Kasaragod district

Coordinates: 12°30′N 75°00′E / 12.5°N 75°E / 12.5; 75
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For town, see
Kasargod
.

Kasaragod District
Kanhirakode District[1]
District
Clockwise from top:
MP
Rajmohan Unnithan (
UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
671121
Telephone code0499
ISO 3166 codeIN-KL
Vehicle registrationKL-14, KL-60, KL-79
HDI (2005)Increase 0.760[8] (High)
  • Official Tree[9]
  • Official flower
  • Official Specie
  • Official Bird
Websitekasargod.nic.in

Kasaragod (pronounced

Malabar coast
of India.

Kasaragod is the northernmost district of Kerala and is also known as Saptha Bhasha Sangama Bhoomi (The place where Seven languages meets)

The district is situated on the rich biodiversity of the Western Ghats. It was a part of the Kannur district of Kerala until 24 May 1984. It also remains the last formed district of kerala to date. The district is bounded by Dakshina Kannada district to the north, Western Ghats to the northeast, Kodagu district to the southeast, Kannur district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. Kasaragod district has the maximum number of rivers in Kerala - 12.[11]

Kaveri River originates, is located closer to Ranipuram in Kerala-Karnataka border. Robert Caldwell describes the extent of Malayalam in the late 19th century as extending from Chandragiri fort and Chandragiri river in the north to Neyyar river beyond Thiruvanantapuram in the south.[12]

Tulunad, where Tulu is traditionally spoken, is said to be bound on the south by the Chandragiri river and fort, thus including Kasaragod city within the Tulunad region.

Kavvayi river in the south, as the region between the Chandragiri and Kavai (Kavvayi) rivers presents the characteristics of a twilight zone between the Malayalam and Tulu speaking areas.[14]

Kasargod is also the first district in India to have official symbols-official tree, flower, bird, species. [9]

Etymology

Until the 16th century CE, Kasargod town was known by the name Kāññirakkōṭŭ (meaning, 'The land of kāññira Trees') in Malayalam.[1] Kasaragod is the Kannada version of Kāññirakkōṭŭ.

History

Main article: History of Kasaragod

Ancient period

Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple at Ananthapura, Kumbla

The Ancient Tamil Works of Sangam Age records that the area covering the district was part of Puzhinadu, which consists of the coastal belt from

Ezhimala
. The Mooshaka Kings were considered descendants of Nannan. By the 14th century,
Mooshaka Kingdom
was known as Kolathirinad and the Rulers as Kolathiris. The Kolathunad Kingdom at the peak of its power reportedly extended from
Kodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including the isolated islands of Lakshadweep in Arabian Sea.[16]

Medieval period

Malik Dinar Mosque, Kasaragod, is one of the oldest mosques in India.
Maipady palace
Arikady fort at Kumbla

Dharmadam, Panthalayini, and Chaliyam, were built during the era of Malik Dinar, and they are among the oldest Masjids in the Indian subcontinent.[18] It is believed that Malik Dinar died at Thalangara in Kasaragod town.[19]

Many Arab travelers visiting Kerala between the 9th and the 14th centuries visited Kasaragod, being an important trade centre then. Duarte Barbosa, a Portuguese traveler who visited

Kasargod in 1514 recorded that rice being exported for coir to Maldives.[10] According to Barbosa, the people in the southwestern Malabar coast of India from Chandragiri in the north to Kanyakumari in the south spoke a unique language, which they called as "Maliama" (Malayalam).[20]

Until the 16th century CE, Kasargod town was known by the name Kanhirakode (may be by the meaning, 'The land of Kanhira Trees') in

Malayali kings.[22]

The

Chandragiri river (present-day Taluks of Manjeshwaram and Kasaragod) were ruled by the Kumbala dynasty. According to local legends, the region between Talapadi and Kavvayi rivers which constituted the erstwhile Kasaragod taluk, consisted of 32 Tulu and 32 Malayalam villages.[22]

Vijayanagara empire attacked and annexed Kasaragod from the Kolathiri Raja with Nileshwaram as one of the capital in the 16th century. During the decline of the Vijayanagara empire, the administration of this area was vested with Ikkeri Nayakas.[10] At the onset of collapse of the Vijayanagara empire, Venkappa Nayaka declared independence to Ikkery. Kumbla, Chandragiri, and Bekal are considered to be the chain of forts constructed or renovated by Shivappa Nayaka.[10]

The Chandragiri Fort is built on the southern bank of the estuary of Chandragiri River, just opposite to Kasaragod town. The Bekal Fort at Bekal, Pallikkara, which is situated in the midway between Kasaragod and Kanhangad, and is also largest fort in Kerala, was built in 1650 by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi.[25]

Modern period

A map of Malabar District (Malayalam district) drawn by Francis Buchanan-Hamilton in 1807. Kasaragod region to the south of Payaswini/Chandragiri river of South Canara was also included in Malayalam region (just above the blue shaded region).
Road sign in Kasaragod town
Sunset at Valiyaparamba beach

Francis Buchanan, the family doctor of

British. The British occupied Kanara only after the death of Tippu Sultan.[10]
it is said that Kinavoor Molom (Sree Dharma Shashtha Temple) is belonging to Karinthalam (one of 64 Brahmin villages in old Kerala).

Before the formation of Kerala, Kasargod was a part of

Second Oommen Chandy ministry appointed a commission under the leadership the former Chief Secretary P. Prabhakaran to study about the backwardness and issues faced by this northernmost district of Kerala and to draw up special package for the district.[32] In 2013, two more Taluks, namely Manjeshwaram and Vellarikundu were formed in the district.[33]

Geography

Manjeshwaram
harbour

The district is the northernmost district of the State of Kerala. Kasargod is located at 12°30′N 75°00′E / 12.5°N 75.0°E / 12.5; 75.0.[34] It has an average elevation of 19  metres (62  feet). Ranipuram or Madathumala (1016m) peak is the highest peak in the Kasargod district of Kerala, located in the Ranipuram Wildlife Sanctuary.

Climate

Kasaragod has a tropical climate.

Climate data for Kasargod
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 33.1
(91.6) 		33.3
(91.9) 		33.9
(93.0) 		34.3
(93.7) 		33.4
(92.1) 		29.8
(85.6) 		28.7
(83.7) 		28.8
(83.8) 		30.1
(86.2) 		31.2
(88.2) 		32.7
(90.9) 		33.1
(91.6) 		31.9
(89.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 21.1
(70.0) 		21.9
(71.4) 		23.7
(74.7) 		24.9
(76.8) 		24.9
(76.8) 		23.5
(74.3) 		23
(73) 		23
(73) 		23.2
(73.8) 		23.2
(73.8) 		22.7
(72.9) 		21.3
(70.3) 		23.0
(73.4)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 0.8
(0.03) 		0
(0) 		17.3
(0.68) 		32.7
(1.29) 		182.9
(7.20) 		1,010.5
(39.78) 		1,002.8
(39.48) 		663.6
(26.13) 		246.5
(9.70) 		222.6
(8.76) 		69
(2.7) 		12.4
(0.49) 		3,461.1
(136.24)
Source: Meo Weather

Rivers

Kasaragod district has the largest number of rivers in Kerala - 12.

Kodagu (Coorg).[35]
The smallest river of Kerala is also in the district.

Rivers of Kasaragod[35]
River Origin Length (km)
Total Navigable
1
Manjeshwaram
River 		Kadandur hills 16 3
2 Uppala River Kudipadi hills, Veerakamba 50 N/A
3 Shiriya River Kanakad hills, Anegundi Reserve Forest 61 5
4 Kumbla River Yedanad 11 3
5 Mogral River Kanlur, Karadka Reserve Forest 34 N/A
6 Chandragiri River Patti forest, Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary 105 13
7 Kalnad River Chettianchal 8 N/A
8 Bekal River Kaniyadka 11 N/A
9 Chittari River Kundiya 25 N/A
10 Neeleshwaram River
(Thejaswini River) 		Kinanoor, Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary 47 11
11 Kariangode River Padinalkad, Coorg hills 64 24
12 Kavvayi River Cheemeni 23 10

Administration

See also: Political divisions of Kasaragod
Municipalities
Kanhangad
Kasaragod
Nileshwaram
[36]
Kanhangad Municipal Office

Kasargod district consists of two revenue subdivisions- Kasargod and Kanhangad. For sake of rural administration, 38 Gram Panchayats are combined in 6 Blocks, which together form the Kasargod District Panchayat. For the sake of urban administration, 3 municipal towns are there.[37]

For the representation of Kasargod in

Kasaragod (Lok Sabha constituency).[37][38]
The district is further divided into 128 villages which together form 4 subdistricts.[39]

Major Towns

The major towns of the district include:


Revenue divisions

Kasargod
subdistricts (Taluks) are included in the Kasaragod revenue subdivision whereas the remaining two Taluks are included in the Kanhangad subdivision.

Taluks in Kasargod
Subdistrict Area
(in km2) 		Population
(2011) 		Villages
Manjeshwaram
 382 268,642 48
Kasargod
 594 413,094 34
Vellarikundu
 547 177,157 15
Hosdurg (Puthiya Kotta)
 442 448,484 31
Sources:
2011 Census of India,[40] Official website of Kasargod district[41]

Political divisions

Local bodies in Kasaragod district

State legislature

Assembly
Constituency 		Political
party 		Political
coalition 		Elected
Representative
Manjeshwaram
 IUML   UDF A. K. M. Ashraf
Kasaragod
 IUML   UDF N. A. Nellikkunnu
Udma
 CPI(M)   
LDF
 		C. H. Kunhambu
Kanhangad
 CPI   
LDF
 		E. Chandrasekharan
Thrikaripur
 CPI(M)   
LDF
 		M. Rajagopalan

Parliament

Parliamentary
Constituency 		Political
party 		Political
coalition 		Elected
Representative
Kasaragod
 INC   UDF Rajmohan Unnithan

Transport

Kasaragod railway station lies on Mangalore-Shoranur railway line in Palakkad railway division.

The National Highway 66 which connects the western coast of India from Mumbai to Kanyakumari passes through coastal area of the district connecting the major coastal towns of Manjeshwar, Uppala, Kumbla, Kasaragod, Udma, Bekal, Kanhangad, Nileshwaram, and Thrikaripur.[42][43][44] It enters the district at Thalappady and goes out through Payyanur. There are State highways starting/ending at Kasaragod and Kanhangad.[45] Total length of Major District Road (MDR) is around 1460 km and it accounts for around 11.2 km of MDR for every 10,000 people in the district.[46] The Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has stations to operate its service in the district.[47] The railway goes through coastal area. Kasaragod railway station lies in Palakkad railway division of southern zone on Mangalore-Shoranur line.[48] Kasaragod district is home to 3 out of 13 minor ports in Kerala- Manjeshwar, Kasaragod, and Nileshwaram.[49] The nearest international airports are situated at Mangalore (65 km away) and Kannur (110 km away).

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
1901231,280—    
1911247,467+0.68%
1921256,931+0.38%
1931302,043+1.63%
1941342,301+1.26%
1951411,031+1.85%
1961512,146+2.22%
1971683,020+2.92%
1981872,741+2.48%
19911,071,508+2.07%
20011,204,078+1.17%
20111,307,375+0.83%
20181,390,894+0.89%
source:[50]
Religions in Kasaragod district (2011)[5]
Religion Percent
Hinduism
 
 55.84%
Islam
 
 37.24%
Christianity
 
 6.69%
Other or not stated
 
 0.23%

According to the 2018 Vital Statistics published by the

640).[53] The district has a population density of 654 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,690/sq mi).[53] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 8.18%.[53] Kasaragod has a sex ratio of 1080 females for every 1000 males,[53] and a literacy rate of 90.09%.[54] Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 4.08% and 3.74% of the population respectively.[53] The Kerala Tulu Academy, which promotes Tulu language
and literature, is functioned at Hosangadi in district.

Languages of Kasaragod district (2011)[4]

  Malayalam (82.69%)
  Tulu (8.77%)
  Kannada (4.23%)
  Marathi (1.76%)
  Konkani (1.29%)
  Others (1.26%)

Kasaragod district majorly consists of Malayalam speakers who form 82.69% of the population. Tulu and Kannada speakers concentrated in the Northern parts of the district like Manjeshwar, Uppala, Enmakaje, Badiyadka, Kumbla and Seethangoli form a significant linguistic minority with 8.77% and 4.23% each. Other languages spoken here include Marathi (1.76%) and Konkani (1.29%).[4]

Education

The Central University of Kerala is situated in the district.
Main article: List of educational institutions in Kasaragod district
The Central Plantation Crops Research Institute at Kasaragod was established in 1916.
The Government College Kasaragod was established in 1957.

Kasargod district comes under the jurisdiction of Kannur University.

Development

Thrikaripur town

Kasaragod district is the northernmost district of Kerala, which is far away from

second Chandy government.[60] A government medical college was allowed for Kasaragod district, as a part of the government's new policy to establish at ensure availability of at least one Government Medical College in all the 14 districts of the state in 2013.[61][62]

Tourism

Main article: List of tourist attractions in Kasaragod
Nileshwar
Edayilakkad island in Valiyaparamba
Panoramic view from inside Bekal Fort

Notable people

Panathur is an important hilly town in the district (Closer to Western Ghats)
Badiyadka town during night

Localities

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d S. Muhammad Hussain Nainar (1942). Tuhfat-al-Mujahidin: An Historical Work in The Arabic Language. University of Madras.
  2. ^ "Kasargod - the land of seven languages". invest kerala. Government of Kerala. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  3. ^ a b Annual Vital Statistics Report - 2018 (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Kerala. 2020. p. 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Kerala". www.censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
  5. ^ a b "Table C-01: Population by religious community: Kerala". Census of India. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011.
  6. ^ "Sex Ratio" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in.
  7. ^ "Literacy" (PDF). censusindia.gov.in.
  8. ^ "Kerala | UNDP in India". UNDP.
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    ISSN 0971-751X
    . Retrieved 29 October 2023.
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  12. ISBN 978-81-206-0117-8
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  14. ISBN 9788170995869
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  17. ^ SLM MA Mal Aadyakasdeuoc.ac.in Archived 8 June 2021 at the Wayback Machine
  18. ^ Prange, Sebastian R. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.
  19. ^ Pg 58, Cultural heritage of Kerala: an introduction, A. Sreedhara Menon, East-West Publications, 1978
  20. ISBN 9788120604513
    . Per Barbosa, Malabar begins at the point where the kingdom of Narasyngua or Vijayanagar ends, that is at Cumbola (Cambola) on the Chandragiri river. But, as he (Barbosa) says, the Malayalam language extends as far north as the Chandragiri, and Malabar may be reckoned as extending south from this point to Cape Comorin.
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  22. ^
    ISBN 9788126415786
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  23. ISBN 9788120604476
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  24. ^ The Hindu staff reporter (21 November 2011). "Neeleswaram fete to showcase its heritage". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  25. ^ "A Portion of Kasaragod's Bekal Forts Observation Post Caves in". The Hindu. 12 August 2019.
  26. ^ Buchanan, Francis Hamilton (1807). A Journey from Madras Through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar. Cadell.
  27. ^ M., Amruth (2004). "Forest-Agriculture Linkage and its Implications on Forest Management: A study of Delampady panchayat" (PDF).
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  33. ^ a b "12 new taluks to be formed in Kerala". The Hindu. 21 March 2013.
  34. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kasaragod
  35. ^ a b c d Government of India (2014–2015). District Census Handbook - Kasaragod (Part-A) 2011 (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala.
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  37. ^ a b "Administrative divisions of Kasaragod district". Official website of Kasaragod district. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  38. ^ "Niyamasabha constituencies of Kasargod". ceo.kerala.gov.in. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
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  49. ^ Chandran 2018, p. 424.
  50. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
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  61. ^ Special Currespondent (4 May 2019). "MCI recognition for Manjeri medical college". The Hindu.
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  65. ^ "Proposal Submitted to Government of India: Integrated Coastal Zone Management" (PDF). sisem.in. Government of Kerala. 2015. p. 60. Retrieved 12 September 2020. The area has rich biodiversity. The sacred grove viz. Edayilakkad island preserves many rare and endemic species.[permanent dead link]
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Further reading

General

  • Chandran, VP (2018). Mathrubhumi Yearbook Plus - 2019 (Malayalam ed.). Kozhikode: P. V. Chandran, Managing Editor, Mathrubhumi Printing & Publishing Company Limited, Kozhikode.

History

Languages

District Census Handbooks

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kasaragod district.
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kasaragod District.
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