The
History of Calicut:
 |
Calicut,
is the most important coastal city of Malabar the north region of state
of Kerala. It was a leading
trading centre for spices on the West Coast of India during the medieval
period. Ruled by the Zamorin dynasty, Calicut found a place in World History
with the discovery of sea route to India in 1498 by the Portuguese navigator
Vasco Da Gama. He landed at Kappad a coastal fishing village and history
was changed with the political scanario of India ultimately ending with
it's colonization by the British. It remained under the Madras Presidency
till the formation of Kerala in 1956 after independence. |
During
the Sangam age, the Calicut District formed part of the Chera Empire. It
played a leading part
in fostering trade relations between Kerala and outside world. Tondi, the
present Kadalundi as per scholars, was one of the most flourishing seaports
of Kerala that time. Again nothing is known in the post-sangam age which
is considered to be the Dark Age in South India's history. In the 9th century,
Calicut became a part of the Second Chera Empire. The Chera's also known
as Perumals, ruled the territory till 1122 AD. With the fall of Cheras,
the kingdom was divided into many independent districts called 'Nadus'
such as Ernad and Polanad. Originally Calicut area was under the Porlarthris,
rulers of Poland. It became an important town in 13th century with the
conquest of Polanad by the King of Ernad.
The
Udaiyavar of Ernad, whose headquarters was at Nediyiruppu wanted an outlet
to the sea and after fighting
with the Polatthiri King for 48 long years conquered the area around Ponniankara
and build a fort at a place called Velapuram. Thus the city of Calicut
came into existence sometime in the 13th Century AD. With the accession
of Calicut, the status of Nediyirippu increased and he come to known as
Swami Nambiyathiri Thirumulpad, which gradually became Samuri or Samuthiri
over the years. The Europeans called him Zamorin. The place surrounded
by the fort was known as Koyil (palace) Kotta (fort) and hence the name
of the place became Kozhikode. Foreigners called it by different names,
for Arabs it was Kalikat, for Chinese it was Kalifo while the city is known
to outside world by its European name - Calicut. Interestingly, the name
Calicut is derived from 'calico,' the fine variety of hand-woven cotton
cloth said to have originated from this place, which was then an important
manufacture. Kozhikode passed to British rule in 1792.