Hearitage

On the side of the road along the Kappad Beach n Kozhikode one can find a stone memorial with an inscription which remembers the date when Vasco Da Gama landed at Kappad. The memorial is appropriate to have in Calicut as the epoch of Gama is an important milestone in the history of Calicut. Gama is credited to have found the route to India when he landed in Kappad but this belief is not true to a certain extent. Even before Gama landed at Kappad, Calicut had trade relations with the Chinese & the Arabs. The arrival of Vasco Da Gama only resulted in the start of relations with Europe & for that unknowingly Gama is responsible. In truth, there is nothing in Vasco Da Gama’s discovery which entitles him to the claim of a great explorer. His glory is entirely based on the historical events that followed his arrival & many years past his death. Vasco Da Gama did not reach the coast of Kerala accidentally or sailed in unchartered waters. On the contrary he was helped by very com...

This picturesque temple in the village of Moodadi stands along the coast of the Arabian Sea. The temple still has its roots in the old times with the way it looks and feels, apart from some minor changes along the coastal promenade, most of the traditional rituals & architecture are still present here as it did at the time of origin. The history of the temple is unknown but it is around 5000 years old & one among the 108 Durga temples consecrated by Lord Parasurama which has its devotion towards Jaladurga or Sea Goddess. The temple is built along the coast which resembles the letter Ohm as it makes a turn along the land. To save the land from the sea, Parasurama built the temple & is now known by different names – Oru Punyakava, Uru Punyakavu, Guru Punyakavu. One can also worship Ayyapan, Ganapati & Vishnu here. T he temple has 5 holy ponds, out of these water from one pond is taken for the rituals of the temple. The water from these ponds are also used to cook food for...

Tucked in the beautiful town of Iringal is the Kunjali Marakkar Museum which celebrates the life of the great warrior. The house of Kunjali is a heritage one-storeyed house built on laterite stones & has wooden pillars. The important exhibits in the museum include the sword used by the legendary warrior Kunjali Marakkar, the cannonballs used in warfare on seas and some other war relics belonging to the period of the Zamorins. The museum also highlights the history of great Naval warriors of the bygone era from the family. Kunjali Marakkar is not a person, it's a title given to the naval chief of the Zamorin Kings. There were 4 Marakkars who fought against the Portuguese for over a century during the 16th Century and were credited for organizing the first naval defense against foreign powers. Out of the 4, the most important were the 3rd & the 4th Kunjalis whose valor is remembered even today. They were brilliant navigators on the seas & were well versed in Guerrilla tac...

The Thacholi Manikoth was once the residence of Thacholi Othenan, the legendary kalaripayattu warrior who lived in Kadathanadu during the 16th Century. Today there is no residence but a small temple dedicated to Thacholi Othenan, his nephew Kelu Kurup and his elder brother Komapa Kurup. Othenan was known to have mastered all 19 moves of Kalari which was considered to be an incredible feat at such a young age. According to legend another celebrated kalari exponent, Kadirur Gurukal challenged Othenan for a duel. Both Othenan & Kadirur Gurukal were well versed in the art of Poozhikadakan which is a unique fighting technique where the warriors move so swiftly that it creates a whirlpool of dust around and the warriors fight in this haze. Othenan was able to defeat gurukal in the duel & his victory was celebrated by the people who planned a great hero’s welcome in his village. The celebration came to an abrupt end when Othenan was cunningly shot with a gun by Mayankutti who was one...

The temple dedicated to Goddess Bhadrakali has many legends associated with its origin. There are no historical records of when the temple was built but the stories trace its origin to around the early 18th century. The Ettuveetil family who belonged to the Vaishya community is credited for building the temple. After their plot of killing the powerful king Marthanda Varma - the ruler of erstwhile Travancore kingdom was foiled they fled to the north & settled in a place called Kollam. They were enterprising merchants & devotees of goddess Sri Porkali. To get more prosperous in the new land, one member of the family undertook a penance to please the goddess. The Goddess pleased with his devotion appeared before him & handed over her sword – Nandakam saying – “Believe I’m there with you irrespective of where you are”. She asked him to worship the sword as a symbol of her. The family became prosperous in years and in devotion wanted to build a temple & asked the Zamorin kin...

A temple like no other is quite unique in terms of how it came into being & the rituals conducted here. Locally known as the Thruchherumana Kshethram or Vadakkeshwaram temple, the name Akkare - Ikkare kshethram is what it is commonly known by. The temple is not actually a structure but a yagna site & is situated on both sides of the Bavali river. The permanent temple is on the western bank & is called the Ikkare Kottiyoor Kshethram & the temporary yagna site is on the eastern bank by the name of Akkare kottiyoor. The temple holds importance to an event revered in Hindu Mythology & is situated within dense forests. At the Akkare Kottiyoor kshethram it is forbidden to build any permanent structure as it symbolizes the simple life of the hermits who were present to witness sati committing suicid not does it have any sanctum for devotees to worship Sati as Shakthi.  The exact date of temple construction is not known but as per legend the temple was built when the Sw...

  One among the 108 Durga temples consecrated by Lord Parasurama, the presiding deity is Durga Devi who is present here as the patron of music arts & knowledge. The temple is at Muzhakkunnu or Mizhavu Kunnu, the name came from the shape of the mountain which resembles the traditional instrument - Mizhavu. As per legend it is believed that the most revered musical instrument of Gods - Mridangam fell from the heaven at this spot where the temple stands and so the place was named Mridanga Shaili Nilayam as per old records. Inside the temple there is a secret chamber which houses Mizhavil Bhagwati & one has to worship her to complete their visit to the temple. The Kottayam royal family considers the Goddess as their family deity & it is said that the legendary warrior Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja prayed at the temple & was an ardent devotee. The temple also has its importance in history for being the place where the Kottayam Thampuran created the beautiful dance form of K...

Commonly known as the Kannur fort, this triangular shaped fort built with laterite has a view of the Mappila Bay on one side & the Dharmadam Island on the other side. The construction of the fort was started in 1505 by the 1st Portuguese governor Don Francesco Almeida.  Malabar for many centuries had been trading with the Arabs & it was a very lucrative channel for both sides to expand their products, but the arrival of Vasco Da Gama in 1498 opened a new channel of trade for the people in Malabar. The Portuguese also got a piece of the trade which was enjoyed for a long time by the Arabs. The arrival of Portuguese also helped other Europeans to open their markets. The region of Malabar was ruled by two kings, the Zamorins to the south & Kolathiris to the north. There were constant run-ins between the two rulers to control areas which were in dispute & the Portuguese wanted to keep the rift wide open to give them more opportunity to better their trade.  Post th...

  The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is named as Sundareswara or the most beautiful being which has also been a symbol of upliftment of the backward in Malabar. The temple is one of the largest in Kannur and its one among the three temples consecrated by the revered Sree Narayana Guru in North Kerala. The temple was constructed in 1916 but the story behind its origin is of how Gurudevan had to be convinced in building this temple. Sree Narayana was in the south of Kerala trying his best to work at the betterment of the backward & downtrodden who were suffering under the atrocities of the upper class. The Thiyya community of Malabar on the other hand were better off due to the rule of the British who facilitated the access of education & employment to them. Though their way of life was far better than those in the south, the spiritual upliftment could not be achieved as backward caste members were not allowed to enter temples. The members thus indulged in Buddhist ri...

The Anjengo fort is set in the beautiful sands near Varkala sandwiched between the sea & backwaters. The name of the fort now is Anjuthengu fort & is an architectural marvel built with the sole objective to defend from attack. The fort is a first in many ways, it was the first permanent post in Malabar Coast of the British East India Company, it is the first signalling station of the British by way of the lighthouse which helped ships navigate to the shores & it is the first place to have seen a resistance to the British rule by locals. The fort is a perfect square structure with reinforced stone walls on all sides and four bastions. All the bastions were secured by 18 pounder guns which would have been an imposing sight at the time of its prime. All the bastion walls also had guns intermittently placed to attack the enemies coming from the sea. The fort also had garrisons to hold ammunition for over 3 months in case there was a long siege. The fort also had quarters for th...