KASARGOD -The northern end
The northern-most district of Kerala,
Kasargod is known for its coir and handloom industries. Fishing is a prime source of
livelihood.
The district has water, forest and mineral
resources. It is flanked by the forest-covered Western Ghats in the east and the Arabian
Sea in the west. Demarcating the north and south are two rivers– the Talapadi and the
Trikaripur. Grey rocks and barren land amidst dense vegetation as well as calm lagoons
visible through the coconut palms along the coastal belt lend this district a rare and
different beauty. Not surprisingly, Kasargod is poised for growth in the area of tourism.
These days most travellers who land in Kasargod head straight
for Bekal, 16 km south on the National Highway. The beautiful Bekal
beach with the historic and archaeologically significant Bekal Fort in the
background is now being developed into a major beach resort. But for now you can still
savour a touch of history as you view the serene Lakhadweep sea from the tall observation
towers of the fort, once huge cannon emplacements, perched on a hill
top. The largest and best preserved fort in Kerala, belonged in ancient times to the
Kadampadynasty and later came under the Kolathiri Rajas. Still later it became part of the
Vijayanagar empire. In the late 18the century Tipu Sultan captured it. An old mosque near
the fort is believed to have been built by him. After he was overthrown by the British,
the fort came under the East India Company.
Another fort, a large squarish one by the
side of a river, is at Chandragiri, south-east of Kasargod. It was built in the
17th century by Sivappa Nayaka of Bedanore. Here too there is a mosque nearby and also the
ancient Kizhur State temple for whose annual festival the diety is taken to
Thrikkanaya temple at Bekal.
At Manjeswaram,
a quaint little cashew-rich town at the northern tip of the district which is home to 15
mosques, is the Memorial to Govinda Pai, the grand patriach of Kannada literature.
Near Kanhangad in Hosdurg is the Madiyankulam
temple dedicated to Bhadrakali. During the temple festival in May/June and
December/January, the ceremonious Bhutta dance is performed here.
The Sree Mahalingeswara temple at Adoor is located in
pretty surroundings on the banks of the river Payaswini. In the temple is a Sanskrit
inscription in the Kannada script which scholars have ascribed to the Western Chalukya
king Kirthi Varma II. |
