Kozhikode District

Kozhikode also known as Calicut, is a city in the state of Kerala in southern India on the Malabar coast. Kozhikode is the largest urban area in the state and the 195th largest urban area in the world. During classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikode was dubbed the “City of Spices” for its role as the major trading point of Eastern spices. It was the capital of an independent kingdom ruled by the Samoothiris(Zamorins) in the Middle Ages and later the capital of the erstwhile Malabar district under British rule. Arab merchants traded with the region as early as the 7th century, and Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama dropped anchor at Kozhikode on 20 May 1498, thus opening a trade route between Europe and Malabar. A Portuguese factory and fort functioned in Kozhikode for a short period (1511–1525, until the Fall of Calicut). The English landed in 1615 (constructing a trading post in 1665), followed by the French (1698) and the Dutch (1752). In 1765, Mysore captured Kozhikode as part of its occupation of the Malabar Coast. While the city has been known in history under different names, Malayalam-speaking communities have traditionally called it Kozhikode. Arab merchants called it Qāliqūṭ. Tamils called it Kallikkottai while for the Chinese it was Kalifo. Although the city’s official name is Kozhikode, in English it is sometimes known by its anglicised version, Calicut. The word calico, a fine variety of hand-woven cotton cloth that was exported from the port of Kozhikode, is thought to have been derived from Calicut. Kozhikode is a town with a long recorded history. From time immemorial, the city has attracted travellers with its prosperity. It has traded in spices like black pepper and cardamom with Jews, Arabs, Phoenicians, and Chinese for more than 500 years. As Kozhikode offered full freedom and security, the Arab and the Chinese merchants preferred it to all other ports. Kozhikode was the capital of Malabar during the time of Sri Samoothiri Maharajas, who