Kasaragod

Coordinates: 12°30′N 75°00′E / 12.5°N 75.0°E / 12.5; 75.0
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This article is about municipal town in Kerala, India. For other uses, see Kasaragod (disambiguation).

Kasaragod
Municipal Town
Kasaragod
Clockwise from top:
KL-14
Websitekasargod.nic.in

Kasaragod (Malayalam:

Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and is also known as Sapta Bhasha Sangama Bhumi ('The Land of seven Languages').[1]

Situated in the rich

Ezhimala is located on the southern portion of Kavvayi Backwaters of Nileshwaram
.

Kasaragod is located 90 km north of

Kaveri river originates, is located closer to Ranipuram on the Kerala-Karnataka
border.

Robert Caldwell describes the extent of Malayalam in the 19th century as extending from Chandragiri (fort and river) in the north to Neyyar river beyond Thiruvanantapuram in the south and from Malabar Coast in the west to Western Ghats in the east besides the inhabited islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.[5][note 1]

Etymology

There are different views on the derivation of the name Kasaragod though none accepted.

Kasaragod was known as Kāññirakkōṭŭ (The land of kāññiram trees) in Malayalam. kāññiram is Malayalam for Kasaraka trees (Kannada name) found in abundance here.[7][8]

Kasaragod was under the Kumbla dynasty until the 16th century, which was vassal to the kingdom of Kolathunadu based at Kannur.[9] Kannada kingdoms focused on the port and surroundings in the 16th century CE.[10][11][12][13]

History

Main article: History of Kasaragod

Ancient era

Ananthapadmanabhaswamy temple at Ananthapura, Kumbla

The ancient Tamil works of the Sangam Age record that the area covering the district was part of

Mooshaka Kingdom was known as Kolathirinad and the rulers as Kolathiris. The Kolathunad Kingdom at the peak of its power reportedly extended from Netravati River (Mangalore) in the north[14] to Korapuzha (Kozhikode
) in the south with Arabian Sea on the west and
Kodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including the isolated islands of Lakshadweep in Arabian Sea.[15]

Medieval era

Malik Dinar Mosque, Thalangara, Kasaragod, is one of the oldest mosques in India.
Maipady palace

Kasaragod, about 50 km south of

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 Kumbla, near Kasaragod Town 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).[19][20]

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

Malayali kings.[9]

The

Chandragiri river (present-day Taluks of Manjeshwaram and Kasaragod) were ruled by the Kumbala dynasty.[9]

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 midway between Kasaragod and Kanhangad, and which is largest fort in Kerala, was built in 1650 by Shivappa Nayaka of Keladi.[24]

Panoramic view from inside Bekal Fort, the largest fort in Kerala

Colonial era

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

Francis Buchanan, the family doctor of Arthur Wellesley, visited Kasaragod in 1800.[10] In his travelogue, he recorded information on places like Athiraparambu, Kavvayi, Nileshwaram, Bekal, Chandragiri and Manjeshwar.[10]

Hosdurg and Vellarikundu was part of Kolathunadu (south of Chandragiri river) and Kasaragod and Manjeshwaram was in the Tulu Nadu region (north of Chandragiri river).[25][26]

In 1763,

Bombay presidency.[27] Later on 16 April 1862, South Canara was transferred to Madras Presidency and Kasaragod taluk was formed by replacing the erstwhile Bekal taluk.[27] Kasaragod was the second-most populated Taluk in South Canara only after to Mangalore taluk, and also the second-largest Taluk.[28]

Post-Independence

Road sign in Kasaragod town

Before the formation of Kerala, Kasaragod 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.[31] In 2013, two more Taluks, namely Manjeshwaram and Vellarikundu were formed in the district.[32]

Geography

Climate

Kasaragod experiences a tropical monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification. It receives a generous 3,825 mm (150.6 in) of rain annually.

Climate data for Kasaragod, Kerala
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.4
(88.5) 		31.5
(88.7) 		32.2
(90.0) 		32.7
(90.9) 		32.2
(90.0) 		29.3
(84.7) 		28.2
(82.8) 		28.4
(83.1) 		28.8
(83.8) 		30.0
(86.0) 		31.0
(87.8) 		31.5
(88.7) 		30.6
(87.1)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 21.7
(71.1) 		22.8
(73.0) 		24.3
(75.7) 		25.9
(78.6) 		25.7
(78.3) 		23.9
(75.0) 		23.4
(74.1) 		23.6
(74.5) 		23.5
(74.3) 		23.8
(74.8) 		23.1
(73.6) 		22.0
(71.6) 		23.6
(74.6)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 1
(0.0) 		1
(0.0) 		5
(0.2) 		55
(2.2) 		262
(10.3) 		1,002
(39.4) 		1,190
(46.9) 		647
(25.5) 		338
(13.3) 		229
(9.0) 		77
(3.0) 		18
(0.7) 		3,825
(150.5)
Source: Climate-Data.org[33]

Rivers

Kasaragod has the maximum number of rivers in Kerala - 12.

Kodagu (Coorg).[34]
The smallest river of Kerala is also in the district.

Rivers of Kasaragod[34]
River Origin Length (km)
Total Navigable
1 Manjeshwar 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

Science and research

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

Kasaragod district comes under the jurisdiction of Kannur University. Kasaragod is home to the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, originally established in 1916 as the Coconut Research Station. It is part of India's National Agricultural Research System under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.[35] According to the institute, Kerala "lies in the heart of the major coconut growing areas of the country." It is also home to the Indian Society for Plantation Crops, which publishes the Journal of Plantation Crops and holds symposiums on the subject.[36] The Central University of Kerala is also located in Kasaragod(Periya hills).

  • The Central Plantation Crops Research Institute at Kasaragod was established in 1916.[37]
  • Government College Kasaragod was established in 1957.
  • The Central University of Kerala was established in 2009.[38][39]
  • Malik Deenar Institute of Management Studies is located at Seethamgoly, Kasaragod.[40]
  • Lal Bahadur Shastry college of engineering, Kasaragod, was established in 1993.
  • College of Engineering Trikaripur was established in 2000.[41]
  • Khansa Women's College For Advanced Studies, Kasaragod
  • Jamia Sa Adiya Arts and Science College, Kasaragod
  • Sharaf Arts & Science College, Padanna
  • Zainab Memorial B.Ed. Centre, Kasaragod
  • Peoples Arts & Science College, Munnad, Kasaragod
  • Co-operative Arts & Science College, Badiadka, Kasaragod
  • St. Gregorios College of Engineering, Perla, Kasaragod

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) of Kasaragod 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 three of the 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

Religions in Kasaragod Town (2011)[50]

  Islam (54.65%)
  Hinduism (43.56%)
  Christianity (1.58%)
  Other (0.22%)

As of

2011 Census, Kasaragod municipality had a population of 54,172 which constitutes 26,319 males and 27,853 females. Kasaragod municipality spreads over an area of 16.69 km2 (6.44 sq mi) with 10,202 families residing in it. The municipality is divided into 35 wards for which elections are held every 5 years. The female sex ratio was 1058 against state average of 1084. Population in the age group 0-6 was 7,234 (13.4%) where 3,716 are males and 3,518 are females. The literacy rate of Kasaragod town was 94.76% higher than state average of 94%. Male literacy stands at 96.5% and female literacy was 93.1%.[51]

Languages in Kasaragod taluk[52]
Language Speakers
Malayalam
 
 70.5%
Tulu
 
 16.2%
Kannada
 
 6.4%
Marathi
 
 2.7%
Konkani
 
 2.3%
Others
 
 1.9%
Distribution of languages
Source: 2011 Census

Politics

Kasaragod acts as the administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district.

The current Municipal Chairman of Kasaragod municipality is Adv. V. M. Muneer of IUML and the deputy chairperson is Shamseeda Feroz.[53]

The major political parties are

Kasaragod (Lok Sabha constituency). Indian National Congress (INC) member Rajmohan Unnithan is the present MP from Kasaragod (2019 elections).[54]

Backwardness

Thrikaripur town

second Chandy government.[55] 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 14 districts of the state in 2013.[56][57]

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 at night

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Cazrod - the land of seven languages". invest kerala. Government of Kerala. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  2. ^ "The Kerala Official Language (Legislation) Act, 1969" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Draft Map" (PDF). keralaczma.gov.in. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2021. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Rivers in Kasargod". Kerala Tourism. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  5. ISBN 978-81-206-0117-8
    . Malayalam is spoken along the Malabar coast, on the western side of the Ghauts, or Malaya range of mountains, from the vicinity of Chandragiri (river and fort) near Mangalore, where it supersedes Canarese and Tuļu, to Trivandrum, where it begins to be superseded by Tamil. The people by whom this language is spoken in the native states of Travancore and Cochin, and in the East India Company's districts of Malabar and Canara, may be estimated at two and a half millions. (Pages 6, 16, 20, 31)
  6. ^ Caldwell, Robert (1856). A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Or South-Indian Family of Languages. Harrison and sons. pp. 7, 62–63.
  7. ^ a b S. Muhammad Hussain Nainar (1942). Tuhfat-al-Mujahidin: An Historical Work in The Arabic Language. University of Madras. p. 97. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  8. ^ "About District | Website of Kasargod | India". Retrieved 9 July 2021.
  9. ^
    ISBN 9788126415786
    .
  10. ^ a b c d e f "Kasaragod History". Government of Kerala. Archived from the original on 25 September 2008. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  11. ISBN 9781136911644
    .
  12. ISBN 9788170995869
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  13. ISBN 9788120601178
    .
  14. ISBN 978-8126415885
    . Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  15. ^ District Census Handbook, Kasaragod (2011) (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Directorate of Census Operation, Kerala. p. 9.
  16. ^ "Aadyakla Malayala kavitha" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 June 2021. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  17. ^ a b Pg 58, Cultural heritage of Kerala: an introduction, A. Sreedhara Menon, East-West Publications, 1978
  18. ^ Prange, Sebastian R. Monsoon Islam: Trade and Faith on the Medieval Malabar Coast. Cambridge University Press, 2018. 98.
  19. 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.
  20. ^ Barbosa, Duarte; Dames, Mansel Longworth (1918). "The Book of Duarte Barbosa: An Account of the countries bordering on the Indian Ocean and their inhabitants - Volume I" (PDF). indianculture.gov.in. Asian Educational Services. pp. 194–198. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  21. ^ M. Vijayanunni. 1981 Census Handbook- Kasaragod District (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala.
  22. ISBN 9788120604476
    .
  23. ^ The Hindu staff reporter (21 November 2011). "Neeleswaram fete to showcase its heritage". The Hindu. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  24. ^ "A Portion of Kasaragod's Bekal Forts Observation Post Caves in". The Hindu. 12 August 2019.
  25. ^ Buchanan, Francis Hamilton (1807). A Journey from Madras Through the Countries of Mysore, Canara, and Malabar. Cadell.
  26. ^ M., Amruth (2004). "Forest-Agriculture Linkage and its Implications on Forest Management: A study of Delampady panchayat" (PDF).
  27. ^ a b M. Vijayanunni. 1981 Census Handbook- Kasaragod District (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala. p. 11.
  28. ^ Government of Madras (1953). 1951 Census Handbook- South Canara District (PDF). Madras Government Press.
  29. ^ "Kasargod After District Formation". Kasargod District. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 11 March 2009.
  30. ^ a b J. I. Arputhanathan (1955). South Kanara, The Nilgiris, Malabar and Coimbatore Districts (Village-wise Mother-tongue Data for Bilingual or Multilingual Taluks) (PDF). Madras Government Press.
  31. ^ a b Roy Mathew (24 May 2012). "Commission to draw up package for Kasaragod". The Hindu.
  32. ^ a b "12 new taluks to be formed in Kerala". The Hindu. 21 March 2013.
  33. ^ "CLIMATE: KASARAGOD", Climate-Data.org. Web: [1].
  34. ^ a b c d Government of India (2014–15). District Census Handbook - Kasaragod (Part-A) 2011 (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala.
  35. ^ "About Institute". CPCRI.in. Central Plantation Crops Research Institute. Archived from the original on 1 February 2016. Retrieved 25 January 2016. The Coconut Research Station at Kasaragod in Kerala was initially established in 1916 by the then Government of Madras and subsequently it was taken over by the Indian Central Coconut Committee in 1948
  36. ^ "Indian Society for Plantation Crops". indsocplantationcrops.in. Indian Society for Plantation Crops. Retrieved 25 January 2016.
  37. ^ "Central Plantation Crops Research Institute(CPCRI)". cpcri. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
  38. ^ Description on official website[permanent dead link]
  39. ^ Prospectus of Central University of Kerala
  40. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 18 August 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  41. ^ "CETKR | College Of Engineering Trikaripur". cetkr.ac.in. Retrieved 8 December 2017.
  42. ^ "All new national highways to be made of concrete: Nitin Gadkari". timesofindia-economictimes.
  43. ^ "National Highway work gains speed in Kerala". 27 August 2017.
  44. ^ "Home". OnManorama. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  45. ^ "Economic review 2015" (PDF). Retrieved 27 February 2016.[permanent dead link]
  46. ^ Government of Kerala (2021). Economic Review 2020 - Volume I (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Planning Board.
  47. ^ "All about KSRTC". Keralartc.com. Archived from the original on 25 June 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2018.
  48. ^ "SALIENT FEATURES OF PALGHAT DIVISION" (PDF). sr.indianrailways.gov.in/. Southern Railway.
  49. ^ Chandran 2018, p. 424.
  50. ^ "Religion – Kerala, Districts and Sub-districts". Census of India 2011. Office of the Registrar General.
  51. ^ Kerala, Directorate of Census Operations. District Census Handbook, Kasaragod (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Directorateof Census Operations,Kerala. p. 86,87. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  52. ^ "Census of India - Language". censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 17 April 2020.
  53. ^ "Kasaragod Municipality Election (2020)". lsgkerala.gov.in.
  54. ^ "Kasaragod Parliament Constituency". Kerala. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 21 June 2008. Retrieved 18 October 2009.
  55. ^ "Kerala to get three gas-based power projects". Projects Today. 26 August 2013.
  56. ^ Special Currespondent (4 May 2019). "MCI recognition for Manjeri medical college". The Hindu.
  57. ^ Staff Reporter (2 September 2013). "A new government medical college in Kerala after 31 years". The Hindu.
  58. ^ Simran Gill (14 June 2020). "5 Lesser Known Forts in India". Outlook India. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  59. ^ Divakaran, Kattakada (2005). Kerala Sanchaaram. Thiruvananthapuram: Z Library. p. 925.
  60. ^ "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]
  61. ^ Vishnu Mohan (27 July 2020). "6 Lesser-Known Places in Kerala for a Weekend Break". Outlook India. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
  62. ^ Giridhar Khasnis (17 May 2015). "Finding everland". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 12 September 2020.

Notes

  1. ^ “Malayalam is spoken along the Malabar coast, on the western side of the Ghauts, or Malaya range of mountains, from the vicinity of Chandragiri (river and fort) near Mangalore, where it supersedes Canarese and Tuļu, to Trivandrum, where it begins to be superseded by Tamil. The people by whom this language is spoken in the native states of Travancore and Cochin, and in the East India Company's districts of Malabar and Canara, may be estimated at two and a half millions.” (Page 7) "Kottara: This is the name of a place in the country of the 'Aii', or ' Paralia ' (identical with South Travancore), which is called ‘Kottiara Metropolis' by Ptolemy, ' Cottora' by Pliny. Undoubtedly the town referred to is ‘Kôțţâra' or, as it is ordinarily spelled by Europeans, ‘ Kotaur,' the principal town in South Travancore, and now , as in the time of the Greeks, distinguished for its commerce. The name of the place is derived from ‘ Kôd-u, ' Tam., a line of circumvallation, a fortification , and “ ârú, ' a river. It is a rule in the Tamil and the Malayalam , that when a word like ‘Kôd is the first member of a compound, the final ' ' must be doubled for the purpose of giving the word the force of an adjective : it is another rule that sonants when doubled become surds. Consequently the compound ‘kôd- ara' becomes by rule 'kôţt-âra' . It is interesting to perceive that in the time of the Greeks the same peculiar phonetic rules existed which are now in operation . It is also worth noticing that the Greek writers represent the last syllable of the name of the town, not as ' âru ,' but as 'âra . The Tamil has ' âru, ' the Malayalam 'ara ' At Kotaur, the dialectic peculiarities of the Malayalam language begin to supersede those of the Tamil ; and this appears to have been the case even in the time of the Greeks." (Page 62-63)[6]

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

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