Kasaragod district

The district is bordered to the south by Kerala's Kannur district, and to the southeast and north by Karnataka's districts of Kodagu and Dakshina Kannada respectively. To the east, the district is bordered by the Western Ghats, while along the west, it is bordered by the Laccadive Sea.

The district, covering an area of around 1992 km², has a population (2011 census) of 1,307,375. It has four taluks, namely, Kasaragod, Hosdurg, Vellarikundu and Manjeshwaram Taluk.

It has three municipalities: Kasaragod, Kanhangad, Nileshwaram and 38 Gram panchayats.[6]

Kasaragod was known to the Arabs by the name Harkwillia.[7] Many Arab travelers who visited Kerala between the 9th and the 14th centuries visited Kasaragod, which was an important trade centre then. Duarte Borbosa, the Portuguese traveler who visited Kumbla, near Kasaragod in 1514, recorded rice being exported for coir to Maldives.[7]

Kasaragod was part of the kumbala Kingdom in which there were 64 Malayalam and Tulu villages.[7] When the Vijayanagara empire attacked Kasaragod, it was still under the Kolathiri Raja who had Nileshwaram as one of his capitals. During the decline of the Vijayanagara empire, the administration of this area was vested with Ikkeri Nayakas.[7] At the onset of collapse of the Vijayanagara empire, Venkappa Nayaka declared independence to Ikkery. Kumbla, Chandragiri and Bekal are considered to be the chain of forts constructed or renovated by Shivappa Nayaka.[7]

Francis Buccanan, the family doctor of Arthur Wellesley, visited Kasargod in 1800.[7] In his travelogue, he recorded information on places like Athiraparambu, Kavvai, Nileshwaram, Bekal, Chandragiri and Manjeshwar.[7] Hosdurg and Vellarikundu is part of Kolathunadu (south of Chandragiri river) and Kasaragod and Manjeshwaram is in the Tulunadu region (north of Chandragiri river). In 1763, Hyder Ali conquered Bedanoor (Bidnur), the capital of the Ikkery Naiks. His son Tippu Sultan conquered much of Malabar. As per the Sreerangapattanam Treaty of 1792, Tippu surrendered Malabar, except Kanara to the British. The British occupied Kanara only after the death of Tippu Sultan.[7] it is said that Kinavoor Molom (Sree Dharma Shashtha Temple)is belonging to Karinthalam (one of 64 Brahmin villages in old Kerala).

Before the formation of Kerala, Kasaragod was a part of South Canara district of erstwhile Madras Presidency. Kasaragod became part of Kannur district following the reorganisation of states and formation of Kerala in 1 November 1956.[8] Kasaragod was declared a district in the year 1984. Merger of Kasargod with Kerala has been a contentious issue as there is a sizeable population which speaks Kannada and Tulu which are the languages of Karnataka. Government of India formed the Mahajan Commission on 25 October 1966 to look into the issue along with a similar issue Karnataka had with Maharashtra over Belagaavi district. The commission was headed by the third Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of India, Meher Chand Mahajan. The commission recommended that the part of the district that is to the north of Chandragiri river, which includes the Kasargod town, should be merged with Karnataka.

The district is the northernmost district of the State of Kerala. Kasaragod is located at 12.5°N 75.0°E / 12.5; 75.0.[9] It has an average elevation of 19  metres (62  feet). Ranipuram or Madathumala (1016m) peak is the highest peak in the Kasargod district of Kerala. It is located in the Ranipuram Wildlife Sanctuary.

Kasaragod District Map

According to the 2011 census Kasaragod district has a population of 1,307,375,[11] roughly equal to the nation of Mauritius[12] or the US state of New Hampshire.[13] This gives it a ranking of 375th in India (out of a total of 640).[11] The district has a population density of 654 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,690/sq mi) .[11] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 8.18%.[11] Kasaragod has a sex ratio of 1080 females for every 1000 males,[11] and a literacy rate of 90.09%.[14]

• Kasaragod East
• Kasaragod North
• Kasaragod taluk
• Kuniyan River
• List of educational institutions in Kasaragod district

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kasaragod district.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Kasaragod District.

• Official District Website