The busy coastal city of
KOZHIKODE (Calicut), 225km north of Kochi, occupies an extremely important place in Keralan legend and history. It is also significant in the story of European interference in the subcontinent, as Vasco da Gama first set foot in India at Kozhikode in 1498. However, as a tourist destination, it's a dud, with precious few remnants of its historic past. The few foreigners that pause here invariably do so only to break the long journey between Mysore and Kochi.
Kozhikode's roots are shrouded in myth. According to Keralan tradition, the powerful king Cheraman Perumal is said to have converted from Hinduism to Islam and left for Mecca "to save his soul", never to return. Before he set sail he divided Kerala between his relatives, all of whom were to submit to his nephew, who was given the kingdom of Kozhikode and the title zamorin, equivalent to emperor. The city prospered and, perhaps because of the story of the convert king, became the preferred port of Muslim traders from the Middle East in search of spices, particularly pepper. During the Raj, it was an important centre for the export of printed Indian cotton, whence the term "calico", an English corruption of the name Calicut - itself an anglicized version of the city's original Malayalam name, which has now been reinstated. Today, due to strong ties with the Gulf where numerous sons of the city work, Kozhikode is flourishing with the injection of new wealth
The City
Few traces remain of the model city laid out in the fourteenth century, which followed a Hindu grid formula based on a sacred diagram containing the image of the cosmic man, Purusha. The axis and energy centre of the city was dictated by the position of the ancient
Tali Shiva temple (closed to non-Hindus) which survives to this day. Everything, and everybody, had a place in the scheme. The district around the port in the northwest was reserved for foreigners. Here, a Chinese community lived in and around Chinese Street (now Silk Street) and, later, the Portuguese, Dutch and British occupied the area. Keralan Muslims (Mappilas) lived in the southwest. The northeast of the city was a commercial quarter, and in the southeast stood the Tali temple. Here too was a palace and fort; all the military
kalaris , martial art gymnasia, that stood around the perimeter have now gone.
Considering its history, there is very little to see in Kozhikode, though it is quite good for shopping . Around SM Street, many good fabric and ready-made clothes shops sell the locally produced plain white cotton cloth. You cannot fail to be dazzled by the sheer number of gold jewellery shops, full of ladies spending lavish amounts of the money faithfully sent by relatives in the Gulf. This district is also a good place to try the local halva sweets, especially popular with the large Mappila community. Some shops also specialize in piping-hot banana chips, straight from the frying pan.
Locals enjoy a promenade on or near the beach (3km from the centre) in the late afternoon and early evening. Although not suitable for swimming, it's a restful place, where you can munch on roasted peanuts sold in the many stalls while scanning the seas for jumping dolphins. After dark it's difficult to find an auto-rickshaw to take you back into town, but on the land side of the road regular buses run into the centre. You will have to travel to find better beaches such as the historic beach of Kappad , 16km to the north, where Vasco da Gama is said to have landed in 1498 with a hundred and seventy sailors; a small memorial marks the spot. A gentle and partly rocky beach with cottage accommodation at the Kappad Beach Resort (tel 0496/683760; Rs900-2500) nearby, Kappad lies 4km from Thiruvangoor on the Kozhikode-Badagara route serviced by numerous buses.
The Pazhassirajah and Krishnamenon Museums and Art Gallery (daily 10am-12.30pm & 2pm-5pm, except Wed 2.30-5pm only) stand together 5km from the centre on East Hill. The Pazhassirajah collection includes copies of murals, coins, bronzes and models of the umbrella-shaped, stone megalithic remains peculiar to Kerala, while the museum houses a collection of memorabilia associated with the left-wing Keralan politician VK Krishnamenon, and a gallery of works by Indian artists.
