Kannur Tourism - Thalassery

Thalassery
Thalassery has been well known for three C's namely Circus, Cricket & Cakes. Keeleri Kunhikannan, the circus legend, hails from Thalassery; seeing the performance of his disciple Adolf Hitler had said; "you fuming devil you astonish me !". The leading circus companies in the country hail from Thalassery namely Jumbo, Great Bombay & Rajkamal. The Mambally tharavad was famous for making cakes. It was Sir.Wellesly who introduced Cricket in the district in the 18th century. The ground where they played is now a stadium. Overbury's Folly : The folly on the hill sloping from the sub-collector's bungalow to the rocks below is named after its maker, Overbury, an early British sub-collector. Revenue reference library Nearly 3,500 old books and documents; of which majority of them deals with British administration and affairs in Malabar and south india. Many of these books are rare and are not available elsewhere due to its antiquity.The names of a few of these books are mentioned below:
1. I Report of the Honourable Court of Directors for the affairs of the Honourable; the United Company of murchants of England trading to the East Indies by clive-1803. 2. The Land system of British India by B.H.Powell, Vol 3-1892. 3. The Comercial products of India by George Watt, London-1908 Handwritten manuscripts of the Geverners and Gevernor-Genarels
Dr. Hermann Gundert: The Gundert House at Illikunnu was occupied by the German scholar and missionary. Hermann Gundert compiled the first English-Malayalam dictionary. His was the first journal published in Malayalam. He had mastered 18 languages and prepared 18 books in Malayalam.
Thalassery is 21 kms. from Kannur;
Thalassery Fort:The picturesque Thalassery fort stands on a rocky cliff overlooking the sea. Built in 1708 the flourishing pepper trade was controlled from this fort.
Though abandoned, the old English Church has not lost its beauty. Stained Glass works, which are very unique was manufactured and brought from London. Mildewed grave stones retain a haunting charm. The Holy Rosary Church is the oldest Catholic Church in the district.
The Sri Rama Temple at Thiruvangad is one of the oldest temples in Thalassery. Perhaps a thousand years old and one of the very few of its kind in south India.
In the heart of Tellicherry stands the 500 years old Odathil Palli and the Garden Mosque. Earlier this place was a sugarcane garden of the Dutch. It changed hands to the British owned East India Company. Musakaka who was the contractor of East India Company was considered to be very honest and trust worthy and hence the company wanted to gift him for his royalty. As per his request he was given the sugar garden of the Dutch. Musakaka bought this land for a small price as he did not want it free. Then he built a Mosque. Odathil Palli is indeed one of the destinations that tourists and travellers come to see. The highlights of Odathil Palli is 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 Thodikulam temple said to have been built during the 16th century, rare mural paintings cover the inner walls. Its on the Thalassery-Mananthavady route near Kannavam.

KALARIPAYATTU
Kalaripayattu is the ancient martial art of the State. It is considered as the forerunner of all martial arts, Karate, Kunngfu.
The Kalari is treated as the temple of learning. Religious worship with its own rituals is also done inside the Kalari. The Gurukkal system wherein the teacher is respected and revered. Rigorous physical training besides training in self discipline. The weapons used are the sword, shief, Dagger, short sticks and speas. The co-ordination of the body and mind is given maximum importance.
Kalarichikitsa: Its given by the Gurukkal to the students who are devoted and versatile in the study of Kalaripayattu.
Full body oil massage: Uzhichill – its used as aid to attain suppleness of the body specially prepared medicated oils are also used.
Marmachikitsa: This is used for treating the injuries caused on he vital regions of the human body which may even lead to Death. The knowledge of Marmas is very essential for an effective treatment. Kalaripayattu has contributed to the traditional art and dance forms of Kerala namely Kathakali, Koodiyattam and Theyyam.

CIRCUS

Keeleri Kunhikannan is a legend in the history of circus. The circus artist and coaches from Thalassery are very much in demand. There is also a proposal to start a circus school, which will give employment opportunity for many persons. This can serve as recruitment ground for circus companies. The scope for earning foreign exchange is also tremendous, as the circuses are very popular in other countries. The cultural exchange programme with Russian artistes by Jumbo Circus gave them a overwelming response and helped them to be a undisputed market leader in the circus industry.