Must-Visit Tourist Attractions and Sightseeing in Kannur

Attractions

Undoubtedly among the most exotic locations in Kerala, Malabar offers holiday-goers lush greenery, exquisite temples, mighty forts, panoramic and silent beaches, historical museums, bungalows and caves, hillocks and hill stations, drive-in beach, local myriad stories of different cultures, customs, rituals and spice routes… Tourists can enjoy the enchanting beauty of the Western Ghats, a UNESCO World Heritage Site & one of the eight “hottest hot-spots” of biological diversity in the world, and the Arabian Sea.

Ayurveda

Welcome to the Ayurvedic Spa at “The Malabar Beach Resort”. The in-house spa offers a chance to try out traditional holistic therapies to rejuvenate. Ayurveda prevents diseases and encourages the maintenance of health through close attention to balance in one’s life, right thinking, diet, lifestyle and the use of herbs. In Sanskrit, it means ‘The Science of Life’. The rules mentioned in Ayurvedic texts if applied rigorously give definite results. Lifestyle-related diseases, drug abuse, degenerative diseases, autoimmune diseases and certain metabolic and allergic disorders are well manageable with Ayurvedic techniques and medicaments.

Ayurvedic massage techniques provide relaxation, circulation and elimination of toxins which ultimately helps to rejuvenate the body. By making a gentle circular movement with either forefinger or the middle finger on a marma( pressure points), toxins can be released and thereby achieve electrochemical balance in the body. The various Ayurvedic sessions at Malabar Beach Resort give you a chance to rediscover the inner self and awareness about balancing energies of the body and system of healing.

Yoga & Meditation

Welcome to the centre for Yoga and Meditation at The Malabar Beach Resort where you feel ‘An Oasis of Tranquillity’.

The origins of Yoga have been speculated to date back to pre-Vedic Indian traditions. A 5000 year old Indian body of knowledge, Yoga is a comprehensive system for wellbeing on all levels: Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual. The word ‘Yoga’ is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘yuj’ which means ‘to unite’.

Yoga is an art, a way of life and science of righteous living for the benefit of body, mind and spirit.

Theyyam

Theyyam or Theyyattam is a popular Hindu ritual of worship in Malabar (North Kerala). As a living cult with several thousand-year old traditions, rituals and customs, it embraces almost all the sects and classes of the Hindu religion.

“There can be no doubt” said 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” (The Birth of Indian Civilization 1968 p.3039).

The Theyyam dance is generally performed in front of the village Shrine. It is also performed in the houses as ancestor worship with elaborate rites and rituals.

Such a cultural fusion or inter-action between the ‘little’ and ‘great’ cultures make Theyyam an interesting field of research for social scientists. Theyyam performance is a combination of playing musical instruments, vocal recitations, dance, and peculiar makeup and costumes. Theyyam and its ritualistic observations make it one of the most fascinating arts of India.

Handloom

Kannur, the city is called ‘Looms and Lores’ for its century-old handloom industry. Also, it is called ‘the Manchester of Kerala’. The handloom industry is the most important and the largest in the district. There are numerous handloom industries in and around the city of Kannur. The quality handloom products, locally known as Kaithari, are made by hand by the weavers with the help of handloom machines. The handloom cloths of Kannur have won an international reputation. The main products are shirting, made-ups, jacquard, furnishing cloths, terry towels, satin cloths etc.

Bekal Fort

Bekal Fort is the biggest fort in Kerala, spreading over 40 acres (160,000 m2).

Bekal fort served as an important military station of Tipu Sultan when he led the great military expedition to capture Malabar. The death of Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War in 1799 saw the end of Mysorean control and subsequently, the fort came under the British East India Company. The fort appears to have built up from the sea since almost three fourth of its exteriors are drenched and the waves stroke the citadel. The zigzag entrance and the trenches around the fort show the defence strategy connected with the fort. The holes on the outer walls of the fort are specially designed to defend the fort effectively. The holes at the top are meant for aiming at the farthest points; the holes below are meant for hitting when the enemy is nearer and the holes underneath facilitate attacking when the enemy is very near to the fort. This is remarkable evidence of medieval technology in defence strategy.

Presently the protection and preservation of the Bekal fort have been entrusted to the Archaeological Survey of India.

Tellicherry Fort

The French came first to Tellicherry for trading, they got a strong grip on Mahé. Towards the end of the 17th century, the British opened a factory north of Tellicherry. Later they obtained a site from Vadakkelamkur, the de facto ruler of Kolathunad and established a factory at Tellicherry in 1708. But the Udayamangalam branch of the Kolathiri family and Korangoth Nair, the local chieftain resented this action and they attacked and caused serious damage to English property. In order to safeguard their trade activities with the support of the Kolathiri Raja, they build a fort around the outlying hills of Tellicherry.

St. Angelo’s Fort

St. Angelo’s Fort is a fort facing the Arabian Sea, situated 3 km from the town of Kannur, which is the most important historical monument of Malabar. The fort, with its massive walls, secret tunnels to the sea and intricately carved huge doors, is an imposing structure. It was built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India. The fort changed hands several times. In 1663 the Dutch captured it and sold it to the Arakkal Royal Family in 1772. The British conquered it in 1790 and transformed it into one of their major military stations on the Malabar Coast. It is fairly well preserved as a protected monument and Archaeological Survey of India. Also, it is a major tourist attraction of Malabar where tourists are allowed to enter the fort every day between 8 AM to 6 PM.

Muzhappilangad Beach

This beach is the longest Drive-In Beach in Asia and is featured among the top 6 best beaches for driving in the world in the BBC article for Autos. Muzhappilangad is the only Asian beach featured in the list.

The beach festival is celebrated in the month of April and it is one of the important tourist attractions in the district of Kannur in Kerala. The youth also try many driving stunts in cars like drifting and wheeling in bikes as this is a paradise for driving along the shore.

Payyambalam Beach

One of the pristine and panoramic beaches in Kannur. A part of the garden is especially for children. Many movies have been shot in this location including the Maniratnam movie Alaypayuthey.

The beach is popular for the graves of some of the most prominent social leaders of Kerala.

Paithalmala

A hill station, located near Pottenplav village. This is the highest geographic peak in Kannur at a height of 1372m above sea level. Nestled in the Kerala Karnataka border near Kodagu forests, it lies in the Western Ghats.

There are two trekking seasons at Paithalmala, falling in monsoon and summer. Monsoon (June to October) trekking to Paithalmala is a photographer’s delight as the mist blankets the hills and forest.

Rajarajeshwara Temple

Rajarajeshwara Temple is a beautiful Shiva Temple located at Taliparamba in the Kannur district. The temple is regarded as one of the 108 ancient Shiva temples of Kerala. It has a prominent place among the numerous Shiva temples in South India. Taliparamba is regarded as one of the ancient temples of South India. The Shiva Linga here is believed to be thousands of years old. Legend has it that Shiva gave the sacred Shiva Linga to Parvati for worship and after searching all over, found Taliparamba the most sacred spot where the Shiva Linga was installed. Rajarajeswara temple is being visited by thousands of Hindus for offering worship to Lord Shiva.

Thirunelli Temple

Thirunelli Temple has situated in north Wayanad about 98 km from Kannur. It is an ancient temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. The people belonging to the Hindu religion do their forefathers “Balikarma” in the Papanasini River. Hindus believe that one who bathes in this river gets relieved from all sins.

According to tradition, Lord Brahma was travelling by the Earth upon the Hamsa, when he became attracted by the beauty of the area now known as Brahmagiri Hill. Descending upon that spot, Brahma noticed an idol set in an Amla tree. Brahma recognized the idol as Lord Vishnu himself and the place as Vishnuloka. With the help of the Devas, Brahma installed the idol and called it Sahyamala Kshetra. At Brahma’s request, Vishnu promised that the waters of the area would wash away all sins. (Thus, the spring and river near the temple is called Papanasini “Washes away all sins”) It is also a place of charming silent beauty which attracts tourists for a long time.

Madayipara

Madayipara is a flat-topped hillock located in Kannur, Kerala state. The Madayipara is well known for its rich diversity of plants. The aquatic and semi-aquatic plants form extensive carpets of blue, pink, white and yellow during the monsoon season. It is typical of the Laterite foothills of the Western Ghats. The area is notable for the presence of some of the rarest plants in the world. Even though these hills are exposed directly to the sunlight and wind, they harbour rich species diversity. More than 500 plant species have been recorded from Madayipara.

Ezhimala

A hill reaching a height of 286 metres, is located near Payyanur, in Kannur District of Kerala. Ezhimala is one of the most important places in the recorded history of North Malabar. From before the period of known history, some chapters of the Ramayana and local Hindu legends associate the Ezhimala Hills with the famous epic, in particular with Lord Hanuman.

The Prime Minister inaugurated the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala, which is the largest in Asia, on 8 January 2009. This institution trains officer candidates of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.

Snake Park (Parassinikkadavu)

The snake park is a famous landmark of Kannur which is about 16 km away from Kannur town.

The park is dedicated to the preservation and conservation of snakes, many species of which are gradually becoming extinct. It has a large variety of snakes and other small animals, including the spectacled Cobra, King Cobra, Russell’s viper, Krait and various pit vipers. There is a large collection of non-poisonous snakes including pythons.

In a live show trained personnel play and interact with a variety of snakes, including cobras and vipers, and try to quell mythical fears and superstitions about snakes. It has also been proposed that a laboratory to extract venom from snakes for the purposes of research be set up here. The snake park is regularly visited by both foreign and domestic tourists.

Edakkal Caves

Edakkal Caves may date back over 8000 years ago. Evidence indicates that the Edakkal caves had been inhabited at several different times in history. Inside the caves, there are pictorial writings believed to be from neolithic man, evidence of the presence of prehistoric civilization existing in this region. Such stone-age carvings are very rare and these are the only known examples in southern India. The carvings are of human and animal figures, as well as of tools used by humans and symbols, suggesting they were created by highly civilized prehistoric people. The approximate time required to climb to the top of the hill and down is 3-4 hours.

Edakkal Caves, the anthropological and historical site has become a popular tourist attraction of Malabar.

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary

Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is an animal sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala. Wild animals such as Indian Bison, elephants, deer, and tiger have been spotted. There are also quite a few wild birds in the sanctuary Peacocks and Peafowl tend to be very common in the area. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala which comes under Protect Elephant, where you can spot herds of elephants roaming in the area. Elephant rides are arranged by the Forest Department. Discovering and observing the wildlife while being atop an elephant is an enthralling and unforgettable experience.

Ranipuram

Ranipuram is a hill station located within Kasargod District of Kerala. There are two trekking routes available through the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests. Part of the way the climb is assisted by cut steps. The ambience of the forest trail is remarkable and once you reach the grass-covered hilltop the view is superb. This is unexplored territory for nature enthusiasts and birdwatchers.

Arakkal Museum

Arakkal Museum is a museum dedicated to the Arakkal family, the only Muslim Royal family in Kerala, which is located in Ayikkara, about 2-3 kilometres from Kannur Town. The museum is a section of the Arakkalkettu (Arakkal Palace). The durbar hall section of the palace has been converted into a museum by the Government of Kerala. The Government had taken a keen interest in preserving the heritage of the Arakkal Family, which had played a prominent role in the history of Malabar.