kandath

Classic Kozhikode in north Kerala is the area which the legendary traveller Marco Polo described in 1320AD as the Great Province of Malabar. In fact Chinese were the first to establish commercial contact with these shores and many eminent travellers followed their footsteps. Ibn Batuta(1342),Abdur Razzak(1443), and Anthanaseus Nikiten(1468) were few of them. The remarks made by these travellers confirms the by gone glory of Kozhikode. After the 13th C Kozhikode grew in importance as a port and capital of the powerful kingdom of Samoothiri’s or Zamorin’s as Portuguese called them. Interestingly Kozhikode has lent its English name ‘Calicut’ to Calico, the fine variety of hand woven cotton cloth said to have originated from here. It was also Vaso da Gama’s (the discoverer of sea route to India) first halt in India. He set foot on the sands of Kappad beach north of today’s city on 27 May 1498AD, a landing commemorated by a small stone monument at the beach. This event marked a new epoch in world, Indian and Kerala history and marked the advent of European powers on the Indian sub-continent. Today Kozhikode is an important centre for timber and tiles and hunting ground for that famous delicacy, ‘Calicut Halva’. Now it is also slowly gaining reputation as a holiday centre teeming with natural beauty. The lush landscape dotted with beaches, backwaters, rivers, hills, ancient monuments, historic sights and wildlife sanctuaries and of course a unique culture that offers warmth, friendliness and hospitality for the visitor as it has been doing since time immemorial.
Kozhikode is well connected by road, rail and air. While in Kozhikode a must for every tourist is a trip in the local ‘autorikshaw’ who are rated the best in Kerala, if not in whole of India. It is a hair raising experience for anyone taking a ride through the busy city roads during peak hours.

Favourite spots:
For the tourist who is inclined to learn about the way of life and culture of Kozhikode, the following offer the maximum reward: 1)Mananchira Square-This serene square in the heart of the city, originally the palace tank of King Mana Vikrama, is an architectural marvel. The square is surrounded by kerala style buildings incl. the commonwealth trust office.2)Sweet Meat(SM)Street- is the busiest shopping street with history behind and is named after the numerous sweetmeat stalls located here.3)Pazhassiraja Museum-5km away from the cityin east hill and named after’Pazhassiraja Kerala Varma’, who led the historical Pazhassi revolt against the british in the 18th C. Maintained by the state archeological department, this is a veritable treasure trove for historians and connoisseurs of art.4)Others include tali temple(14C),Jain temple, Muchunthi Palli(13C Muslim Mosque), St Mary’s Church(built in 1860) and Kozhikode beach which is a popular sunset point.

What’s really great:
The most wonderful aspect of Kozhikode tourism is the diversity on offer for the visitor. All the places mentioned above are within easy reach of the city, say within 6 kms. if you travel 10 kms you can get to the old port town of Beypore where traditional mammoth shipping vessels called ‘Urus’ were built going back a few hundred years. By travelling 16 kms one can reach ‘Kappad Beach’ where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498. Travel further by say 50kms and u can get to the stunning Western Ghats which is part of the rainforest region with breathtaking hills and lush forests.

Sights:
The extraordinary places one must not miss while in Kozhikode are 1) The ancient mosque-’Mishkal Masjid’ in Kuttichira which was built a long time ago and is one of the oldest mosques in town. It was burnt down by the Portuguese in 1510 and burnt portions can still be seen.2)- ‘Lokanarkavu Bhagavati Temple’ near vadakara. It is a 1500 year old shrine dedicated to goddess Durga and associated with the heros and heroines of ‘Vadakkanpattu’ or northern ballads of kerala and 3)’ Peruvannamuzhi Dam’, 60kms from Kozhikode is a really outstandingly beautiful place. Speed and row boat cruises can be enjoyed on the waters of the reservoir. There are a number of un-inhabited islands in the reservoir, a bird sanctuary and a crocodile farm to explore.

Accommodations:
In Kozhikode they have a wide range of hotels with Taj Residency on the P.T.Usha road (five star rating) at the top end. The excellent Malabar Gate Hotel (three star rating) is at Ram Mohan Road. The places ideal for middle budget westrn tourists are 1)Hyson Heritage, Bank road,20 Asma Tower, Mavoor Road and 3) calicut Towers, Mavoor Road etc. There are awide range of 2 star hotels to choose as well. Hotel Malabar Palace is of good standards.

Nightlife:
There are no clubs here in the Western meaning of the word. Again if you are looking for Club activities and night life like in a western resort you have come to the wrong place. There are a wide range of local activities which one can explore with some help from english speaking guides which can easily be arranged

Hangouts:
No pubs available at all. Some of the 2 and 3 * hotels have their own bars which is the closest one can get if you are looking for pubs. If you go to kozhikode beach, there are a few good sea-facing hotels like the Beach Hotel, Sea Queen etc which offers a certain amount of night life and have modern bars attached to them. These are comfortable places for saty and also offers good sea food. For the more adventureous there are tody shops (where a strong liquor made from coconuts are served). My advice is to avoid such places if you are not accompanied by locals who you can trust.

Restaurants:
There are some excellent vegetarian and non vegetarian restaurants in Kozhikode. I found the food at Asma Towers, Dakshin the Veg, Hyson, Calicut Towers, Woodlands and hotel Vigneswara very good.
While in Kozhikode one must’nt miss local delicacies such as ’ Pathiri and Erachi Curry (pathiri is a type of very soft bread made from rice dough flattened on a banana leaf and cooked; erachi curry is of course mutton or beef curry cooked with coconut etc in the traditional malabar way). Another delicacy is the ‘wafer thin’ banana chips to munch away while sight seeing. Local ‘Appam and Stew’, ‘Puttu and Kadala’ (all made from powdered rice and coconut milk) are other treats awaiting ones taste buds.

Other recommendations:
Kallai was once the second largest timber trading centre in asia. A steel bridge built here by the British is still in good condition.
Kottakkal is a small town 48 kms away from Kozhikode. Here is the head quarters of the renowned private ayurvedic institution which was established in 1900. People from all parts of the world are coming here for treatment.
About 100 kms away is ‘Thusharagiri’ a popular haunt for enthusiastic trekkers. The famous trekking route starting from the second waterfall to Vythiri in Wayanad is worth exploring.
The people of Malabar are renowned for their hospitality and the ideal way for a Westerner to thoroughly enjoy the ‘mystique of malabar’ is by becoming one among the locals, which can also be arranged. In a nut shell north Kerala and Malabar are a big de-tour for the tourists from the usual beaten tracks of south and central Kerala.

””OXFORD- a renowned seat of learning !!””
Oxford in England is undoubtedly the oldest university in the english speaking world and has been in continued existance for more than 9 centuries now. As an internationally known centre of education, it naturally attracts students and scholors from right accross the globe. It lies about 90 kms north-west of London. A medium sized city with population totalling approximately 140,000, Oxford is refreshingly different from all other cities I am lucky enough to have visited so far. I fell in love with this gorgeous city immediately after I first set foot there way back in 1979. The 24 long years I spent there since then made my love for the place grow even deeper. Without a shadow of doubt, in my opinion Oxford is the most beautiful,cosmopolitan and likeable city in the whole world and must be in everyone´s once in a lifetime (at least!) list of places to visit. It has class written all over it.
According to the statistics for the acadamic year 2003/2004, there were approximately 17,660 students in Oxford out of which approx. 11,100 were undergraduates spread around 39 independent colleges. University staff altogether will total around 10,000 out of which 3,500 are directly employed by the colleges. At Oxford, the term time for an acadamic year is divided as follows: a) Michaelmas Term (October – December), b) Hilary Term (January – March) and c) Trinity Term (April – June). Each Oxford College is a corporate body distinct from the university and is governed by its own head and fellows. Most fellows are college instructors called tutors and the rest are university professors, readers and lecturers. Each college manages its own buildings and property, elects its own fellows and selects and admits its own undergraduate students. Each student at Oxford is assigned to a tutor, who supervises the student´s course of study, primarily through tutorials. Tutorials are weekly meetings of one or two students with their tutor. Students may see other tutors for specialised instruction. They may also attend lectures given by university teachers. Students choose which lectures to attend on the basis of their own special interests and on the advice of their tutor. At the end of the course, it is the university,(not the individual colleges) which grants degrees. The first degree at Oxford in arts or science is a BA (Bachelor of Arts) with honours. After a few years it automatically becomes an MA and is known as an MA (Oxon). The Rhodes scolorship program enables students from the US and Commonwealth countries and many other nations to study at Oxford and there are a number of illustrious names who have been Rhodes scholors. The three oldest colleges in Oxford – University, Merton and Balliol – date from 1200´s. Twelve more colleges were found between 1300 and 1555. The first colleges for women were estblished during the late 1800´s. The university did not grant degrees to women until 1920 !!
Oxford, unlike Cambridge is an indutrial city as well with the legendary Morris Oxford which once used to be made here. Now the stylsh Austin Mini´s (with BMW back up) are rolling out of the sophisticated plants in Cowley and is one of the most popular and sought after small cars in the US and Japan. When you walk through the historic streets like the High Street, Cornmarket Street,Broad Street, Trul Street and Longwall Street of Oxford you will feel that time has disappeard into a cave somewhere leaving this wonderful city totally un-touched. The ancient and modern go hand in hand without any strain here. Without hesitation i can say that the years I spent here along with the people I met here really changed my outlook on life and made me a changed person. Though physically in Kozhikode, Kerala now for learning about the Kerala life of yester years, my mind is still firmly in oxford. With the modern communication I am still in close touch with this city and plann several short trips in the next few years to Oxford and the U.K.
For prospective browsers interested in gathering info on Oxford I recommend the following links: 1) www.ox.ac.uk and 2) www.visitoxford.org for further information.