View of An island at Chaliyam ( Kozhikode, Kerala , India )

Chaliyam is on the banks of the Chaliyar river near Beypore and is famous for Uru construction, lighthouse and the fish market. Located 12 km from Kozhikode in Kerala. This is A Beautiful island in Kozhikode Dist. sarrounded by the Beypore and kadalundi rivers. This is the last point of Chalyar river. 

Places of Interest near Kozhikode,

Beypore 

Beypore town is about 10 km from Kozhikode, at the mouth of the Beypore river. Tippu Sultan named the town “Sultan Pattanam”. It is one of the important ports of Kerala and an important trading centre.

Beypore is famous for its boat building yard where mammoth crafts known as Uru are being built. It is a major fishing harbour of Kerala. There are two man made extensions to the sea to facilitate easy access for fishing boats.

Kappad 

On 27 May 1498, Vasco Da Gama landed at Kappad with three vessels and 170 men. Located 16 km north of Kozhikode by Kannur road. A monument is here to commemorate the historical landing. An ancient temple on a hillock, facing the deep sea, is an added attraction.

Kozhikode Beach 

The beauty and serenity of Kozhikode beach is not yet exploited to develop it into a tourist centre. Still people from all around gather here to enjoy the sunset and it is a popular retreat for local people. Two sea piers almost 125 years old extending well inside the sea are a speciality. Lion’s club, children’s park make evening pleasant for visiting families.

Kadalundi 

Kadalundi is one of the oldest towns in Kerala and is an example of the old ports called "thundies". The tidal/mangrove forest on the banks of the Kadalundi river make it a picturesque area. The deltas formed by the Kadalundi river add to the beauty of the place. The town is divided into two by the river—Kadalundi in the Kozhikode district and Kadalundi Nagaram in Malappuram district. Thousands of migratory birds from all over the world gather here starting in November.

Kadalundi bird sanctuary

The Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary lies in the Malappuram District of the state of Kerala in India. It spreads over a cluster of islands where the Kadalundipuzha River flows into the Arabian Sea. The Sanctuary hill is around 200 m above sea level. It is 19 km from Kozhikode . Over a hundred species of native birds have been recorded in the sanctuary, including about 60 species of migratory birds which visit seasonally.

Mananchira Square 

A new attraction in the heart of the city, Mananchira Maithan, is the sublimation of the concept of a planned modern city. The historic maithan, adjacent to Manachira has been converted into an arcadia with beautiful trees and plants, artificial hill, shrubs, sculpture, an open air theatre and above all, a musical fountain. 

Science Centre and Planetarium 

Regional Science Centre and Planetarium are at the city’s Jaffarkhan Colony offers extensive insight into the mysteries of the universe, the planets and the galaxies.

S.M. Street 

Sweet Meat street, popularly known as S.M. Street with its cross roads, is the busiest shopping spot of Kozhikode. 

Pazhassi Raja Museum

Pazhassi Raja Museum is located at East Hill, 5 km from Kozhikode. Copies of ancient mural paintings, antiques, bronzes, old coins, models of temples, megalithic monuments like dolmonoid cysts, umbrella stones etc. are displayed here.

Thusharagiri 

Thusharagiri is 48 km from Kozhikode and is one of the recently identified tourist centres. The waterfalls and streams amidst the hilly regions are really a feast to the eyes. Two streams originating from the Western Ghats meet here to form the Chalippuzha River. The river diverges into three waterfalls creating a snowy spray, which gives the name, 'Thusharagiri'. The word Thusharagiri means the snow capped mountain. Of the three, the highest waterfall is the Thenpara that falls from an altitude of 75 metres. The nearest town Kodencherry is around 11 kilometres  from Thusharagiri. The other main towns situated here are Thiruvambady which is 18 km away and Thamarassery which is 17 km away. One has to purchase all necessary things for trekking from here.

Cashew inflorescence with developing fruit

Cashew inflorescence with developing fruit ( Kerala, India )

The cashew is a tree in the family Anacardiaceae.it is now widely grown in tropical climates for its cashew seeds and cashew apples. While native to Northern South America, the Portuguese took the cashew plant to Goa, India, between the years of 1560 and 1565. From there it spread throughout Southeast Asia and eventually Africa .

A mango tree in full bloom in Kerala, India

A mango tree in full bloom in  Kadungallur, Malappuram ,Kerala ,India

The mango is a fleshy stone fruit belonging to the genus Mangifera, consisting of numerous tropical fruiting trees in the flowering plant family Anacardiaceae. The mango is native to India from where it spread all over the world. In several cultures, its fruit and leaves are ritually used as floral decorations at weddings, public celebrations and religious ceremonies.

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach (Kerala)

Muzhappilangad Drive-in Beach is a beach in the state of Kerala ,India . It is situated at a distance of 15 kilometers from Kannur , parallel to National Highway 17 between Kannur and Thalassery. This beach is also considered the only Drive-in Beaches in Asia and the most popular beach in the Malabar region in Kerala. The youth also try many driving stunts in cars like drifting and wheeling in bikes as this is a paradise for driving along the shore. Just 100m from this beach you would find a private island called Dharmadam Island (Pacha Thuruthu in Malayalam, which translates to Green Island in English). It is possible to walk to the island during low tide. Local laws allow beachgoers to drive for a full 4 km directly on the sands of the beach. The beach is bordered by black rocks, which also protect it from the stronger currents of the ocean.

A Village View from Kizhuparamba ( Kerala )

Kizhuparamba is a village and Panchayath on the northern boundary of Malappuram District In Kerala, India. Kizhuparamba is situated on the banks of the Chaliyar river and in the border of Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. Kizhuparamba Panchayat was formed on 1 August 1977 from the former Urngattiri Panchayat. Kerala State Highway (SH) 34 (Koyilandi-Edavanna) passes through Kizhuparamba. The name Kizhuparamba is derived from Keezhparamba which means "Low land" in Malayalam language. "Keezh" means "low" and "Paramba" means "land". It is believed that Tippu Sultan (1782–1799)'s army has used Kizhuparamba in their route from Feroke to Mysore. There was a very old route from Perunkadavu(Kuniyil)-Thrikkalayur-Kodityathur-Thamarassery-Mysore.

Spiders of Kerala

Photograph Taken From Areekode , Malappuram , Kerala , India

Spiders are ancient animals with a history going back many millions of years.  Spiders  are air-breathing arthropods that have eight legs and chelicerae with fangs that inject venom. They are the largest order of arachnids and rank seventh in total species diversity among all other groups of organisms. Spiders are found worldwide on every continent except forAntarctica. 

Argiope anasuja is a species of Orb spider found in Asia ranging from Pakistan to the Maldives. 

India has some of the world's most biodiverse regions. The political boundaries of India encompass a wide range of ecozones—desert, high mountains, highlands, tropical and temperate forests, swamplands, plains, grasslands, areas surrounding rivers, as well as island archipelago. It hosts three biodiversity hotspots: the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas, and the hilly ranges that straddle the India-Myanmar border. These hotspots have numerous endemic species.

Cow Racing Festival - Kerala

This Photograph taken from Keezhuparamba , Areekode , Malappuram , Kerala . 

Cow Racing  is a traditional festival of farmers in Kerala. This festival is conducting as a competition in a flat and wide paddy field. The field used for cow race festival must be muddy. Before this Festival farmers choose the best pairs of cows for racing. In Kerala Cow Racing Festival attract more and more people every year.
The cattle race Club as a part of the harvesting season organizes the race during the last days of Onam."Cattle race is a festival of farmers and agriculture festival, too. This is useful to conduct on the Onam season in Kerela. In Malabar this festival is a unique one, which is conducting in the other parts of Kerela. A special 100 metres track, filled with water and soft mud, was artificially created for the race.
Two pairs of cattle run simultaneously on a watery track with their owners.


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Red-whiskered Bulbul ( Kerala )

Red-whiskered Bulbul  , Taken From Block Panchayath Office, Areekode ( Kerala )

The Red-whiskered Bulbul (Pycnonotus jocosus) is a passerine bird found in Asia. It is a member of the bulbul family. It feeds on fruits and small insects and they conspicuously perch on trees and their calls are a loud three or four note call. The distinctive crest and the red-vent and whiskers makes them easy to identify. They are very common in hill forests and urban gardens within its range. 

Local names include Turaha pigli-pitta in Telugu, Sipahi bulbul in Bengali,  Phari-bulbul or Kanera bulbu in Hindi and Irattathalachi bulbul in Malayalam

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The Forest Department of Kerala has just completed the first-ever ornithological survey for the Malabar region recording 341 species of birds.

The survey is one of a kind notable for its sheer depth and span, more comprehensive than all such surveys undertaken so far in India. Hopefully, the five-member team including four eminent ornithologists commissioned by the Forest Department of Kerala, having completed such a through status report on the birds of Kerala, has established a new national benchmark for all such wildlife surveys in future.

The survey spans locations in North Kerala, which covers Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Kannur and Kasargode districts. The area extends from the Ghats, through the midlands, to the seacoast, which lies north of Palakkad Gap.

The forest areas studied are the Silent Valley National Park, Mannarkad forest division, Nilambur North and South divisions, the Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary and their neighbouring areas as well as the Reserve Forests of Kasargode district and the wetlands of North Malabar.

2 of the 341 species surveyed belong to globally-threatened category as notified by IUCN. Alarmingly, of the 22 threatened species 17 are residents and, of which 9 are specifically endemic to Western Ghat. 15 species of birds are found to be abundant in the region, of which two are migrants, and one endemic. They include Yellow-browed Bulbul, Small Sunbird; Green Leaf-Warbler, Large–billed Leaf-Warbler and the three species of Bulbuls including the Black Bulbul.

The surveyors spent a year (from November 1 2010 to the middle of October 2011) during, which they had covered over 4000 km, trekking through treacherous forest areas enduring extreme weather conditions and threats from wild animals.

Coracle on the Hogenakkal waterfalls ( Tamilnadu , India )

Coracle on the Hogenakkal waterfalls ( Tamilnadu , India )

Boating in Hogenakkal is allowed during the dry-season as the water falls are not strong enough to disrupt the passage of the boats. Local coracles operate from both the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka banks of the gorge. The coracles are about 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) in diameter but still can take a load of eight persons at a time. These coracles are made of bamboo. The bottom of the boats are made waterproof by the use of hides, but sometimes with sheets of plastic.These boats are steered and propelled using a single paddle, making them unique. The coracles are locally called parisal in Tamil , either teppa or harigolu in Kannada and Kottavanchi in Malayalam. Indian coracles  are commonly found on the rivers Kaveri and Tungabhadra in Southern India.  Indian coracles are considered to have been in existence since prehistoric times,and are a major tourist attraction at the Hogenakkal falls on the Kaveri river.

Hogenakkal Falls ( Hogenakal Falls )  is a waterfall in Tamilnadu ,at the borders of Karnataka, about 46 kms from Dharmapuri, the headquarters of the district of the same name. The river Kaveri which enters in Tamil Nadu as a big river flows here as natural falls. Dharmapuri district of the state of Tamil Nadu, about 180 km  from Bangalore .It is sometimes referred to as the "Niagara of India". It is a major site of tourist attraction. Carbonatite rocks in this site are considered to be the oldest of its kind in South Asia and one of the oldest in the world.  The River Kaveri is considered to form at Talakaveri in the Brahmagiri hills in Kodagu district in Karnataka and gathers momentum as the land drops in elevation. It becomes larger as various tributaries feed into it on the way down. At Hogenakkal, the Kaveri, now a large river, drops and creates numerous waterfalls as the water cuts through the rocky terrain. In places the water falls as much as 20 m and Soon after the falls the river takes a southerly course and enters the Mettur Reservoir. Hogenakkal Falls is a quiet and beautiful waterfall and is a good picnic spot.  Hogenakkal is located about 750 feet above sea level amidst the Melagiri Hills. Tourists can take a coracle trip from one corner of the river to the other. Boating in Hogenakkal is allowed during the dry-season as the water falls are not strong enough to disrupt the passage of the boats. Local coracles operate from both the Tamil Nadu and Karnataka banks of the gorge.

Tourist Places around Hogenakkal is,

*Yercaud
*Shivanasamudram
*Bangalore
*Ooty
*Palanihills