For many centuries, this sea coast town in North malabar, was the capital city of the Kolathiri rajas, the rivals of the Zamorin of Calicut. Kannur's history abounds with the activities of colonial powers - The Portugese,French,Dutch and the British. Today it is known for it's handloom and beedi (native version of the cigarette) industries. Some of Kerala's industries come from this area, though they are not as much in demand, as before. Kerala Dinesh Beedi, the largest country's best- run beedi cooperative is located here.  

Landmarks 

St. Angelo's Fort, a huge fort captured by the British, from Ali Raja of Kannur. 
Chirakkal,  6 km from Kannur, is where the Kolathiri Raja lived.
The famous 12th century mosque at Madayi, a village 22 km away, was built by Malik Ibn Dinar. 
Ezhimala, an isolated but conspicuous cluster of hills, about 55 km away, contains a cave and an old burial chamber. 
20 kms south lies Tellicherry, a small town where most of India's circus artiste's come from. The gymnastic tradition was introduced by German missionaries. One of  them, Dr. Herman Gundert, spent his entire lifetime in his educational and literary work and complied the first Malayalam dictionary.  
Between Telicherry and Badagara, lies Mahe, a small and beautiful trading post on the west coast, established by the French in the 17th century.  
At Parassininkadavu, 18 km away, is the Sri Muthappan Temple.The temple's non-conformist attitude is evident in the unusual custom of offering dried fish and toddy (a fermented drink).Taliparambu is a temple that is said to date back to the 10th century.  

Cultural Shows 

There is a Kathakali club in the Sri Muthappan Temple, which arranges shows for a price. Shows last nearly an hour and a half.  This is the only temple in Kerala, where Theyyam - the ritual dance form of Kerala is performed daily.  

Details 

District Area - 2966 sq km 
Temperature (Mean Max. 32.6 deg C, Mean Min 21.4 deg C)) 
Rainfall (Annual) - 344 cm 
Clothing - Tropical Cottons 
Season - August to March 

Travel Stuff 
The nearest airport is Kozhikode Airport is at Karipur, 93 km away.Futher south is the Kochi Airport. Train and Bus services link Kannur to all major towns and cities in Kerala. 

Distances  

Alleppy - 381 km 
Bangalore -  350 km 
Kochi - 317 km 
Kozhikode - 93 km 
Coimbatore - 284 km 
Madras - 781 km 
Mangalore - 167 km 
Trivandrum - 227 km