Chirakkal is a

census town In India and some other countries, a census town is designated as a town that satisfies certain characteristics. India In India, a census town is one which is not statutorily notified and administered as a town, but nevertheless whose population ...

in Kannur district in the state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is a suburb of

Kannur city Kannur (), formerly known in English as Cannanore, is a city and a municipal corporation in the state of Kerala, India. It is the administrative headquarters of the Kannur district and situated north of the major port city and commercial hu ...

of about 7 km away.

History

The Kovilakam ("Palace" in the Malayalam language) of

Kolathiri Kolathiri or Kolathiri Rājā (King of KolathunāduA. Shreedhara Menon (2007), ''A brief History of Kerala'', DC Books, Kottayam or King of Cannanore in foreign accounts) was the title by which the senior-most male along the matrilineal line of ...

s, the erstwhile ruling dynasty is situated in Chirakkal. The Kolathiri of Chirakkal was also known as Chirakkal Raja meaning the King of Chirakkal. The southern branch of the same family ruled over

Venad Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...

and is today known as the Travancore Royal Family. Kolathiris are the successors of Mooshiks Kings who ruled northern Kerala in the first century AD. The detailed history of this dynasty and hidden history of this region is mentioned in the "Mooshika Vamsham" a Sanskrit poetic text, written by Athulan in the tenth century AD. Mooshika Vamsham is believed to be one of the earliest Sanskrit books written based on the history of northern Kerala. Kolathiris were political and commercial rivals of the Samoothiris (Zamorins) of Kozhikode.

Bekal Fort Bekal Fort is a medieval fort built by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi in 1650 AD, at Bekal. It is the largest fort in Kerala, spreading over . Structure The fort appears to emerge from the sea. Almost three-quarters of its exterior is in con ...

now in Kasaragod and

Chandragiri Chandragiri is a suburb and neighbourhood of Tirupati and located in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a part of Tirupati urban agglomeration and a major growing residential area in Tirupati It is the mandal headqua ...

Fort were originally under the Chirakkal Rajas until the time of Shivappa Naik's invasion of Kolathunadu Nowadays the recognition of the Chirakkal Raja is widely regarded by the folk artists, especially the

Theyyam Theyyam (/ t̪eːjjəm/; romanised: ''teyyam'') are Hindu ritualistic dance forms practiced in northern Kerala and some parts of Karnataka. Theyyam is also known as Kaḷiyāṭṭaṁ or Tiṟa. Theyyam consists of traditions, rituals and c ...

artists. The most gifted among them receive 'pattum valayum' (a type of silk cloth and golden bangle) from the Chirakkal Raja as recognition.

Demographics

As of 2011 Census, Chirakkal census town with an area of had a population of 45,601, where male population is 21,123 and female population is 24,478. Population of Children under the age of 0-6 is 4902, male child population under the age of six is 2412 and female child population under the age of six is 2490. Total literacy rate of Chirakkal is 96.05%, male literacy rate is 97.57% and female literacy rate is 94.77%. In Chirakkal, Female Sex Ratio is 1159 per 1000 Males. Child sex ratio is 1032 per 1000 male child under the age of six. Total number of house holds in Chirakkal is 9599.

Famous residents

Former

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Shri

K. Karunakaran Kannoth Karunakaran (5 July 1918 – 23 December 2010) was an Indian politician and member of the Indian National Congress (INC). He served as the Chief Minister of Kerala four times during the late 1970s through the mid 1990s. He is the ...

was born in Chirakkal in 1918.

Image gallery

File:The Palace Pond, Chirakkal, Kannur, Kerala. (4488403697).jpg, Chirakkal Chira File:Chirakkal chira.jpg, Chirakkal Chira File:Kotiyettam of the festival of Chirakkal Kadalayi sreekrishna temple.jpg, Kodiyettam at Kadalayi File:Banyan tree at Kanhirathara, Chirakkal.jpg, Kanhirathara File:Bird at Chirakkal Chira-1.jpg, A

grey heron The grey heron (''Ardea cinerea'') is a long-legged wading bird of the heron family, Ardeidae, native throughout temperate Europe and Asia and also parts of Africa. It is resident in much of its range, but some populations from the more northern ...

amongst the water lilies at Chirakkal chira File:Bird at Chirakkal Chira-2.jpg, A

cattle egret The cattle egret (''Bubulcus ibis'') is a cosmopolitan species of heron (family Ardeidae) found in the tropics, subtropics, and warm-temperate zones. It is the only member of the monotypic genus ''Bubulcus'', although some authorities regard it ...

at the Chirakkal chira

References

Suburbs of Kannur {{Kannur-geo-stub

History

Demographics

Famous residents

Image gallery

See also

References