Kannur District

Kannur is well known for the exports of coir, masala spices, sandalwood and wood to distant places like Sumatra, Arabia, Spain in the early times, Kannur is home to a number of king forts, religious shrines and well esteemed institutions. The Venetian traveler Marco Polo referred Kannur as 'a great emporium of spice trade'.

The old name 'Cannanore' is the anglicised version of the Malayalam name Kannur. 'Kannur' is also said to be a derivation from Kanathur, an ancient village in the district, the name of which survives even today in one of the wards of Kannur Municipality.

This stretch of land part of Kerala, is a melting pot of races, religions and cultures in every inch of its history. Relics, right from the Neolothic age through the Aryan invasion, Cheran Conquests, Arab and European inroads, stand testimony to the history of Kannur District.