Visiting Elathur

A quaint little town with the feel of the backwaters village is  Elathur. A river swings down its north boundary – Korapuzha river. A sea embraces it to its west  – Arabian Sea. A canal runs through it – Canoly Cana.                   

How to reach Elathur: It is 10 km from Kozhikode. Take the bus from KSRTC bus station


Things to Do in Elathur

·         Take a boat ride 

·         Breathe in its uncrowded environs 

·      Gaze upon the Canoly canal named after R.Canoly former British Collector.
Imagine a time when this link between Korapuzha and Kallayi rivers was a
busy waterway ferrying folks and goods to Kozhikode when it was built in 
1948 by Malabar Collector R.Canoly

Visiting Kappad Beach

 Kappadkadavu as the locals call Kappad is no ordinary beach. It’s the beach that launched a thousand ships so to speak. Vasco da Gama stepped ashore with 170 men in 3 ships on 27^th May 1498 at Panthalayani, about 6 km away. His visit launched trade between Portugal and India. The Dutch and English followed suit wanting a hold over calico and they didn’t leave for nearly 450 years. Vasco da Gama died on his third visit to India in 1524  but he left India finally only in 1538 when his remains interred in St. Francis church returned to Portugal. What remains behind still is the gold crown studded with precious stones that Vasco da Gama presented to the king of Kochi. The crown is still to be seen in the Hill Palace museum at Thripunitura in Kochi.

Kappad is one of the still serene, untouched beaches with a charm all its own unruffled by the weight of its history. For much before Vasco da Gama came the Arabs, the Greeks and the Romans attracted by the spices and riches of Malabar. As Kappad beach is the entry point to the Malabar coastline.

Beach Sights

·         A stone pillar with an inscription commemorates the event of Vasco da Gama’s landing

·         Rock formation at one side and beach stretches endlessly on the other

·         Shore is a short 20 m and the sand is swallowed by soil

·         Wading isn’t really possible as the waters are quite deep

·         A rock abutment into the sea has a temple Urapottam Kavu considered to be 800 years old

Location

• The best route is to imagine you’re on the ship of Vasco da Gama and cruise through the backwaters towards Korappuzha river and come ashore on Kappad
• Take the train or plane to Kozhikode and Kappad is 16 km away.
• Drive down 20 minutes to Kappad or bus it or take the auto

Pazhassiraja Museum

The Pazhassiraja Museum is named after Pazhassiraja Raja Kerala Varma of the Padinjare Kovilakom of the Kottayam Royal Family. He’s the Lion of Kerala who led the Pazhassi Revolt against the British in the 1700s and fought guerilla style in the hills of Wayanad becoming a terror to the English. They managed to corner him only in 1805 when he was shot dead on November 30^th in an encounter. The Museum run by the State Archeology Department is a tribute to this fearless freedom fighter.

In a fitting tribute, the Museum and Art Gallery is located in a former courthouse of the East India Company! The private quarters which are linked to the main courthouse museum area is now a museum dedicated to V.K.Krishna Menon.

On Display at the Pazhassiraja Museum: 

Artefacts from the time of the Lion of Kerala are well preserved.

·         Antique Bronzes

·         Models of Temples

·         Models of megalithic monuments like Umbrella Stones, Dolomite Cysts

·         Ancient Mural Paintings

·         Old coins

Sculpture Museum

The basement of the courthouse that served as the jail house is where the sculpture museum is situated.

·         Stone carvings are on display here.

·         Memorabilia and uniforms of the Malabar Police

Art Gallery

The oil paintings and other works of the famous Raja Ravi Varma are on display here. The works of his uncle Raja Raja Varma are also on view.

Adjacent Museum

You can also visit the museum built in memory of V.K. Krishna Menon. He gave a record breaking 8 hour speech, a record that still stands, to the United Nations on the subject of Kashmir on January 23, 1957 before he collapsed on the Security Council floor. He was Defence Minister in Nehru’s Cabinet and resigned after China attacked India in 1962. He's the co-founder of Penguin Books with Sir Allen Lane and Sainik military schools.

The Museum stores his news clips, letters and personal belongings.

Timings of Pazhassiraja Museum: 

• 9 am to 4:30 pm. 
• Closed for lunch 1pm-2pm 
• Open all days except Monday and National and State holidays. 

Contact information of Pazhassiraja Museum: Ph- 495-2384382Location of Pazhassiraja Museum: It is 5 km from Kozhikode in East Hills. It is a drive up a really steep hill which gives a view of Kozhikode.

Why I Love Kozhikode

Kozhikode Railway Station

Kozhikode Railway Station

                                   

• The railway station is spick and span and you can actually spot staff sweeping the premises. The chairs are still in good shape not dented or rusted. 

•  It’s one of the few cities in India where the rhythm of life still follows a leisurely pace. The markets open only at 9:30 in the morning. Seeing closed shops makes one smile.

                                                  

• The autos come in three different categories and they will honestly tell you so as well as the difference in the fare….By meter, pre-paid, without meter. So, say from the station to the KSRTC bus stand…. the pre-paid will be Rs.45, the regular autos Rs. 60 and the honest auto driver who goes by the meter, it will be Rs.39.50. The auto guy will also with a great smile explain that the difference in the unmetered and pre-paid rate is because coming to the station was without a fare! 

• It’s got the cleanest, most modern airport and the domestic terminal is almost empty, barely two airlines operate from here….there are actually airline booking counters which are not used. This is because Kozhikode is NRI territory, if you don’t mention it you’ll be driven straight to the International Airport terminal instead of domestic because it’ll be assumed you’re flying abroad. 

• The only city in Kerala where they actually speak Hindi and English in a way that can be understood.

• It’s where you’ll find the best upma this side of the country – at Sarvanna Bhavan opposite the KSRTC stand. It’s the only restaurant in Kozhikode that opens at 7 am. 

• It’s where people as far as Bengaluru in the neighbouring state of Karnataka drive down to sample the non-veg fare at Zain’s which is located on Convent Cross Road behind the Fire Station. Call – 495-2366311. Be warned, it opens only at the grand hour of 12:30 morning because it’s mainly a lunch place.

• It’s one of the few places where the guest houses are decent and stay as comfortable as a hotel and less expensive. There’s Alakapuri Guest House at Maulana Mohammed Ali Road (Call 495-2723451/52/53/54); Aradhana Tourist Home, Kamala Building, right next to the station (Call 495-2302220/21)

• Kozhikode is a hop, skip and jump from neighbouring states so it’s a great point to start and end the journey when travelling in Kerala because it works out cheaper since it’s at the northern end of Kerala which is at the tip of India. For example, the difference in air fares from say Thiruvanthapuram to Mumbai and from Kozhikode to Mumbai is a cool Rs.2050. 

• One of the most scenic routes by train is the one from Thiruvanthapuram to Kozhikode via Allepey.

What to see and do at Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary

If there’s anything worth getting up at the crack of dawn for, it’s for the glimpse of a gem of an island cluster called Kadalundi named after the river Kadalundi which flows into the Arabian sea. The 2 km area set amidst hillocks is home to birds of a feather that flock together.

There are more than 100 local varieties and over 60 migratory species at the Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary

Migratory Species                 

• Brahmini Kites
•  Cormorants
•  Heron
•  Gulls
•  Sandpiper
•  Whimbrel
•  Terns

    The sanctuary is also crawling with a variety of crabs, turtles, fish and mussels. And the view from 200 m above sea level is a bird’s eye view of the river mouth and sea at Kadalundi Nagaram, the local name for the lush green tip. 

     Tips:

• The early bird catches the worm. So get out there early. Check for sunrise timings or ask the locals.
• You need to hire the Forest Department’s boat to spot the turtles out in the open sea.
•  Avoid May-July monsoon months
•  Best time to view – November-December or April
•  Take food as it’s far from the main town
• Don’t forget the binoculars

      Reaching There:

• It’s very close to the Kozhikode International airport, 23 km.
•  Take the first KSRTC bus out at 6 am from Kozhikode KSRTC bus station, it’s  11 km journey to Beypore which is 7 km away
•  Get off at Feroke railway station, it’s around 25 minutes by auto from there