Annie Besant also started functioning in the Thalassery area of the region under the supervision of V.K. Krishna Menon as its active worker.
The people of Kannur district actively participated in the non-cooperation movement and boycotted the foreign goods. Their efforts got encouraged by the visits of Mahatama Gandhi and Maulana Shaukat Ali.
Statistical Data of Kannur District:
District
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Kannur
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Area (in Sq.km)
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2,966
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Population
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24,08,956
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Males
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11,52,817
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Females
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12,56,139
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Sex ratio : Females/1000
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1,090
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Density of Population
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812
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Per Capita Income (in Rs)
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17,260
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Literacy rate
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92.59 (Male 96.13 Female 89.40)
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Coastal line in km.
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82
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Water bodied area in ha.
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5,573
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Forest area in ha.
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48,734
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Assembly Constituencies
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1. Payyannur
2. Thalipparamba
3. Irikkur
4. Azhikkode
5. Kannur
6. Edakkad
7. Thalasseri
8. Koothuparamba
9. Peringalam
10. Peravoor
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Geography: Geographically the district lies between latitudes 11° 40' to 12° 48' North and longitudes 74° 52' to 76° 07' East. The district is surrounded by the Western Ghats in the East (Coorg district of Karnataka State), Kozhikkode and Wayanad districts, in the South, Lakshadeep sea in the West and Kasaragod, the northern most district of Kerala, in the North. The district can be divided into three geographical regions - highlands, midlands and lowlands. The highland region comprises mainly of mountains.
The area is mainly used for major plantations like coffee, rubber, tea, cardamom and other spices. Timber trees like teak, veetty, etc are grown in plenty in this region. The midland region, lying between the mountains and the low lands, is made up of undulating hills and valleys. This is an area of intense agricultural activity. The lowland is comparatively narrow and comprises of rivers, deltas and seashore. This is a region of coconut and paddy cultivation.
Tourist Destinations: Kannur has the high potential to attract the tourists through out the world. The major tourist attractions are mentioned below:
Fort St. Angelos: It was built in 1505 by the first Portuguese Viceroy, Don Francisco De Almeida, as the result of an alliance with the rulers of Kolathiri dynasty, on a promontory jutting into the Lakshadweep Sea. The fort was captured by Dutch in 1663 and sold it to the Ali Raja of Kannur in 1772 and in 1790 it came into the possession of the British. The British rebuilt it and made it their most important station in Malabar .
Thalassery Fort: The British arrived in Thalassery in 1683 and started their trade centre. They shifted their commercial capital to Thalassery from Kozhikkode, following obstruction from the Dutch. In 1700, the British built the Thalassery Fort on a small hill called Tiruvellapadkunnu and in 1708, it was strengthened by increasing its height and with bastions.
Payyambalam Beach Resort: It is one of the beautiful beaches of the state and people visit this place especially in the evenings. It is very near Kannur town.
Malayalakalagramam: Located 29 kms from Kannur it is one of the renowned centres for arts and culture at New Mahe.
Pazhassi Dam : This dam is situated 37 Kms, in the east of Kannur. This is an ideal place for tourists to visit. The D.T.P.C provides pleasure boating facilities at the reservoir. Accommodation is available at the Project Inspection Bungalow and its dormitories.
Apart from this as the district is blessed with abundant number of natural resources there is a huge fleet of tourists destination for the tourists to visit.
Connectivity: Airways: Nearest airports are: Calicut - 115 km South; Mangalore – 170 km North.
Railways: Major Railway Station on Shornur - Mangalore line accessible to Goa and Mumbai through Konkan railway line.
Roadways: One can also reach the town by all season motorable roads. The nearby cities like Bangalore (8 hrs), Calicut (3 hrs) and Mangalore (4 hrs) are well connected by regular bus.
Distance chart- Bangalore-324 km
- Ernakulam-310 km
- Kozhikode-92 km
- Mangalore-150 km
- Mumbai-1215 km
- Mysore (direct)-185 km
- Thiruvananthapuram-505 km
Explore here to know more about Kannur district