Kannur is a land with a resonantpast. Myths and legends abound. The ships of Solomon, they say anchored along our coasts to collect timber for building the ‘Temple of the Lord’. Kannur finds mention as NAURA in the ‘Periplus of the Erithrean Sea’ a Greek work of great antiquity.

Kannur is a major railway station on Shornur - Mangalore line. By road Kannur is 155 KMs south of Mangalore and 535 KMs north of Thiruvananthapuram. The nearest Airport is at Calicut which is 110 KMs south and Mangalore Airport is 170KMs north.

Kannur district derived its name from location of its headquarters at Kannur town. The old name Cannanore is the anglicized form of Malayalam word Kannur. According to one opinion, 'Kannur' is a derivation of Kanathur, an ancient village, the name of which survives even today in one of the wards of Kannur municipality. Another version is that Kannur might have assumed its name from one of the deities of the Hindu pantheon, a compound of two words, Kannan (Lord Krishna) and Ur (Place) making it the place of Lord Krishna. In this context, it is well worth mentioning that the deity of Kadalayi Sri Krishna temple was originally installed in a shrine at Kadalayikkota in south eastern part of present Kannur town.

Kannur, Aug 17: Normal life was paralysed in the politically sensitive district of Kannur in Kerala today following a hartal called by the Sangh Parivar protest the murder of a BJP activist.
Shops, business establishments, banks and educational institutions remained closed and people remained indoors fearing violence, police said. Public transport, including private and KSRTC buses and other means of conveyence, remained off road. However, a few two-wheelers were seen plying, they said.

Government offices, including the district collectorate, reported thin attendance in the absence of transport facilities. Police said barring a minor incident of violence at Taliparamba in the district where the strikers damaged a restaurant for ignoring the hartal call, it was by and large peaceful.

As many as eight political activists were taken into preventive custody at Payyannur in the district. The hartal was called to protest the massacre of Naduthiraveettil Pramod (33) by unidentified miscreants at Muriyad near Koothupramba in the district yesterday morning.

Another BJP activist A Prakasan, who sustained serious injuries in the attack, was undergoing treatment at the Kozhikode Medical College Hospital.

KANNUR: Even as the number of heronries in the region is declining, Kannur district is found to have the highest number of heronries, nesting species and nests.

A study conducted by the Malabar Natural History Society (MNHS) in association with the Forest Department to identify the heronries in Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Wayanad districts showed that Kannur has 20 heronries, five nesting species and 1,212 nests followed by Kozhikode, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kasaragod.

The study lists 95 heronries in the State of which 25 belonged to the five northern districts. The heronry census was conducted by C. Sashikumar of the MNHS with the help of a network of 50 birdwatchers. As many as 2,927 nests of nine water bird species were counted from 53 sites during the census.

The study shows the distribution of each species in the heronries. Indian Pond Heron with 1,161 nests in 38 heronries is found to be the most numerous and widespread among the species.

Kannur Tourist Attractions:

Jagannatha Festival KannurKannur is full of beautiful tourist attractions that can be visited as a part of Kannur sight seeing tours. This lovely coastal town should not be missed and the famous tourist attractions are worth the visit. Your tour to Kannur will be all the more enjoyable when you go and visit all these beautiful tourist attractions. Read on further about these places to visit.

Dharmadam Island:
This beautiful island is located near the Muzhappilangad beach and is basically a Buddhist dominated region. This island was previously known as Dharmapattanam.

Jagannatha Festival:
The Jagannatha festival is an eight-day long festival held in the Malayalam month of Kumbham, around February-March. It is one of the most important festivals of this region. The Jagannatha temple comes alive with festivities during this time.

Madayi Mosque:
Malik Iben Dinar, who was a Muslim preacher, built this mosque in approximately 1124 A.D. It is a beautiful mosque and a popular tourist attraction. The mosque has a slab of white marble that was brought from Mecca by the founder who came here to disseminate the teachings of the Prophet.

Moppila Bay:
This bay is a famous fishing harbor that is situated near St. Angelo's fort. The place has the latest fishing harbor, equipped with latest fishing technology. It has been built under the Indo-Norwegian treaty and is a joint collaboration between the two countries.

Arakkal Palace:
The Arakkal Palace belonged to the only Muslim royal family of Kerala. The palace is of much historical significance and is a popular tourist attraction of Kannur.

Ezhimala Beach:
The Ezhimala Beach lies at the northern boundary of Kannur. Rare medical herbs (Ramayana) with mythological significance grow on Ezhimala, the strange seven-peaked range. Around 50 kms from here, is the Mount Deli Lighthouse, an old tower of great antiquity. It's maintained by the Navy and is a restricted area. The beach sand is of a different texture and the sea is bluer that in other areas. At the Ettikulam bay one could enjoy watching dolphins.

Kizhunna Beach:
11 Kms from Kannur, This beautiful stretch of sand is one of the most secluded beaches in Kerala.

Muzhappilangad Beach:
Muzhappilangad Beach, one of the longest beaches in Kerala is located 15 kms south of Kannur. This is the only drive-in beach in India.