Tourists and holiday makers have missed the glory, beauty and rich cultural heritage of this region.… this area has something for everyone whether u're traveling with friends, for business or on a family vacation.

On to the North of Kerala, With the Western Ghats in the east (Coorg district of Karnataka State), Kozhikode and Wayanad districts in the south, Lakshadweep sea in the west and Kasaragod in the north, LIES Kannur district - anglicised as Cannanore - is bounded by a wealth of natural beauty. The district itself which shares much of this natural splendour has been a key contributor to the cultural, religious, political and industrial heritage of the State. In addition, Kannur enjoys the credit of having been the cradle of many a colourful folk art and folk music of Kerala. Relics, right from the Neolothic age through the Aryan invasion, Cheran Conquests, Arab and European inroads, stand testimony to this.

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 the Erithrean Sea’ a Greek work of great antiquity.

Kannur has always been a favourite destination of the intrepid foreign traveller. Europeans, Chinese and Arabs have visited our coasts. In his book of travels Marco Polo recounts his visit to the area circa 1250 A.D. Other visitors included Fahian, the Buddhist pilgrim and Ibn Batuta, writer and historian of Tangiers.

Kannur has been since olden days, the cradle of ageless folk art and music. Even today, the myriads of Kavus (small shrines) which dot the district are centers of the Theyyam, a ritual dance in which men impersonate supernatural beings and indeed elevate Kannur to a land of fabulous fantasies.

Kannur district derived its name from the location of its headquarters at Kannur town.The old name 'Cannanore' is the anglicised form of the Malayalam word Kannur. Kannur might have assumed its name from one of the , deities of the Hindu pantheon, a compound of two words, Kannan (Lord Krishna) and Ur (place) making it the placeof Lord Krishna.

Cuisine in Kannur has roots in the history, geography and culture of the land.

The Kerala coastline, especially Malabar being rich in Spices and fresh Seafood and no other community makes it better use of this natural bounty than the “Mappillahs” – the Muslims of North Kerala. Fresh Prawns, Shrimp, Crab, Mussles & Oysters are served up in sumptuous sauces and spicy curries.

• Beaches
• Historical Places
• Temple & Rituals
• Hill Statons & Wild Life
• Others

Payyambalam Beach

Payyambalam is the beach in Kannur town. It is long and clean. Flat laterite cliffs jutt into the sea at one end. Picturesque and incredibly beautiful. The well laid out gardens and the massive landscaped sculpture of mother & child greet the visitor to Payyambalam. The beach is only walking distance from Fort St. Angelo

Dharmadam Island

Beside the Muzhappilangad beach 100 metres offshore lies the Dharmadam island surrounded by rivers and sea.

Muzhappilangad Beach

Muzhappilangad beach is situated about 5 k.m. north of Thalassery and 15 k.m. from Kannur. There is an unpaved road winding through coconut groves, leading to the beach. The beach is about 5 k.m. long and curves in a wide area providing a good view of Kannur beach on the north. To the South and about 200 metres away from the beach there is a beautiful island called the "Green Island" which adds to the allure of the beach. Such a conjunction of beach and island is rare

Kizhunna Ezhara Beach

Kizhunna Ezharabeach located at Kizhunna, Kannur, is one of the least explored beaches in Kerala. This coconut-fringed beach is a traveller’s delight.

Meenkunnu Beach

Situated at Azhikode its hardly few kilometers from the town. The virgin beach is a tourist's paradise with golden sand & surf

Overbury's Folly

The folly is located on a hill near Thalassery District Court and is adjacent to a park. It slopes down from the sub-collector's bungalow to the rocks below and is named after its builder, E. N. Overbury, a Briton who served as a local judge at Thalassery in the 1870s. In 1879, Overbury wanted to construct a picnic spot at the cliff. He couldn't complete it, but the spot later earned the name "Overbury's Folly".
The folly commands sweeping views of the Arabian Sea. Today, Overbury's Folly has been renovated and redecorated as a tourist attraction. It is frequented by local people in the evenings as a place to relax. A seaside open-air coffee shop has also been opened on the folly

Thalassery British Fort

Tellicherry Fort is in Thalassery (Tellicherry) a town in Kannur District of Kerala state in south India. The British East India Company built the fort in 1708 to establish a stronghold on the Malabar Coast. In 1781 Hyder Ali, ruler of the Kingdom of Mysore, was unsuccessful in capturing the Fort in his campaign to control Malabar. His successor, Tipu Sultan, was forced to cede Malabar District to the British in 1792, at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War. The square fort, with its massive walls, secret tunnels to the sea and intricately carved huge doors, is an imposing structure. The fort was once the nucleus of Thalassery's development. It is now a historical monument.

Gundert Bungalow

20 KMs from Kannur, near Thalasseri town on the national high way at Illikunnu : Dr; Herman Gundert ,the revered German Missionary, scholar,lexicographer lived in this bungalow for 20 years from 1839.It was here that one of the first malayalam dictionaries and the first malayalam newspaper took shape.

St. Angelo Fort - Kannur

This historical fort, built in 1505 AD by Sir Fancisco DeAlmeiyda, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India,, is situated near the sea coast about 2 KM away from Kannur town. This fort has a legendary past. Having witnessed several wars for seizing the control of the fort, the British flag flew over it finally in 1790. Now this fort is under the control of the Archaeological department. It attracts a large number of tourists.

Arakkal Museum

2 km. from Kannur Town, steeped in History; it was the Beebi (Queen) of Arakkal, Kerala's only Muslim Royal family that controlled parts of the coast and even Lakshadweep.

Folklore Academy

Kannur’s long history has been dominated by the Kolathiri Raja’s based in Chirakkal and the Pazhassi Raja’s from Kottayam in Thallassery. History shows that Kannur has contributed a lot for the Folk arts of Kerala and today Kerala Folklore Academy at Kannur acts as the central hub for development of folklores and main objective being promotion of the traditional art forms of Kerala

Theyyam

According to the legendary Keralolpathi, Parasurama sanctioned festivals like Kaliyattam, Puravela and Daivattam or Theyyattam to the people of the North Malabar region. He also assigned the responsibility of performing the Theyyam dance to the indigenous tribal communities like Malayar, Panan, Vannan and Velan.
"There can be no doubt", say Bridget and Raymond Alchin, "that a very large part of this modern folk religion is extremely ancient and contains traits which originated during the earliest periods of Neolithic, Chalcolithic settlement and expression".

Parassinikkadavu Muthappan Madappura

18 KMs north of Kannur on the banks of the Valapattanam River, in a setting of great natural beauty, stands the Shri Muthappan Temple at Parassinikkadavu. Steeped in legend, its all hallowed spot. Open to all, this is the only place where one can see Theyyam performed all around the year

Sri Raja Rajeshwara Temple, Thaliparamba

The Rajarajeswara temple is a beautiful Shiva temple (Built by the Tamil chola king Rajaraja Chola III) and is located at Taliparamba, Kannur distrist, Kerala, India. This temple is situated 25 km North of Kannur. The uniqueness of this temple is that it has no kodimaram/flagstaff and entry for women only after 8pm. It is believed to be built during the times of Raja Raja Chola-I. At that time the Chola Empire consisted of the whole of South India, Ceylon and spread up to Malaysia and Indonesia.

Kottiyoor Shiva Temple, Kottiyoor

Kottiyoor Shiva Temple located at Kottiyoor, is one of the a famous Lord Shiva temple of North Malabar. This temple is located approximately 50 km From Kottayam Malabar. This Shiva Temple also known as the Kasi of South (Dakshina Kaasi). This is a famous pilgrim of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Actual name of this temple is Sree Kottiyoor Mahadeva Kshetram. Kottiyoor temple is located near Kelakam.

Trichambaram Temple,Kannur

Trichambaram Temple is situated 20 km from Kannur, near Taliparamba town which is famous for its spices trade. The deity of the temple is Sree Krishna. The sculptures on the walls of the sanctum sanctorum are a class by themselves. The annual temple festival (Utsavam) is a colourful event. The fortnight-long festival begins on Kumbham 22 of Malayalam calendar (which generally falls on March 6) every year with the kodiyettam (hoisting of a religious flag) and comes to an end on Meenam 6 (which generallay falls on March 20) with Koodipiriyal (Ending of this festival)

Sree Jagannath Temple, Thalassery

It is situated near Temple Gate Railway Station, about one K/m from Thalassery Town. Idol Shivalingam was erected by Sreenarayana Guru in 1908. A statue of Sreenarayana Guru erected here by Swami Bodhananda in 1927 when Guru was alive. Guru had seen this statue at Colombo Port when it was bringing to Thalassery from Italy. It is made in Panchaloha by Thavarali, a famous sculptor. edited by Sreedharanchampad.

Sree Rama Temple, Thiruvagad, Thalasseryi

The Thiruvangad temple, dedicated to Sree Rama, one of the important temple of North Malabar is located at Thalassery. The most striking feature of this temple is the copper sheeting of its roof, due to which it is known popularly as the Brass Pagoda. A part of the temple was damaged by Tipu's troops in the 18th century, but the temple itself is believed to have been saved from destruction by a miracle. It was one of the outposts of the Thalassery fort in the eighteenth century

Kadalayi Sreekrishna Temple, Kannur

There is an interesting legend associated with the origin of the temple. It is believed that the idol of Lord Vishnu consecrated here is the very idol worshiped by Sathyabhama, the consort of Lord Krishna at Dwaraka in the Mahabharata Era more than 5,000 years ago. One day it so happened that she failed to notice her husband standing nearby as she was immersed in performing Pooja to the idol. The Lord, furious, kicked the idol off the pedestal. It flew into the nearby sea, when its right hand was broken.

Peralassery Sri Subrahmanya Temple

Peralassery Sri Subrahmanya Temple is located at Mundallur, on the Kannur – Koothuparambu road. It is about 15 km from Kannur. A popular shrine in Malabar region, the presiding deity is Lord Muruga. The temple is believed to be associated with the great epic, Ramayana. The annual festival of the temple lasts for eight days. Many cultural events and art-forms such as Kathakali, Chakyarkoothu, Ottanthullal, Parayan Thullal and Seethankan Thullal are performed by eminent artists as part of the festivities. Another striking feature is a highly religious dance, Thidampunritham done by the priest.

Pythal Mala,Kannur

Sixty four K.Ms away from Kannur and 44 K.Ms north east of Thaliparamba lies Pythal Mala the beautiful, calm hillock near the Kerala - Karnataka boarder. 4,500 Ft. above sea level; this hill is abundant in flora and fauna. Trekking 6 Kms would take one to the top of the hill.

Aralam Wild Life Sauntry,Kannur

A tranquil mega sanctuary on the slopes of the Western Ghats covered with tropical and semi evergreen forests. Herds of deer, elephants, boar and bisons are quite common. Leopards, jungle cats, various type squirrels and rare species of birds have been found here. Around 160 species of birds have been found here. Certain species of birds, which are considered extinct, have also been found here. It is 60 kms from Kannur Railway station

Madayi Para,Kannur

Madayipara is a significant spot owing to its bio-diversity as well as history. In the past, Madayipara was the administrative center of the Ezhimala kings. In and around Madayipara, one can find remnants from the past. At the southern side of the hill, stand the remains of a fort called Pazhi Kotta (kotta means fort in Malayalam). Here one can also find watchtowers at the four corners of the fort. Between AD 14 and AD 18, Madayipara used to be the site for the coronation ceremony of the rulers of the princely state of the erstwhile Kolathunadu.

Palakkayam Thattu

Palakkayam Thattu is a beautiful and well maintained hill station in Kannur. This lesser-known location is a misty mountain in the Western Ghats have an altitude of 3500 Ft from Mean Sea Level. Western Ghat Mountain Ranges are renowned for their rich bio-diversity.

Kannur International Airport

The Kannur airport is an international airport with a large number of flights from the Middle East and one from Europe. Most of the metro cities such as Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bangalore are connected to Kannur which makes it convenient for travelers and tourists to reach Kairali Heritage within a few hours.

Pazhasi Dam,Kannur

(37 km east of Kannur) An ideal retreat for tourists, the dam site is famous for its scenic beauty. The DTPC provides pleasure boating facilities at the reservoir. Accommodation is available at the Project Inspection Bungalow.

Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu is an Indian martial art from the southern state of Kerala. One of the oldest fighting systems in existence, it is practiced in Kerala and contiguous parts of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka as well as northeastern Sri Lanka and among the Malayali community of Malaysia.
Kalari payat includes strikes, kicks, grappling, preset forms, weaponry and healing methods. Regional variants are classified according to geographical position in Kerala; these are the northern style of the Malayalis, the southern style of the Tamils and the central style from inner Kerala.

Beedi Making

Dinesh Beedi is one of the regional players in the Indian Beedi market. Manufactured from the district of Kannur in Kerala state( Gods Own Country), this brand is facing the dark prospect of extinction.
Beedi's are Indian cigarette prepared by rolling tobacco wrapped in Tendu leaf and secured with colored thread at one end. This is the cigarette of the poor. But in recent years, this product category is facing a crisis.

Malayala Kalagrammam

Malayala Kalagramam (MAKAM) is a centre for art and ideas which aims at providing children and youngsters a Kalari (stage) to practise and perform all forms of fine arts. The centre offers part time as well as full time courses in painting, sculpture, music and dance and art pottery.
Yoga and Sanskrit are also taught here. The fraternity centre of the Kalagramam conducts seminars, symposia, extension lectures, in-service programmes and special projects in different fields of art and humanities.
The studies help to familiarise the trainees with classical and contemporary trends and techniques in the respective fields of art, to teach them art application and history of art and to enable them to utilise art better in their daily life.

Toddy Tapping

Palm wine also called palm toddy also called "kallu", or simply toddy, is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree. The sap is extracted and collected by a tapper. Typically the sap is collected from the cut flower of the palm tree. A container is fastened to the flower stump to collect the sap. The white liquid that initially collects tends to be very sweet and non-alcoholic before it is fermented. An alternate method is the felling of the entire tree. Where this is practiced, a fire is sometimes lit at the cut end to facilitate the collection of sap

Snake Park At Parassinikkadavu

On the way to the Parassinikkadavu Temple, 16 Kms from Kannur, is the Snake Park, the only one of its kind in the state. The demonstration of snakes is held every hour at the Snake Park.
The snake Park set up by the Visha Chikista Kendra at Pappinisseri, has been a centre of attraction to both foreign and domestic tourists. This Kendra offers effective treatment for snake bites with almost hundred per cent cure. This is the only place, perhaps where Ayurveda and Allopathy are effectively combined for curing snake bites

Hand Weaving

Kannur has been famous for its cotton handlooms since time immemorial. It is an important item for foreign trade. Several weaving centres and export flourish here. The Germans developed the Handloom industry by bringing frame looms. Earlier it was the pitlooms which was traditional industry of Kannur. The handloom products from Kannur have an unprecedented demand in USA, UK, Japan and other European countries.The inimitatable quality and designs have given it a monopoly status similar to the Japanese in electronics.
Hanveev… A product of Kerala State Handloom Developmental Corporation is presently exported to the USA and many European countries. The product include sarees to shirts, ready-mades to furnishing, table clothes to mats, napkins to pillow covers, cushion covers to bed spreads, curtains to draperies, potholders to aprons to anything in made up fabric.

Mangroves

The word is used in at least three senses: ( most broadly to refer to the habitat and entire plant assemblage or mangal, for which the terms mangrove forest biome, mangrove swamp and mangrove forest are also used, to refer to all trees and large shrubs in the mangrove swamp, and narrowly to refer to the mangrove family of plants, the Rhizophoraceae, or even more specifically just to mangrove trees of the genus Rhizophora.

Vismaya Amusement Park

Malabar Tourism Development Cooperative Limited (MTDC) was registered on February 15, 2000. And one month later on March 9, 2000 kick-started its operations with E.P.Jayarajan as the Chairman. The job sector of Malabar, mainly Kannur focused on textile industry especially handloom, khadi and other industries such as beedi, pottery etc. an integral part of conventional occupation of the region.