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Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is a historic port city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India, famous as the City of Spices and as the place where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498. Today it is loved for its long seafront, old mosques and temples, and its celebrated Malabar food.
For centuries Kozhikode was the capital of the Zamorin kings and one of the busiest ports of the Indian Ocean, visited by travelers such as Ibn Battuta and Zheng He. Arab and other foreign traders settled here, and the old quarters still hold medieval mosques, the Zamorins' temple and the Mananchira pond.
Begin in the center around Mananchira and the Tali Shiva Temple, then walk to the Mishkal Mosque in Kuttichira and end at Kozhikode Beach for the sunset. Visit Beypore for its wooden dhows and Kappad for the da Gama monument, and head inland for the waterfalls and dams of the Western Ghats. October to March is the best season.
Mananchira is a large man-made pond in the center of Kozhikode, built as a bathing pool by the Zamorin Mana Vikrama around the 14th century. Fed by a natural spring and covering about 3.5 acres, it has long been reserved for drinking water, and is surrounded by a park and historic buildings.
Tali Shiva Temple stands in the heart of Kozhikode and was built in the 14th century by the Zamorin of Calicut as his family temple. Dedicated to Shiva, it is a fine example of traditional Kerala architecture, with a two-storey sanctum shaped like a chariot and decorated with old murals.
Mishkal Mosque in the Kuttichira quarter of Kozhikode was built in the 14th century by Mishkal, a wealthy merchant and shipowner trading with China, Yemen and Persia. One of the few surviving medieval mosques in Kerala, it is built in the traditional Kerala style with tiered roofs.
Pazhassi Raja Museum in Kozhikode occupies the East Hill Bungalow, built in 1812 and turned into an archaeological museum in 1976. Named after Pazhassi Raja, who fought the British East India Company, it displays megalithic relics, ancient coins, murals and sculptures from Kerala's long past.
Kozhikode Beach runs along the western edge of the city and is its favorite place to watch the sunset over the Arabian Sea. The beach road was renamed Gandhi Road after Mahatma Gandhi visited Kozhikode in 1934, and the paved promenade is lit at night, with a children's park and an aquarium.
Kappad Beach lies north of Kozhikode near Koyilandy and is where Vasco da Gama is said to have landed in 1498, opening the sea route from Europe to India. A stone monument marks the spot with the words Vasco da Gama landed here, and the rocky shore now has a seafront walk and park.
Beypore is an old port town in Kozhikode at the mouth of the Chaliyar River, once trading with the Middle East. It is famous for building large wooden ships called urus or dhows by hand, a craft passed down for centuries. Visitors also come for its marina, long breakwater and quiet beach.
Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary lies about 19 km from the center of Kozhikode, on a cluster of islands where the Kadalundi River meets the Arabian Sea. Over a hundred bird species have been recorded, including about 60 migrants such as terns, gulls, herons, sandpipers, cormorants and whimbrels.
Sarovaram Bio Park is an eco-friendly park in Kozhikode city that protects a wetland of national importance. Its boardwalks pass through mangroves and reed beds that shelter about 34 kinds of birds, beside the Canoly Canal, which links the Korapuzha and Kallayi rivers.
Thusharagiri Falls is a set of three waterfalls in the Western Ghats of Kozhikode district, where two streams meet to form the Chalippuzha River. Its name means snow-capped mountain, after the white spray of the falls. The highest, Thenpara, drops from a height of about 75 m into the forest.
Kakkayam Dam lies about 750 m above sea level in the Western Ghats of Kozhikode district, on the edge of the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, home to elephants and gaur. Part of the Kuttiyadi hydroelectric project, its reservoir and forests are popular for trekking, rock climbing and wildlife.
Peruvannamuzhi Dam is a reservoir about 55 km from Kozhikode in the Western Ghats, built for the Kuttiyadi irrigation project. Now an eco-tourism site within the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, it offers boat rides past uninhabited islands, along with a bird sanctuary, a spice garden and forest walks.
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