This is the last post from my travel archives. After all the posts I’ve written about my travels within India and abroad, it’s only befitting I write about my hometown. Although I was raised in Bahrain (16 years) and worked in Bangalore (8 years), I am a native of Kannur (named Cannanore by the Colonial British) in Kerala.
And although it’s one of the largest districts in Kerala by area, Kannur does not offer too much in terms of sights or attractions compared to say, Cochin, with it’s more globally marketable Jew Town and easy access to Kerala’s other famous places. That said, I’m still going to showcase whatever I can from my past visits to Kannur. Or at least the places I’ve visited anyway.
First up, St. Angelo’s Fort.
Built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India (the Portuguese were the first Europeans in India)
By the way, these photos were taken in January 2007
Looking back, I don’t know why I didn’t take too many photos from inside the structure
Maybe it was because I had seen so many such forts in my travels.
I barely took any photos of the Fort’s stony interiors or its chambers
… or the chapel, or these cannons
Maybe I was more mesmerized by the Arabian Sea
The fishing pier
This was some old lamp lighthouse it seems
The sun was setting
I wanted to reach Payyambalam beach to see the sun set
But I got there a bit late
Fortunately it hadn’t gotten too dark yet
Some were still out catching fish
Payyambalam is nearly 2kms in length and is Kannur’s most popular beach
I’ve been to Payyambalam beach many times after this and the sunsets here are pretty awesome
Update: 27th October 2012
Took some photos today on my phone camera:
This the road towards the Payyambalam bridge
It was around noon when I got here
There have water activities like jet ski rides, boat rides and para-sailing (Rs. 500 per person) now. You may contact: Kannur Water Sports, kannurwatersports@gmail.com; Mobile: 0-9526000076
Today was a Saturday
Backwaters near Payyambalam beach
Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach
These photos are when I first went to Muzhappilangad Beach with my cousin sister’s husband back in April 2005. He had told me about this beach which was pretty close to my parents’ village, so he took me there on his bike. The cool thing about Muzhappilangad Beach is that its a ‘driving beach’ or a ‘drive-in beach’ – meaning, you can take your vehicle on to the sands.
Because unlike Kannur’s other beaches, the sand here isn’t powdery and soft. It’s hard pressed to the ground.
Of course, sand gets softer near the water, but it’s still safe for a bike to tread on
Just a few metres out in the sea is Dharmadam island, which some say you can walk to on low tide. They also say it’s a private island.
Muzhappilangad beach isn’t very long, so be mindful of the speeds at which you drive here.
I had come here to learn how to ride a motorbike
Me and my tutor
Some fishing boats were still going out to sea
It was nearing 6pm
We literally rode off into the sunset after this
Kizhunna Beach
This is another one of Kannur’s beaches, but one that’s slightly harder to get to. These photos were taken on a visit to one of my aunts, who lives in Kizhunna (11 kms from Kannur town).
This was from the road uphill
It’s not a huge beach but if you walk all the way down, it’s good enough
Because accessibility isn’t great, it means the beach remains fairly uncrowded
Sand erosion?
That’s me… in 2009
Backwaters nearby
There were a few homestays by the beach too
Kizhunna beach is quite nice if you want some privacy
This was the view from another day
Yes, lots of green. This is Kerala after all.
Meenkunnu Beach
This is another not-so-popular beach (because it’s not easily accessible), around 5kms from Kannur town.
Which also makes it sparsely populated
This was my first time here
We were brought here by our friend Ranjith. The runners: (L) Anand (R) Ranjith
Another nice beach in Kannur
In and around my village, Chala
These photos were from 2005, behind my father’s ancestral home
It’s very pleasant – and beautiful
This was a sunny September morning
Usually when it rains, it often looks like this
I never enjoyed heavy rains in Kerala, mostly because of how *much* it rains during the monsoons
These are just random shots I took from the home my father grew up in
We had quite a few cats make themselves home here – unwelcome or not
This was taken outside my mother’s family property
Coconut trees, Kerala’s natural ‘shade giver’
Very few people in Kerala actually buy coconuts. Because pretty much everyone has a few trees in their own compound.
I forget where I snapped this, but it was outside Kannur town
Looked like a nice place
This was one rainy day when I just passed the union territory of Mahe
Theyyam
Kannur district is also known for the performance art of Theyyam, a traditional Hindu ritual that’s been around for centuries in North Kerala (also known as the Malabar region).
Theyyams are performed usually in the new year, beginning January
Theyyam is said to be corrupted form of the Malayalam words ‘daivam’ meaning God, and ‘aattam,’ meaning movement/dance
So basically “God’s dance”
Which is what the performer does to the banging sounds of the chendas (drums)
Theyyams take place at various temples and households across the Malabar
For reasons I can’t recall, they placed a lamp near these banyan trees
Ending this with a random shot of Onam pookalam, an essential part of celebrating Onam
That’s all I have for now. The above photos may not look like much, but please note that these photos were all taken before my DSLR days. I used to carry my point-and-shoot Canon Powershot A95 whenever I used to visit Kannur, and these were the photos I took when I was still learning the basics of photography.
We have a house in the city now and I do visit Kannur more frequently these days, so hopefully whenever I get my vehicle down here, I hope to drive around and re-visit Kannur’s attractions to take better photographs of my hometown.
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Tags: beach, cannanore, canon powershot a95, chala, driving beach, fort, India, kannur, kerala, kizhuna beach, meenkunnu beach, muzhappilangad beach, payyambalam beach, st. angelos fort, theyyam, village
