Odathil Palli (Odathil Mosque) is a 200-year-old mosque in Thalassery, a city in the state of Kerala, South India. The mosque was built around 1806. [1]
In the heart of Thalassery stands the 200-year-old Odathil Palli and the Garden Mosque. The site of the Odathil Palli used to be a sugarcane garden of the Dutch. It changed hands to the British-owned East India Company.
Moosakaka, a Muslim Keralite, was the contractor of the East India Company. Moosakaka hailed from the Keyi family of Thalassery. The Keyis were among the prominent traders of the time.
Moosakaka was considered to be very honest and trustworthy. Hence, the company wanted to reward him for his loyalty. As per his request, he was given the Dutch sugar garden. Musakaka bought this land for a small price, as he did not want it free.
He constructed a beautiful mosque in Thalassery in the 'Karimbin-odam' (sugarcane plantation) formerly belonged to the Dutch, occupied by the British. Odam means 'garden' in Malayalam. Since it was constructed in Odam the mosque came to be called Odathil Palli, meaning 'mosque in Odam'. The mosque had copper plate roofing and golden dome in the minor and share the scenic features as the ones noted in the Brahmonical tradition. There was opposition in laying the dome – a privilege enjoyed by the temples – so Zamorin gave speed permission to lay the domes and the minaret. It highlights the communal harmony that prevailed in those days and the policy of enlightened toleration followed by the Kerala rulers. All Muslims can offer prayers. In the Kabaristan (graveyard adjacent to the mosque) only the dead bodies of those related to Keyis are buried.
Odathil Palli is a destination that tourists and travelers come to see. The highlights of Odathil Palli are that it has the typical Kerala architecture, and it is in the heart of Tellicherry. The crown on the roof is made of gold. The mosque is still in use for worship today. The masjid has mainly three entrance. First one is through main gate near Thalassery old Bus-stand. Next one is through Logans Road, and third is the entrance through backyard of the building which connected to OV Road.
Thalassery, formerly Tellicherry, is a municipality and commercial city on the Malabar Coast in Kannur district, in the state of Kerala, India, bordered by the districts of Mahé (Pondicherry), Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kasaragod and Kodagu (Karnataka). Thalassery municipality has a population just under 100,000. Thalassery Heritage City has an area of 23.98 square kilometres (9.26 sq mi). Thalassery has an altitude ranging from 2.5 to 30 metres above mean sea-level.
Tellicherry Fort is in Thalassery (Tellicherry) a town in Kannur District of Kerala state in south India. Thalassery was one of the most important European trading centers of Kerala. The Fort lies on the group of low wooden hill running down to sea and protected by natural waters. It has been the main opening for the rich spices, hill products and timber of the vast inter-land.
Kolattunādu (Kola Swarupam, as Kingdom of Cannanore in foreign accounts, Chirakkal (Chericul) in later times) was one of the four most powerful kingdoms on the Malabar Coast during the arrival of the Portuguese Armadas in India, along with Zamorin, the Kingdom of Cochin and Quilon. Kolattunādu had its capital at Ezhimala and was ruled by the Kolattiri royal family and roughly comprised the North Malabar region of Kerala state in India. Traditionally, Kolattunādu is described as the land lying between the Chandragiri river in the north and the Korappuzha river in the south. The Kolathunadu (Kannur) Kingdom at the peak of its power, reportedly extended from the Netravati River (Mangalore) in the north to Korapuzha (Kozhikode) in the south with the Arabian Sea on the west and Kodagu hills on the eastern boundary, also including the isolated islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.
Ponnani is a municipality in Ponnani Taluk, Malappuram District, in the state of Kerala, India. It serves as the administrative center of the Taluk and Block Panchayat of the same name. It is situated at the estuary of Bharatappuzha, on its southern bank, and is bounded by the Arabian Sea on the west and a series of brackish lagoons in the south.
Malabar District, also known as Malayalam District, 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 Calicut was the admisnitrative headquarters of this district.
Thalassery Pier locally known as Kadalpalam is located in Thalassery, Kannur District of Kerala state, south India.
Keyi, are one of the several denominations among Muslims of Kerala, India. The Keyis are known for their immense wealth and land properties acquired through trade with the English East India Company. The Keyi family has its roots in Thalassery, Kannur district. Keyis only marry from another Keyi family and are noted for their matrilinear system of inheritance.
Islam arrived in Kerala, the Malayalam-speaking region in the south-western tip of India, through Middle Eastern merchants. The Indian coast has an ancient relation with West Asia and the Middle East, even during the pre-Islamic period.
Thalassery railway station(Code:TLY) is a railway station serving the City of Thalassery in Kerala. It lies in the Shoranur–Mangalore section of the Southern Railways. It is the third largest station in Kerala in terms of number of passengers under Palakkad division. The station has two platforms and three tracks. Though no trains originate from this station, trains halting at the station connect the city to prominent cities in India such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kozhikode, Coimbatore, Quilon, New Delhi, Mangalore, Pune, Jaipur, Jammu Tawi, Okha and so forth.
There are places of worship considered important in the Kannur district. Kannur District is one of the 14 districts in the state of Kerala, India. The town of Kannur is the district headquarters, and gives the district its name.
Muchundi Mosque is a mosque located at Kuttichira, in the city of Kozhikode (Calicut) in the Indian state of Kerala. Kuttichira is the medieval Muslim quarter in the city of Calicut. It is situated south of Mishkal Mosque, Kuttichira Tank and the Kuttichira Jum'ah Masjid. The mosque does not conduct the jum'ah prayers – the special noon service on Friday that all adult, male, free Muslims are obliged to attend.
The Thalassery cuisine refers to the distinct cuisine from Thalassery town of northern Kerala, which has blended in Arabian, Persian, Indian and European styles of cooking as a result of its long history as a maritime trading post.
Palaiya Jumma Palli or Meen Kadai Palli is a mosque in Kilakarai, Tamil Nadu, India. Built in 628–630 AD, it is believed to be one of the oldest mosques in the world and along with Cheraman Juma Masjid in Kodungallur, Kerala and Barwada Mosque in Ghogha, Gujarat, the first mosque in India. It has an Islamic heritage of more than 1000 years. It is located in Kilakarai, an ancient port town in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu known for its Islamic culture. It was built in 628–630 AD and was re-constructed in 1036. The mosque, along with the others in the town, is one of the greatest examples of Tamil Islam architecture.
Thengapattanam, named after dense coconut grooves, is a major trade and tourism centre in the painkulam panchayath along the coastal plains of Kanyakumari district. Thengapattanam, once part of Travancore and later Kerala, was added to Tamil Nadu on 1 November 1956 along with some parts of today's Kanniyakumari District.
Madayi Mosque is mosque at Pazhayangadi in Kannur district, northern Kerala. It is one of the oldest mosques in Kerala, with local legends dating back to the 7th century AD. It is believed to have been established by Malik ibn Dinar and contains a block of white marble said to have been brought from Mecca by ibn Dinar. It is one of the several mosques around Pazhayangadi/Payangadi. It is situated on the banks of Kuppam River, which joins Valapattanam River at its estuary.
Chovvakkaran Moosa was a wealthy Indian pepper merchant and ‘Moghul Baig’ of southern India, who died in Thalassery in 1807. He is also known, more parochially, as 'Moosakakka Keyi'.
Kannur, India has a number of tourist attractions including beaches, hills, temples and other monuments.
Thalassery was a trade hub where Chinese, Arab, and Jewish traders had considerable influence in the spice market before that the Greeks and Romans was in the trade. It was the European invasion that brought significant change as they enforced the trade with their military.
The Thalassery carnival, the Beach fest in Muzhappilangad beach and Dharmadam beach are notable attractions. The area's four rivers around Thalassery town and four beaches with more in Kannur also attract visitors.