Kozhikode (), or Calicut district, is one of the 14 districts in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

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 ...

, along its Southwestern Malabar Coast. The city of

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 67.15% urbanised. The Kozhikode Municipal Corporation has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making Kozhikode metropolitan area the second-largest in Kerala and the 19th largest in India. Kozhikode is classified as a Tier 2 city by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO: ; often abbreviated as GoI), known as the Union Government or Central Government but often simply as the Centre, is the national government of the Republic of India, a federal democracy located in South Asia, ...

. NIT Calicut and IIM Kozhikode are two institutions of national importance located in the district.

is the largest city in the erstwhile

Malabar District Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792-1800) and Madras Presidency (1800-1947) in British India, and independent India's Madras State (19 ...

and acted as its headquarters during

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was him ...

. In antiquity and the medieval period, Kozhikode was dubbed the ''City of Spices'' for its role as the major trading point for

Indian spices Indian spices include a variety of spices grown across the Indian subcontinent (a sub-region of South Asia). With different climates in different parts of the country, India produces a variety of spices, many of which are native to the subconti ...

. It was the capital of an independent kingdom ruled by the Samoothiris (Zamorins), which was also the largest kingdom in

prior to the expansion of Travancore in the mid- 18th century CE. The port at Kozhikode acted as the gateway to medieval

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

n coast for the Chinese, the

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

s, the

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

, the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

and finally the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. Kozhikode district is bordered by the districts of

Kannur 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 ...

and Mahé (

Puducherry Puducherry or Pondicherry may refer to: * Puducherry (union territory), a union territory of India ** Pondicherry, capital of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry district, a district of the union territory of Puducherry ** Puducherry t ...

) to the north,

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

to the east, and Malappuram to the south. The

Arabian Sea The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...

lies to the west and Western Ghats stretches towards east. Vavul Mala, a 2,339 m high peak situated on the trijunction of Kozhikode, Malappuram, and

districts, is the highest point of elevation in the district. It lies between latitudes 11° 08'N and 11° 50'N and longitudes 75° 30'E and 76° 8'E. The Thamarassery Churam connects the city of

with the plateau of Wayanad. The district is divided into four

taluk A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

s: Kozhikode,

Vatakara Vatakara, also spelled Vadakara (formerly Badagara), , french: Bargaret, is a Municipality in the state of Kerala, India. Vatakara is located between Kannur and Kozhikode. The municipality of Vatakara covers an area of and is bordered by ...

, Koyilandy and

Thamarassery Thamarassery, formerly known as Thazhmalachery, it is one of the taluk in Kozhikode district and major hill town in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, India, 30 km north-east of Kozhikode (Calicut) City and 29 km east of Koyilandy. It li ...

. By the 2011 census there are 12 block panchayats: Balusseri, Chelannur, Koduvally, Kozhikode, Kunnamangalam, Kunnummal, Melady, Panthalayani, Perambra, Thodannur, Thuneri and Vatakara. The

Multidimensional Poverty Index Multidimensional Poverty Indices use a range of indicators to calculate a summary poverty figure for a given population, in which a larger figure indicates a higher level of poverty. This figure considers both the proportion of the population that ...

report prepared by NITI Aayog based on the National Family Health Survey 2015–16 declared Kozhikode as the third-least poor district in India, only after to

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south- ...

and Ernakulam, with a negligible multidimensional poverty rate of 0.26%.

History

Following the formation of

in 1956, the erstwhile

was divided into three: Kannur district, Kozhikode district, and Palakkad district. At that time, Kozhikode district had two Revenue Divisions: Kozhikode Revenue Division and Malappuram Revenue Division. Kozhikode Revenue Division had four Taluks: Vatakara, Koyilandy, Kozhikode, and South Wayanad. Malappuram Division had two Taluks: Eranad and Tirur. Caminho maritimo para a India

On 16 June 1969, Malappuram Revenue Division of Kozhikode district excluding three Revenue villages,

Feroke Feroke (), is a Municipality and a part of Kozhikode metropolitan area under Kozhikode Development Authority (K.D.A) in the Kozhikode district of the Indian state of Kerala. Feroke municipality shares the border with Kozhikode corporation, Ram ...

Ramanattukara Ramanattukara is a municipality census town in Kozhikode district in the Indian state of Kerala. This town was formerly called Kadungan Chira village. Ramanattukara is located 14 km away from Kozhikode city. Developing as a suburb of K ...

, and

Kadalundi Kadalundi is a village in Kozhikode district, Kerala, India. It is a coastal village close to the Arabian Sea. Kadalundi is famous for its bird sanctuary, which is home to various migratory birds during certain seasons and has been recently decla ...

, was separated to form Malappuram district. Again on 1 November 1980, the South Wayanad Taluk of Kozhikode district was separated to form

Wayanad district Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of Indian state Kerala with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern ...

Demographics

(Details for 'Kozhikode Urban' retrieved from Census of India.) According to the 2018 Statistics Report Kozhikode district has a

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction using a ...

of 3,249,761, roughly equal to the nation of

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 million, ...

or the US state of

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to th ...

2011 Census of India The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...

gives the district a ranking of 115th in India (out of a total of 640). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 7.31%. Kozhikode has a

sex ratio The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species d ...

of 1097

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 95.24%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 6.45% and 0.49% of the population respectively. The Kozhikode metropolitan area has a population of more than 2 million, making it the second-largest in Kerala and the 19th largest in India. 67.15% of the total population of Kozhikode district live in urban areas (which includes Municipal Corporations, Municipalities, and Census Towns), according to the

. The

report prepared by NITI Aayog based on the National Family Health Survey 2015–16 declared Kozhikode as the third-least poor district in India, only after to

and Ernakulam, with a negligible multidimensional poverty rate of 0.26%.

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

is the predominant language, spoken by 99.05% of the population. Small minorities speak Tamil and

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

, mainly in urban areas. The centuries of trade across the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

has given Kozhikode a cosmopolitan population.

Religion

According to the 2011 census,

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s constitute the majority of the population, followed by the Muslims and the

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

. The proportion in the 2011 census was 56.21% Hindus; 39.24% Muslims and 4.26% Christians. There is a small presence of Jains (601), Sikhs (297), and Buddhists (235).

Climate

The district has a generally humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to May. The rainy season is during the South West

Monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

, which sets in the first week of June and extends up to September. The North East Monsoon extends from the second half of October through November. The average annual rainfall is . The best weather is found in towards the end of the year, in December and January – the skies are clear, and the air is crisp. The highest temperature recorded was in March 1975. The lowest was recorded on 26 December 1975.

Administration

The headquarters of the district administration is at

Civil Station in West Hill. The district administration is headed by the District collector. He is assisted by some deputy collectors with responsibility for general matters, land acquisition, revenue recovery, land reforms, and elections.

Urban Local Bodies

There are 7 municipal towns in the district, in addition to the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation, which was established in 1962 as the second municipal corporation in Kerala after Trivandrum. They are:

Legislative representation

There are three

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

constituency in Kozhikode:

, and

. There are 13 Kerala Legislative Assembly seats in Kozhikode district.

Taluks

The district is divided into two revenue divisions which together incorporate four

Taluks A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

, each of which is headed by a

Tehsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...

, within them. *Taluks in the Vatakara Revenue Division are: *Taluks in the Kozhikode Revenue Division are:

Revenue villages

Kozhikode district is divided into 118 revenue villages for the ease and decentralisation of its revenue administration. They are further incorporated into 4

taluks A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

as eludicated below.

Vatakara Taluk

* Ayanchery * Azhiyur * Chekkiad * Chorode * Edachery * Eramala * Kavilumpara * Kayakody * Kottappally * Kunnummal * Kuttiady * Maniyoor * Maruthonkara * Nadakkuthazha * Nadapuram * Narippatta * Onchiam * Palayad * Purameri * Thinoor * Thiruvallur * Thuneri *

* Valayam * Vanimel * Velom * Vilangad *

Villiappally Villiappally is a census town in Kozhikode district in the Indian state of Kerala. Villiappally is the headquarters of Villiappally Panchayath, which contains two villages, Memunda and Villiappally. There is a Vocational Higher Secondary School i ...

Koyilandy Taluk

Arikkulam Arikkulam is a village in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. It's a grampanchayat situated in kozhikode district. Veliyannur challi is situated in arikkulam. Oravinkal temple js a famous temple which is situated in arikkulam. ...

* Atholy * Avitanallur *

Balussery Balussery is a major developing town located about 25 km northeast of Kozhikode city and lies on the sides of State Highway 34. It is one of the largest 140 assembly constituencies in Kerala and one of the 12 block Panchayats in Kozhikode dist ...

* Chakkittapara * Changaroth * Chemanchery *

Chempanoda Chempanoda/Chempanod is a village towards the north east of Kozhikode district of Kerala in India. This place lies adjacent to the tourist spot Peruvannamuzhi . Chempanoda is a tourist spot. This village is surrounded by two rivers and there a ...

Chengottukavu Chengottukavu is a village in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. Railway Station The nearest railway station is Chemanchery. Demographics India census, Chengottukavu had a population of 25293 with 11856 males and 13437 femal ...

Cheruvannur Cheruvannur is a census town and Cheruvannur-Nallalam Part of Kozhikode Corporation. Geography Cheruvannur Nallalam municipality has a total area of 10.31 square kilometers. The adjoining local self-governing bodies are Olavanna, beypore, f ...

* Eravattur *

Iringal Iringal is a village in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. History The famous son of Iringal, Kunjali Marakkar, went on to become the trusted admiral and commanded the Zamorins fleet and thwarted the efforts of Portuguese ves ...

* Kayanna *

Keezhariyur Keezhariyur is a village in Kozhikode district, that lies on the eastern shore of Akalapuzha Lake. This village is famous for the bomb case happened during Independence struggle. Malayalam is the Local Language here. Keezhariyur has its own po ...

* Koorachundu * Koothali * Kottur * Kozhukkallur * Menhannyam * Meppayur *

Moodadi Moodadi is a village in Koyilandy thaluk of Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. Railway Station The nearest railway station is Vellarakkad on the Shoranur - Mangalore line. Villagers mainly use buses for public transport. ...

* Naduvannur * Nochad * Palery * Panthalayany *

Payyoli Payyoli is a municipality town on the Malabar Coast of Kozhikode district in the South Indian state of Kerala. Payyoli is famous for being the hometown of athlete PT Usha, who is nicknamed as the Payyoli Express. It is a town in Quilandy Talu ...

* Perambra * Thikkody *

Thurayur Thurayur is a village in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics At the 2001 India census, Thurayur had a population of 14009 with 6641 males and 7368 females. Transportation Thurayur village connects to other parts of ...

* Ulliyery * Viyyur

Thamarassery Taluk

* Engapuzha * Kanthalad *

Kattippara Kattippara (Hard Rock in Malayalam) often called as Kattipara, is a Panchayat in Kozhikode district, Kerala. It is located about 10 km from Thamarassery town. It is a village with a lot of hilly areas. As the name indicates, it is famous ...

* Kinalur *

Kizhakkoth Kizhakkoth is a village in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. Demographics India census, Kizhakkoth had a population of 28316 with 13928 males and 14388 females. Transportation Kozhakkoth village connects to other parts of I ...

* Kodenchery *

Koduvally Koduvally is a major municipal town in Kozhikode district. It is located on the Calicut- Mysuru National Highway 766 (NH 766) and is about 21 km northeast of Kozhikode (Calicut) city. koduvally is known as the city of gold for its gold tr ...

* Kedavoor * Koodaranji * Koodathayi *

Narikkuni Narikkuni () is a town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. According to Census 2011 information the location code or village code of Narikkuni town is 627402. Narikkuni town is located in Kozhikode Tehsil of Kozhikode distric ...

Nellipoyil Nellipoyil is a village and is part of Kodancherry Panchayat in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. Nearest Places are Kodencheri, Thiruvambady, Thamarassery, Thusharagiri Falls. It is under Thiruvambady Assembly Constituency. Ar ...

* Panangad * Puthuppady * Puthur * Raroth * Sivapuram * Thiruvambady * Unnikulam * Vavad

Kozhikode Taluk

Beypore Beypore or Beypur (formerly Beypoor) is an ancient port town and a locality town in Kozhikode district in the state of Kerala, India. It is located opposite to Chaliyam, the estuary where the river Chaliyar empties into Arabian Sea. Beypore is ...

* Chathamangalam * Chelannur * Celavoor *

* Chevayoor * Elathur *

* Kacheri *

* Kakkad * Kakkodi * Kakkur * Karuvanthuruthy * Kasaba * Kodiyathur * Kottooli * Kumaranallur * Kunnamangalam *

Kuruvattoor Kuruvattoor is a village in Palakkad district in the state of Kerala, India. The village shares its borders with Kailiyad, Mundakottukurussi, Vallappuzha and Kanayam. The village comes under Vallapuzha Panchayat, Pattambi block and Pattamb ...

* Kuttikkattoor * Madavoor *

Mavoor Mavoor is a town situated in Kozhikode district in Kerala, India. It is 19 km away from Kozhikode city. Etymology The former name of Mavur was Pulpparambu, or "hayfields" in Malayalam, as grass for thatching houses was stored in t ...

* Nagaram * Nanmanda * Neeleshwaram * Nellikode * Olavanna * Panniyankara * Pantheeramkavu * Perumanna * Peruvayal * Poolakode * Puthuyangadi *

* Thalakkulathur * Thazhekode * Valayanad * Vengeri

Economy

is one of the largest economic hubs in Kerala. Being home to about 8% of the state's population, the district contributes more than 12% to the state's income. Nedungadi Bank, the first and oldest bank in the modern state of

, was established by Appu Nedungadi at

in the year 1899. Cyberpark at

is one of IT hubs in

. The economy of

significantly depends upon its Service sector.

Culture

Malayalam language

In the field of

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was d ...

and literature, Kozhikode district has made many significant contributions. During the 17th century, His Highness Sri Samoothiri Manavedan Maharaja authored the famous ''Krishnattam'', a Manipravalam text describing the childhood of Lord Krishna in eight volumes. The district is famous for folk songs or ballads known as '' Vadakkan Pattukal''. The most popular songs celebrate the exploits of Thacholi Othenan and Unniyarcha. An intellectual debate for Vedic scholars, where winners receive the title of ''Pattathanam'', takes place at Thali temple during the month of Thulam. Kozhikode also has a strong associations with ghazals and football.

Malayalam Literature

Many prominent writers of Malayalam literature hail from Kozhikode. Among them are S. K. Pottekkatt, Thikkodiyan, Punathil Kunjabdulla, U. A. Khader, Akbar Kakkattil, N. N. Kakkad, P. Valsala and M. N. Karassery. S. K. Pottekkatt was perhaps the most celebrated writer from Kozhikode whose award-winning work '' Oru Theruvinte Katha'' is set in S. M. Street. Several leading Malayalam publishing houses are based in the city, including Poorna,

Mathrubhumi ''Mathrubhumi'' is a Malayalam newspaper that is published from Kerala, India. It was founded by K. P. Kesava Menon, an active volunteer in the Indian freedom struggle against the British. The word "Mathrubhumi" translates to 'mother land'. ...

, Mulberry, Lipi and Olive. Several libraries are located in and around the city. The Kozhikode Public Library and Research Centre at Mananchira was constructed in 1996.

Music

In addition to the Malabar Mahotsavam, the annual cultural fest of Kozhikode, every year since 1981 the Tyagaraja Aradhana Trust has been conducting a five-day music festival in honour of Tyagaraja. The festival is complete with the Uncchavritti, rendering of Divyanama kritis,

Pancharatna Kriti The ''Pancharatna kritis'' (transliterated as ''Pañcaratna kṛti'') (Sanskrit: ''pancha'' "five" + ''ratna'' "gems") are a set of five '' kritis'' (songs) in Carnatic classical music, composed by the 18th-century Indian composer Tyagaraja. Al ...

s, concerts by professional artistes and students of music from morning to late in the evening. Kozhikode has a tradition of Ghazal and Hindustani music appreciation. There are many Malayalam Ghazals. The late film director and play back singer M. S. Baburaj, from Kozhikode was influenced by Ghazal and Hindustani. Apart, Hindi songs are more popular in this city. Mohammed Rafi Foundation, organises musical nights in the name "Rafi Nite" on birth (on 24 December) and death anniversary of legendary singer Mohammed Rafi. It is estimated that the gathering for this Rafi Nite is the largest gathering for the Rafi nite anywhere in India.

Cuisine

Kozhikode offers a variety of

South Indian South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

North Indian North India is a loosely defined region consisting of the northern part of India. The dominant geographical features of North India are the Indo-Gangetic Plain and the Himalayas, which demarcate the region from the Tibetan Plateau and Central ...

, European, Chinese,

, Gujarati and Jain food. The culinary culture of the city has been moulded by Portuguese, Dutch, French, British, Arab and other Indian influence. It offers both veg and non veg dishes in great variety. The mall culture in the city has gained momentum and fast foods are very popular. The new generation is more inclined to Chinese,Arab and American food culture and a new trend of vegetarianism is getting popular because of health concerns. The city is also famous for Haluva called as ''Sweet Meat'' by Europeans due to the texture of the sweet. Kozhikode has a main road in the town named S. M. Street (''Mittayi Theruvu''). It derived this name from the numerous ''Halwa'' stores which used to dot the street. The history of this Street dates back to time of the Zamorin of Calicut, when the ruler invited Gujarati sweetmeat makers to set up shop in the city and accommodated their shops just outside the palace walls. Another speciality is

banana chips Banana chips (sometimes called banana crisps) are deep-fried or dried, generally crispy slices of bananas. They are usually made from firmer, starchier banana varieties (" cooking bananas" or plantains) like the Saba and Nendran cultivars. T ...

, which are made crisp and wafer-thin. Other popular dishes include seafood preparations (prawns, mussels, mackerel) . Vegetarian fare includes the sadya.

Films

The film history of Kozhikode dates back to 1950s. Some of the main production companies of Malayalam films like Grihalakshmi productions, Kalpaka, Swargachithra, etc. are Kozhikode based companies. The city was also an important hub of top notch film makers like I. V. Sasi and T. Damodaran. Kozhikode produced such notable actors as Ummer,

Mammukoya Mamukkoya (born 5 July 1946) is an Indian actor known for his work in Malayalam cinema, and has also appeared in French film ''Flammens of Paradise''. He has mostly appeared in comedic roles. His unique usage of the Mappila dialect and style mar ...

, Balan K. Nair,

Santha Devi Damayanthi (1927 – 20 November 2010), better known by her stage name Kozhikode Santha Devi, was an Indian Malayalam film and stage actress. In a career spanning about sixty years, she acted in more than 1000 plays and about 480 films. Biog ...

and

Kuthiravattam Pappu Padmadalakshan, better known by his stage name Kuthiravattam Pappu (24 December 1936 – 25 February 2000), was a popular Indian stage and film actor. His repertoire of acting was based on his unique style and use of the '' Kozhikodan'' dialect, ...

. The ever green musician

Baburaj Mohammad Sabir Baburaj was an Indian music composer. He is often credited for the renaissance of Malayalam film music. Baburaj has rendered music to many evergreen Malayalam film songs. Early years Baburaj was born on 9 March 1929 in Kozhikod ...

Gireesh Puthenchery Girish Puthenchery (1961–2010) was a noted Malayalam Lyricist, Poet, Scriptwriter and Screenwriter. He was always referred to as the aristocratic lyricist of Malayalam who had a distinctive writing style of his own. He also served as the dire ...

, arguably one of the best lyricists in the Malayalam film industry, director, script writer and actor Ranjith, V. M. Vinu, A. Vincent, Shajoon Kariyal, Anjali Menon and cinematographer P. S. Nivas also hail from Kozhikode. Some of the other cine actors like

Neeraj Madhav Neeraj Madhav (born 26 March 1990), also known by his stage name NJ is an Indian actor, rapper and dancer who predominantly works in Malayalam films. Neeraj is most popular for his role as Moosa Rehman in the Amazon prime web series ''The Fami ...

Madhupal Madhupal Kannambathu is an Indian actor, director, and screenwriter who works in Malayalam cinema. Madhupal made his acting debut with '' Kashmeeram'' in 1994 and his directorial debut with ''Thalappavu'' (2008), which was about Naxal Varghese a ...

Anoop Menon Anoop Menon (born 3 August 1976) is an Indian actor, director, screenwriter and lyricist. He worked in television before acting in Malayalam films and has acted in more than 75 films. Menon won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Supportin ...

Nellikode Bhaskaran Nellikode Bhaskaran (21 April 1924 – 11 August 1988) was an Indian actor in Malayalam movies. His real name was Bhaskara Menon. He mostly played character roles and supporting roles. Awards Kerala State Film Awards The Kerala St ...

Augustine Augustine of Hippo ( , ; la, Aurelius Augustinus Hipponensis; 13 November 354 – 28 August 430), also known as Saint Augustine, was a theologian and philosopher of Berber origin and the bishop of Hippo Regius in Numidia, Roman North A ...

and Vijayan Malaparamba are from Kozhikode. The 1947 Douglas Fairbanks Jr. Hollywood thriller, ''

Sinbad the Sailor Sinbad the Sailor (; ar, سندباد البحري, Sindibādu al-Bahriyy; fa, سُنباد بحری, Sonbād-e Bahri or Sindbad) is a fictional mariner and the hero of a story-cycle of Persian origin. He is described as hailing from Baghdad ...

'', mentions Kozhikode. Kozhikode, the largest city in the Malabar region, also has a vital role in the entertainment segment. The city's first theatre, Calicut Crown, was opened as early as 1925. The city has more than 10 theatres and two multiplexes, the PVS Film City (the first multiplex in Malabar region) and Crown Theatre.

Sports

Kozhikode is known as the second Mecca of football (after

Kolkata Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...

). The other most popular games in Kozhikode are

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

, football, basketball, badminton and volleyball. The E. M. S Stadium hosted many international football matches of major football teams in the past. The city is home to many international footballers. One of the famous was Olympian Abdurahman who played for the nation in many international games including Melbourne Olympic games. K.P. Sethu Madhavan, Premnath Phillips, Muhamad Najeeb, M Prasannan, Sudheer etc. are some international footballers from Kozhikode. The seven-a-side form of football is also very famous in the city. P. T. Usha, is a famous athlete who is regarded as one of the greatest athletes India has ever produced and is often called the "queen of Indian track and field". She is nicknamed

Express. Currently she runs the Usha School of Athletics at Koyilandy in Kerala.

T. Abdul Rahman T. Abdul Rahman ( ml, ടി. അബ്ദുല്‍ റഹ്‌മാന്‍) (1934 – 15 December 2002), also known as Olympian Rahman, was an Indian Olympic Games, Olympic Association football, footballer from Kozhikode, Kerala. His ...

, popularly known as Olympian Rahman, was an Indian Olympian footballer from Kozhikode. Rahman was a member of the Indian team that reached the semi-final in 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Other sports personalities include Jimmy George, Tom Joseph (Indian volleyball player and was captain of Indian volleyball team) and Premnath Phillips. Jaseel P. Ismail, V. Diju, Aparna Balan & Arun Vishnu are international badminton players from the city. The Sports & Education Promotion Trust (SEPT) was established to promote sports development in India with focus on football. Started in 2004 and based in Kozhikode, the trust has set up 52 centres called "football nurseries" spread across thirteen districts in Kerala. Since 2010,

Calicut Mini Marathon Calicut Half Marathon is a running and sporting event conducted annually by IIM Kozhikode. First initiated in 2010, the event now takes place annually in the month of February. Over 5000 people participate in the marathon every year. The event c ...

runs have been organised by IIM Kozhikode and witness participation of around 7000 people every year.

Print Media

Kozhikode occupies a prominent position in the history of Malayalam journalism. The origin of journalism in the district can be traced back to 1880. The ''Kerala Pathrika'' is likely the earliest newspaper published from Kozhikode. ''Keralam'', ''Kerala Sanchari'' and ''Bharath Vilasam'' are among the other newspapers that were published from Kozhikode pre-1893. Kozhikode is the 'birthplace' of the widely circulated Malayalam dailies ''

'', '' Desabhimani'' and ''

Madhyamam ''Madhyamam'' (meaning ''Medium'') is a Malayalam-language newspaper published in Kerala, India, since 1987.Chandrika'', '' Thejas'', ''Siraj'', ''Varthamanam'' and ''Calicut Times'' are the other dailies from Kozhikode. Along with those papers, noted dailies like ''

Malayala Manorama ''Malayala Manorama'' is a morning newspaper in Malayalam published from Kottayam, Kerala, India by the Malayala Manorama Company Limited. Currently headed by Mammen Mathew; it was first published as a weekly on 22 March 1888, and currently has ...

'', '' Kerala Kaumudi'', '' Mangalam'', '' Deepika'',

The Times Of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

, ''

New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...

'',

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...

Deccan chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ...

, '' Janmabhumi'', ''Veekshanam'' and evening dailies like ''Pradeepam'', ''Rashtra deepika'', ''News Kerala'' and ''Flash'' are published from Kozhikode. Nearly all news agencies, other major newspapers published from outside the state are represented in Kozhikode. ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...

'', the largest-circulating English broadsheet newspaper in the world, started circulation in Kozhikode on 1 February 2012. A large number of weeklies, fortnightlies and monthlies are also published there (such as Information Technology Lokam, a computer magazine in

). Newspapers in other regional languages like English, Hindi, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu are available.

Radio

The Kozhikode radio station of

All India Radio All or ALL may refer to: Language * All, an indefinite pronoun in English * All, one of the English determiners * Allar language (ISO 639-3 code) * Allative case (abbreviated ALL) Music * All (band), an American punk rock band * ''All'' (All ...

has two transmitters: Kozhikode AM (100 kilowatt) and Kozhikode FM ividh Bharathi(10 kilowatt). Private FM radio stations: Radio Mango 91.9 operated by Malayala Manorama Co. Ltd. and Red FM 93.5 of the SUN Network. AIR FM radio station: Kozhikode – 103.6 MHz; AIR MW radio station: Kozhikode – 684 kHz.

Television

A television transmitter has been functioning in Kozhikode since 3 July 1984, relaying programmes from

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

and

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

Doordarshan. Doordarshan has its broadcasting centre in Kozhikode located at Medical College. The Malayalam channels based on Kozhikode are the Shalom Television, Darshana TV and Media One TV. All major channels in Malayalam viz. Manorama News, Asianet, Surya TV,

Kairali TV Kairali TV is an Indian Malayalam-language general entertainment television channel owned by Kairali TV Network (Malayalam Communications Limited). It is headquartered at Thiruvananthapuram. It was launched on 17 August 2000. The channel is ...

Amrita TV Amrita TV is an Indian Malayalam Language general Entertainment television channel owned by Mata Amritanandamayi Math. It was launched in 2005. Theme song The theme song, "Lokasamastha," was composed by Rahulraj for Mata Amritanandamayi's 50t ...

, Jeevan TV,

Indiavision Indiavision was an Indian pay television news channel based at Kochi, Kerala, India. It broadcast in Malayalam. History Indiavision was launched on 14 July 2003. The network launched a second channel, YES Indiavision (Youth, Entertainment & Spo ...

and Jaihind have their studios and news bureaus in the city. Satellite television services are available through

DD Direct+ DD Free Dish (previously known as DD Direct Plus) is an Indian free-to-air satellite television provider. DD Free Dish DTH service is owned and operated by Public Service Broadcaster Prasar Bharati. It was launched in December, 2004. In March 2 ...

Dish TV Dish, dishes or DISH may refer to: Culinary * Dish (food), something prepared to be eaten * Dishware, plates and bowls for eating, cutting boards, silverware Communications * Dish antenna a type of antenna * Dish Network, a satellite televisio ...

, Sun Direct DTH and Tata Sky. Asianet Cable Vision popularly known as ACV telecasts daily city news. Spidernet is another local channel. Other local operators include KCL and Citinet. The Calicut Press Club came into existence in 1970. It is the nerve centre of all media activities, both print and electronic. Began with around 70 members in the roll, this Press Club, over the years, became a prestigious and alert media centre in the state with a present membership of over 280.

Transport

Air

Kozhikode is served by Calicut International Airport located at Karipur in Malappuram District, about from Kozhikode city. The airport started operation in April 1988. It has two terminals, one for domestic flights and second for international flights.

Road

Kozhikode is well connected by road. NH 66 and NH 766 connects Calicut to rest of India. It has bus services to all parts of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and to important cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Notable people

References

External links

Kozhikode District official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kozhikode District Kozhikode district, Districts of Kerala Populated places established in 1957 1957 establishments in Kerala