Tucked far away from madding crowd, lies Kannur,
the most enchanting district of Northern Kerala. The scene is breath
taking. The Lakshadweep Sea washes the sands of sugary beaches laced
with rows of green coconut palms. Long rivers break into silvery spray
and merge into the blue green waters of the sea. Obviously Kerala is the
most beautiful of all Indian states and Kannur undoubtedly shows Kerala
at its best !
Kannur is a land with a resonant past. Myths and legends abound. The
ships of Solomon, they say: anchored along our coasts to collect timber
for building the 'Temple of the Lord'. Kannur finds mention as NAURA in
the 'Periplus of Erithrean Sea' a Greek work of great antiquity.
TOURIST ATTRACTION
Ezhimala
The Ezhimala is 55 km north of Kannur city. The beautiful hills on the
sea shore is a facinating sight. Plenty of rare medicinal herbs are
found on Ezhimala hills.
Madayi Mosque
This famous mosque was built by Malik Iban Dinar in1124 AD. It is about
22 kms from Kannur town. It is beleved that the marbles used to built
the Mosque are brought from Arabia.
St. Angelos Fort
The St. Angelos Fort is a major tourist attraction in Kannur was built
in 1505 by Portugese. It is 2kms away from Railway station.The Mappila
Bay Harbor and Arakkal Mosque are near the fort.
Arakkal Palace
Residence of Arackal Ali Rajas,the only Muslim royal family in Kerala.
It is about 3 kms from Kannur.
Thalassery
Thalassery was a place with commercial important even during olden
times. British East India Company setup their base in Thalassery in
1683. The Tellichery Fort was built in 1708.
The first Gymnastic training centre was setup in Thalassery.
Gundert Bungalow
Gundert Bungalow is at Illikkunnu, Thalassery. It was the residence of
German scholar Dr. Herman Gundert, who compiled the first Malayalam
dictionary. He also built a church on Nettur Hill in 1889.
Aralam wild life sanctuary
It is the one and only wild life sanctuary in Kannur, covers an area of
55 sq.km. It is about 40 kms from Kannur town. This beautiful place is
situvated in the slopes of Western Ghats, coverd with tropical ever
green forest. Elephants, bear, deer, monkey, wildcats and a large
variety of birds are found here.
Paithalmala
Paithalmala is about 1372metres above sea level and is ideal for
trekking. It is on the Kerala-Karnataka border and about 65 kms
north-east of Kannur city.
Pazhassi Dam and Gardens
It is the only reservoir with gardens in Kannur district. The reservoir
is mainly used for irrigational purposes. The gardens really worth a
visit if you are interested is boating. The District Tourism Promotion
Council boats are available to navigate through the river enjoying the
silent beauty of Pazhassi dam.The garden is a good attraction with
childrens park and sculptures.
Payyambalam beach
It is 2km away from Kannur town. It is blessed with a clean and vast
sea shore.
The beach is renovated recently with a beautiful park adorning beatiful
sculptures by famous sculputure Kanayi Kunhiraman.
HOW TO REACH KANNUR
Kannur is a major railway station on Shornur - Mangalore line. By road
Kannur is 155 KMs south of Mangalore and 535 KMs north of
Thiruvananthapuram. The nearest Airport is at Calicut which is 110 KMs
south and Mangalore Airport is 170KMs north.
