Kottakkunnu Kottakkunnu Hill Station | |
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Hill station | |
Coordinates: 11°02′53″N76°04′59″E / 11.048°N 76.083°E | |
Country | India |
State | Kerala |
District | Malappuram |
Languages | |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Kottakkunnu is a hill station in Malappuram district of Kerala state, India. Widely known as Kotta Kunnu, it is situated at a height of 915 metres and is a popular tourist destination in the state of Kerala located at Malappuram. [1]
The name Kottakunnu comes from the fort built here when the area was the military headquarters of the Calicut rulers Zamorins . Due to the geographical importance of this area, the fort known as Malappuram Fort was built here and the city of Malappuram came up. These areas became part of Valluvanad after the Perumal rule of the Chera kingdom that ruled Kerala in ancient times. At the end of a mountain, the place is a strategic area that is three parts river, one part deep gorge and the upper part is flat like a pedestal. The modern city is spread over the slope of this hill and the plains below.
Varakkal Paranabisan, who conquered Malappuram and the surrounding area from Valluvakonathiri, built a fort on top of Kottakunnu. The gates of the fort are the places known today as the commercial center Kottapadi (Fortgate) at Downhill and Moonampadi ( Third gate) on the Nilambur road. Paranambi ruled Ernad with Kottapadi as the headquarters and continued military operations against Valluvanadu and other kingdoms with Kottakkunnu fort as the military center. After the Zamorins conquered the part of the Kadalundi river where the Cherupuzha joins, it became necessary to pay taxes in Malappuram to bring the goods from the Valluvanadu to the Sea port or forced to sell to the traders of Calicut which resulted formation of small trade center in the area called Kootilangadi. During the staring of 18th century the Paranambi of the time was defeated in a battle with Puntrakonathiri, the ruler of Kottakkal, and was captured by the enemy soldiers. The Moplah Muslim traders fought them and released Paranambi. Pleased with this, Paranambi built the famous Jama mosque near the Kadalundi river and a commercial center developed around the mosque known as Valiyangadi. With this, in the early 1700s, Malappuram became a commercial center beyond being a military center.
The beautiful view from the top of the Malappuram hill and the gentle breeze made the area a British military base. Some British documents refer to Malappuram hill as one of the most beautiful military bases in India. Malappuram was also known as the last military center of the British Empire in the southern part of India at that time. Malappuram fort was demolished and a gunnery training center was built there. In the 1800s, the anti-British rebellions in South Malabar, known as the Moplah Rebellions, led to the establishment of several military bases in and around Malappuram. A paramilitary unit called Malappuram Special Police was established in Malappuram in 1885. During the Malabar uprising against British empire in 1921, it was raised as the Malabar Special Police. During the Malabar War of 1921, several British military units such as the Leinster Regiment and the Dorset Regiment were encamped in Malappuram. The Leinster Regiment, a military unit of Southern Ireland was the last military alliance with the British soldiers at Malappuram in 1921. After that, Southern Ireland became an independent republic from Britain.
Variyankunnath Kunjahmad Haji Memorial Town Hall is the historic town hall, located in Kottakunnu During British rule, a military court was established at Kottakunnu and many freedom fighters were tried and executed. Variyankunnath Kunjahammad Haji, British rebel ruler during Malabar uprising, and his two assistants were tried and shot dead by the British court on the afternoon of January 20, 1922, on the northern slopes of Kottakunnu. It was there that his body and the documents of the British rebel state he established as the Malayalam Rajyam were burnt. Now Malappuram Municipality has built a town hall in his memory below Kottakunnu.
After British rule in 1947, many British military bases including Kotakunnu in Malappuram came under the Department of Defence under Central Ministry of India . The main military headquarters is the present District Collectorate of Malappuram . Apart from the Malabar Special Police, a paramilitary force under the Kerala Police, other military centers were abolished. In 1956, when Malabar, which was a part of Madras State, was annexed to Kerala State, a section of Malabar Special Police was transferred to Tamil Nadu under the name of Madras Special Police.
On May 17, 1998, the Kudumbasree mission, a women's empowerment scheme of the Government of Kerala, was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at Kottakunnu.
On August 9, 2019, three people, including a child, died in a landslide in Kottakunnu due to heavy rain.
Today many entertainment centers like art gallery, amusement park, children's park etc... have been built there.
Malappuram, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of 70 km (43 mi). The most populous district of Kerala, Malappuram is home to around 13% of the total population of the state. The district was formed on 16 June 1969, spanning an area of about 3,554 km2 (1,372 sq mi). It is the third-largest district of Kerala by area. It is bounded by Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea on either side. The district is divided into seven Taluks: Eranad, Kondotty, Nilambur, Perinthalmanna, Ponnani, Tirur, and Tirurangadi.
Valluvanad was an independent chiefdom in present-day central Kerala that held power from the early 12th century to the end of the 18th century. Prior to that, and since the late 10th century, Valluvanad existed as an autonomous chiefdom within the kingdom of the Chera Perumals. The disintegration of the Chera Perumal kingdom in early 12th century led to the independence of the various autonomous chiefdoms of the kingdom, Valluvanad being one of them.
Manjeri is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is the fourth-most populous municipality in state. It is situated 23 kilometres (14 mi) southeast of Karipur International Airport and 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Malappuram, the district headquarters, and forms a part of Malappuram metropolitan area. It is one of the major commercial towns under the Malappuram urban agglomeration and serves as the headquarters of Eranad Taluk. Manjeri Municipality is a Local Self Government Institution with a jurisdiction of three villages namely Manjeri, Payyanad, and Narukara.
Malabar District, also known as British Malabar or simply Malabar was an administrative district on the southwestern Malabar Coast of Bombay Presidency (1792–1800), Madras Presidency (1800–1937), Madras Province (1937–1950) and finally, Madras State (1950–1956) in India. It was the most populous and the third-largest district in the erstwhile Madras State. The historic town of Kozhikode was the administrative headquarters of this district.
Feroke is a Municipality and a part of Kozhikode metropolitan area under Kozhikode Development Authority (K.D.A) in the Kozhikode district of the Indian state of Kerala.
Malappuram is a town in Kerala and the headquarters of the Malappuram district in Kerala, India. It is the 4th largest urban agglomeration in Kerala and the 20th largest in India, spread over an area of 158.20 km2 (61.08 sq mi) including the surrounding suburban areas. The first municipality in the district formed in 1970, Malappuram serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. Divided into 40 electoral wards, the town has a population density of 4,800 per square kilometre. According to the 2011 census, the Malappuram metropolitan area is the fourth largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi, Kozhikode, and Thrissur urban areas and the 20th largest in India with a total population of 3 million. It is the fastest growing city in the world with a 44.1% urban growth between 2015 and 2020 as per the survey conducted by Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) based on the urban area growth during January 2020. Malappuram is situated 54 km southeast of Kozhikode and 90 km northwest of Palakkad. It is the first Indian municipal body to provide free Wi-Fi connectivity to its entire residents. Malappuram is also the first Indian municipal body to achieve the International Organization for Standardization certificate. It is also the first complaint-free municipality in the state.
Tanur is a coastal town, a municipality, and a block located in Tirur Taluk, Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is located on the Malabar Coast, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Tirur and 9 kilometres south of Parappanangadi. It is the 17th-most populated municipality in the state, the fourth-most populated municipality in the district, and the second-most densely populated municipality in Malappuram district, having about 3,568 residents per square kilometre as of the year 2011.
Ramanattukara is a municipality census town in Kozhikode district in the Indian state of Kerala. The town was formerly called Kadungan Chira village. Ramanattukara is located 15 km away from Kozhikode city.
The Samoothiri was the title of the erstwhile ruler and monarch of the Calicut kingdom in the South Malabar region of India. Originating from the former feudal kingdom of Nediyiruppu Swaroopam, the Samoothiris and their vassal kings from Nilambur Kovilakam established Calicut as one of the most important trading ports on the southwest coast of India. At the peak of their reign, they ruled over a region extending from Kozhikode Kollam to the forested borders of Panthalayini Kollam (Koyilandy). The Samoothiris belonged to the Eradi subcaste of the Samantan community of colonial Kerala, and were originally the ruling chiefs of Eranad. The final Zamorin of Calicut committed suicide by setting fire to his palace and burning himself alive inside it, upon learning that Hyder Ali had captured the neighboring country of Chirakkal in Kannur.
Valanchery is a major municipal town in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is one of the four municipalities in Tirur Taluk, besides Tirur, Kottakkal, and Tanur. It is situated about 40 kilometres (25 mi) southeast to Karipur International Airport and 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwards to the district headquarters, and forms a part of Malappuram metropolitan area. It is also one of the major commercial towns under the Malappuram urban agglomeration. Valanchery, which was a part of the erstwhile princely state of the Valluvanad in the early medieval period, had been under the direct control of the Zamorin of Calicut following the Tirunavaya war of 14th century CE. During British Raj, Valanchery was included in the Ponnani Taluk of erstwhile Malabar District.
Parappanangadi is a major town and a municipality in Tirurangadi taluk of Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It is a coastal town located close to the Arabian Sea.
Kadalundi is a village in Kozhikode district, Kerala, India. It is a coastal village close to the Arabian Sea. Kadalundi is famous for its bird sanctuary, which is home to various migratory birds during certain seasons and has been recently declared as a bio-reserve. The Kadalundi–Vallikkunnu Community Reserve is the first community reserve in Kerala. The Kadalundi River and the Chaliyar river, two of the longest rivers of Kerala, merges with the Arabian Sea at Kadalundi. The first railway line in Kerala was laid in 1861 from Tirur to Chaliyam through Tanur, Parappanangadi, Vallikkunnu, and Kadalundi.
The Kingdom of Tanur was a feudal principality on the Malabar Coast of the Indian subcontinent during the Middle Ages. It was governed by the Tanur dynasty, a Hindu ruling family that claimed Kshatriya status. The kingdom encompassed parts of the coastal taluks of Tirurangadi, Tirur, and Ponnani in present-day Malappuram district, including locations such as Tanur, Tirur and Chaliyam. The kingdom also contained the coastal villages of Kadalundi and Chaliyam in the southernmost region of Kozhikode district.
The Malabar rebellion of 1921 started as a resistance against the British colonial rule in certain places in the southern part of old Malabar district of present-day Kerala. The popular uprising was also against the prevailing feudal system controlled by elite Hindus.
Eranad also known as Ernad refers to the erstwhile province in the midland area of Malabar, consisting of Malappuram and nearby regions such as Anakkayam, Manjeri, Kondotty, Nilambur, etc. Currently Eranad Taluk is a Taluk in Malappuram district. Eranad was ruled by a Samanthan Nair clan known as Eradis, similar to the Vellodis of neighbouring Valluvanad and Nedungadis of Nedunganad. The rulers of Eranad were known by the title Eralppad/Eradi. They also used the title Thirumulpad.
Nilambur Kovilakam, also known as Nilambur Kingdom, was a former vassal kingdom and royal Kovilakam in present-day Kerala, India, situated near the Nilgiri range of the Western Ghats. It was ruled by Samantha Kshatriyas of the Nagavanshi clan who were the family members, relatives and representatives of the Samoothiri Raja (Zamorin) of Calicut. The Nilambur Rajas extended their power and authority by marrying with the Nambudiris. This practise was called Sambandam, and resulted in both Brahmins and Kshatriyas taking turns to rule over the Nilambur Kovilakam kingdom. The Brahmin rulers used the title Namboodiripād while the Kshatriya rulers used the title Thirumulpād. To seal the marriage pacts, they built several aristocratic Illams, such as the Nambudiri stronghold of Pootheri Illam in Feroke.
The Kingdom of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, was the kingdom of the Zamorin of Calicut, in the present-day Indian state of Kerala. Present-day Kozhikode is the second largest city in Kerala, as well as the headquarters of Kozhikode district.
Chaliyam is a village situated at the estuary of Chaliyar in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. Chaliyam forms an island, bounded by the Chaliyar in the north, and River Kadalundi in south, and the Conolly Canal in the east. It is located just opposite to Beypore port. Chaliyam was the former terminus of the South-West Line of the Madras Railway. Chaliyam is also famous for the Guinness World Records holder Muhammed Adil, a P.M who covered around seven km in the Chaliyar River with his hand and legs tied with ropes.
Malappuram is one of the 14 districts in the South Indian state of Kerala. The district has a unique and eventful history starting from pre-historic times. During the early medieval period, the district was the home to two of the four major kingdoms that ruled Kerala. Perumpadappu was the original hometown of the Kingdom of Cochin, which is also known as Perumbadappu Swaroopam, and Nediyiruppu was the original hometown of the Zamorin of Calicut, which is also known as Nediyiruppu Swaroopam. Besides, the original headquarters of the Palakkad Rajas were also at Athavanad in the district.
The Tirurangadi Taluk Office, also known as Hajur Kacheri, is a historic building located in Tirurangadi Talk of Malappuram District in the Indian state of Kerala. It houses the Tirurangadi Taluk Office since the post-independence Malabar District or British-era Madras Presidency. The Taluk office, which was once the Hajur Kacheri (Huzur Office) under the British, was one of the major administrative centers of the British government in Malabar region. The building also functioned as the headquarters of a short-lived Khilafat government during the rebellion.