Kannur

Kannur (Malayalam: കണ്ണൂര്‍), also known as Cannanore, is a cosmopolitan city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518 km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore (Land of lord Krishna), which is used only by the Indian Railway as of now. Kannur is the sixth largest city in Kerala, after Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam and Thrissur. It is the largest city of the North Malabar region. Kannur Municipality was established in 1867 and is one of the oldest municipalities in Kerala.

Kannur is one of the Million-Plus urban agglomerations in India with a population of 1,642,892 in 2011. Kannur is known as the Land of Looms and Lore, because of the loom industries functioning in the district and ritualistic folk arts held in temples. Kannur is famous for its pristine beaches, Theyyam, its native performing art, and its handloom industry.

Temples

There are many temples and divine shrines in the coastal region of Kannur. The Annapurneshwari temple is believed to be the most divine shrine, which came up from the sea centuries ago.Other temples are

• Kottiyoor Shiva Temple
• Kanhirangad Vaidyanatha Temple
• Parassinikadavu Sree Muthappan Temple
• Peralassery Subrahmanya Temple
• Ramanthali Sankaranarayana Temple
• Thayyil Sree Venkataramana Temple
• Kandamthalli Sreekrishna Temple
• Subramania Temple
• Trichambaram Temples
• Subramanya Temple

  

  • Parassinikadavu Sree Muthappan Temple

• Suryanarayana Temple
• Sree Vithobha Temple
• Andaloor Temple
• Thaliparambu Rajarajeswara Temple
• Kadalayi Sreekrishna Temple

Beaches

Kannur has several beaches, some of which are:

• Payyambalam Beach: It is the beach of the Kannur town. It has an unbroken coastline of a few kilometres. From the beach, one can see ships in transit along the Malabar Coast, that is, beyond Kozhikode and moving towards Mangalore, Goa and 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.

• Baby Beach: It is so called as it is smaller than its bigger neighbourhood, Payyambalam Beach. The famous St. Angelo Fort is adjacent to it.

• Meenkunnu Beach: Situated at Azhikode, it is a few kilometres from the town.

• Mapila Bay: Situated near the St. Angelo’s Fort, the Mopila bay has a historical background. Centuries ago, it was the seat of Kolathiri Kings. The Kadalayi Fort and Sree Krishna Temple were quite famous. The remnants of the fort and the temple are still seen in Mopila Bay. A fishing harbour, built with Indo-Norwegian project assistance, can be seen at this bay.

• Kizhunna Ezhara Beach: 11 km from Kannur, is one of the most secluded beaches in Kerala.

• Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach: is Kerala’s only drive-in beach, situated about 5 km north of Thalassery and 15 km from Kannur. There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves, leading to the beach. The beach is about 5 kilometres long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur beach on the north. To the South and about 200 metres away from the beach there is a beautiful island called the "Green Island" which adds to the allure of the beach.

• Dharmadam Island: (100 metres away from the mainland at Dharmadam): The small 5 acre (20,000 m²) island covered with coconut palms and dense bushes is a beautiful sight from the Muzhappilangad beach. During low tide, one can walk to the island from the beach. It is surrounded by rivers and seas. Permission is required to enter this privately owned island. Dharmadam, earlier known as Dharmapattanam, was a Buddhist stronghold.

Flora and fauna

Kannur district is very rich in vegetation. Natural vegetation, except in some coastal regions, consists of different types of forests. But, in spite of generally favourable climatic conditions, vegetation is not uniform. In restricted regions, with their own micro climate or special edaphic features, plant formations assume different characters. Thus, plant communities, ranging from psammophytes and mangroves to evergreen forests are seen in this district.
The coastal region is a comparatively narrow zone, characterised by secondary soil which is rather lose and sandy. The sterile sandy tract supports only a poor vegetation of the psammophyte type. Plants are few and mostly prostrate. Erect species are small and short. Owing to very poor water holding capacity of the soil, these plants are provided with special xerophytic adaptations. Another conspicuous feature of this area is the mangrove vegetation, found at the estuaries of rivers and backwaters, and often extending to the interior along their banks. Human interference has much changed the vegetation of the coastal region.
Major part of the district comes under midland region with numerous hills and dales and it presents an undulating surface gradually ascending and merging into the slopes of Western Ghats. Soil is secondary and lateritic with underlying rock of laterite or disintegrated gneiss. Typical flora of this area is deciduous forest consisting of a mixture of evergreen and deciduous trees. Undergrowth consists of a variety of annuals and perennials.
The mountains are a continuation of the midland region, gradually ascending to the main ridge of the Western Ghats. Soil in the western slopes is a ferruginous red, sandy loam. Vegetation over the whole area is of the forest type. Irregular distribution of teak, localised areas of bamboo dominance, change of good quality forest into open grass lands, etc. are characteristic.