kasargod, a better place to see...

Kasargod lies on the northern most part of Kerala. This district is of great historical importance. The forts and Palace in this district symbolises the conquest it withstood against the invaders. Chandragiri Fort and Bekal fort are the famous forts and are best preserved in Kasargod tourism. Kasargod tourism is gifted with many forts, rivers, hills, beautiful sea shores, forests and mineral resources. Kasargod tourism is also blessed for its architectural style of constructing mosques & temples. This district is even called as 'land of gods' as it is gifted with all these marvelous things.
District Area 1991 sq.km.

Altitude	Sea Level
Tourist Season	August to March

Nileshwaram (cultural Centre):
The cultural centre of this district was once, the seat of Nileshwar Rajas, who are the patrons of art and culture for centuries. Nileshwaram Palace today functions as the folklore centre of the Archeological Department of the state. In and around, this cultural centre are several ' Kavus ' (shrines) where nature, god and man commence in serene silence. Major among them is the Mannampurathu Kavu where the grand annual festival of the region takes place. There is also a famous yoga centre in this place which offers rejuvenation therapy and naturopathy treatments like herbal baths, mud baths etc. for which this centre has been flourishing for decades.

Valiyaparamba (Backwaters)
30 kms from Bekal, this is perhaps the most scenic backwater stretch in Kerala. Fed by four rivers and dotted with a cute little island, four rivers and dotted with a cute little island, Valiyaparamba is fest turning into a much favoured backwater resort that offers enchanting boat cruises.

Pallikere Beach
Situated 1 km from Bekal Fort, this enchanting beach offers a spectacular view of the fort.

The Kappil Beach
This beach is remote and secluded. The Kodi Cliff nearby offers a panoramic view of the Arabian Sea. Situated 6 kms from Bekal fort.

Kanwatheertha Beach
The swimming pool like formation of the sea water is the main attraction of this beach. It is situated 3 kms from Manjeswaram.

Pandiyam Kalluat Trikkanda (Sight seeing Place)
Pandiyam Kallu - where a rock is protruding in the sea, about 2kms. Trikkanda Temple is an ideal spot for adventurous swimmers. The legend has it that a ship of one of the Pandiya king, which attacked the Trikkannadu Temple, was converted into a rock.

Kottancherry (Trekking Spot)
30 kms north of Konnakkad and 30 kms north east of Kanhangad, is Kottancherry, which is a forest area and is ideal for trekking.

Ranipuram (Trekking Spot)
Situated 780m above sea level, Ranipuram, which is also, known as Madathumala, is famous for its trekking trails and varied vegetarian, which includes evergreen Shola woods, monsoon forests and grasslands. Its beauty and bounty of nature is comparable to Ootty.

Bakel Fort
The 300 years old Bakel Fort is the largest and best-preserved fort in Kerala, which is 16kms south of Kasargod on the national highway. This imposing circular structure of laterite, rising 130 feet above sea level, stands on a 35-acre headland that runs into the Arabian Sea. The beautiful Bakel beach with the historically and archeologically significant Bakel fort in the background is now being developed into an International Tourist destination.

Chandragiri (Fort)
Built in the 17th century by Sivappa Naik of Bedanore, the Chandragiri Fort is situated on the River Chandragiri, south east of Kasargod. This fort is one among the chain of forts built by the same ruler, which offers a breathtaking view of the river and the Arabian Sea. It is a lovely point to watch the sunset.

Verramala (Picnic Spot)
Verramala hills have the ruin of a Dutch fort, built in the 18th century, which has beautiful scenery around it. This makes the place into a lovely picnic spot.

Tourist information offices
District Tourism Promotion Council, Near Civil Station,
Kannur - Tel: 091 - 497 - 2506336, 2700190
Tourist Reception Centre (DTPC) Tel: 091 - 477 - 2251796

Want to know more about kannur.........?

Kannur History:
Kannur is located in the northern part of Kerala and is supposed to draw its name from two Malayalam words, Kannan meaning Krishna and Ur meaning place. Thus the place associates itself with Lord Krishna. The name Cannonore is the angilicised version of Kannur.
The history of the district is traced back to the Neolithic age (there are rock cut caves and megalithic burial sites of that time). During the second stint of the Chera rulers in Kerala, the Kannur district formed part of their empire. The capital was at Mahodayapuram. During this time, another kingdom, Mooshaka, was flourishing in the Chirakkal and Kasaragod areas and by 14th century they established themselves well. The kingdom of Mooshaka now came to be known as Kolathunad and the rulers were called Kolathiris. The power of the Kolathiris in the north Kerala had risen to the extent that they became a rival of the Zamorins of Kozhikode.
After the arrival of the Portuguese in the scene, a contact was made with the Kolathiris (though Vasco da Gama never visited the place himself). The rivalries of the two powers, Zamorins and Kolathiris, helped Vasco da Gama take an advantage in securing a monopoly over the pepper trade. Later, Portugal sent Francisco De Almedia to construct a fort in a specific area. This gave rise to the Kannur Fort in the year 1505.
At this point of time the Zamorins successfully convinced the Kolathiris of the evil intentions of the Portuguese and the two power joined hands to rise against the foreign power. They captured the fort yet could not completely eliminate the Portuguese power in the region. The British East India Company came into picture in the end of the 17th century when they established a fort and a factory at Thalessery. Despite resistance, the Company managed to gain a control over the trade. The Kolathiris and Portuguese had lost their power and could not influence their rise. The Mysore rule tried to assert their control but ultimately end up ceding territories to them.
However, a serious revolt was making its way to the British. Unhappy by the revenue policy of the British, revolutionaries rose up led by Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja of the Padinjare Kovilakom of the Kottayam family. The British tried to settle the matter with the Raja and even tried to threatened the people assisting him. This did not quiet affect the revolt and for a while the British supremacy was in grave danger of being eroded. Finally, the raja was shot dead and with this the revolt also died in 1805.
Kannur made its presence felt during the Indian freedom movement was on. The Malabar District committee (1908) and Communist Party of India (1939) were formed and the region actively participated in the Khilafat movement and Satygrah movement. Post independence, Kannur became a part of the Kerala state in 1956.

Shopping:
Kannur is renowned for its high quality handloom products like house linen, bedcovers, table linen and fine cotton saris. The prices of these products are within a reasonable limit so you do not really need to bargain hard (as you would in many other parts of country). One of the best place to buy Kannur handloom products is the Handveer, which is operated by the government.
Apart from handloom, other product worth a buy in Kannur include brass and bell metal lamps. These are available in all shapes and sizes.
Kannur City Centre Mall is the largest and the busiest shopping place in the city.

Getting There:
By Air:The closest Airport to Kannur is Karipur International Airport at Kozhikode which is at a distance of around 114 km. Flights from here connect daily to Coimbatore, Delhi, Kochi, Mumbai and Chennai. There are also flights to Goa (thrice a week), Trichy (twice a week) and Trivandrum (once a week). Taxis for Kannur are available, though a bit costly.
By Rail:Kannur Station operates trains that run to Ernakulam and Trivandrum (Cannanore, Netravati and Parsurama Express), Mumbai (Netravati and Mangla Lakshadweep Express), Delhi (Mangla Lakshadweep, Trivandrum Rajdhani) and Chennai (Mangalore Mail).
By Road:By road, Kannur is connected to various destinations within and outside Kerala. The KSRTC Bus Stand opposite the Collector's office in Kannur is the starting point of many buses like Kasodgarh (89 km), Kozhikode (86 km) and Mangalore (138 km). Buses also run to Kalpetta, Ponnani, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam and Bangalore.

What makes kannur a tourist place

For a tourist, Kannur holds forth a number of attractions. Just walk along its shoreline, play with its sea water as well as backwater, enter the sacred temples, purchase the handloom products or forget yourself while watching Theyyam(an ancient ritualistic folk art) in any of the Kannur Kavus -the choice is yours.
Interacting with the people and knowing their custom over a traditional Keralese dinner is also an excellent option if you desire. Kannur will instill in you a freshness not just with its beauty but also with its overall ambiance.

KANNUR FORT(Fort St Angelo) :This Fort is the prime attraction of the Kannur town and is located around 3 km west of it. It was originally built by Don Francisco De Almeida (a Portuguese Admiral). However, the Dutch took away the fort from the Portuguese in the 17th century and sold it to Ali Raja of Kannur. Later, the Fort also passed into the hands of the Britishers. Currently, St Angelo Fort, also known by the name of Kannur Fort is under the care of ASI. From the fort, you can have some striking views of the Moppila Bay and Dharmadom Island. The bay is a natural fishing bay and today serves as a fishing harbour. As for the Dhramadom Island, it is just 5 acres in area and is located at a distance of 100 m from the mainland into the Arabian Sea.

Arakkal Kettu:This was the residence of the only Muslim Royal family of Kerala, the Arakkal. Some recent construction works have been done on this palace. The descendants of the Raja still reside in an area closeby

Meenkunnu Beach: This beach is located around 11 km from the Kannur city. As you pass through the rough patches of coconut groves, you hardly expect anything stunning, but this is actually what you get. Blue water splash the rocks producing loud noises, the golden sands invite you to sit on it and the breezes play around with your hair as much as they want.

Payyambalam Beach: This one is the biggest beach of Kannur and attracts people accordingly. At the entrance is a garden along with a statue of a mother and child, a work of famous sculpture Kanayi Kunhiraman. More people come to this park in the evening, however a little further, you can be with yourself and watch the sunset in a calm atmosphere.

Shri Muthappan Parassinikadavu: This Temple is located around 18 km north of Kannur on the banks of Valapattanam river and is dedicated to a hunter form of Lord Vishnu, Shri Muthappan. The legend associated with temple states that a childless couple found and adopted an abandoned baby boy. As the boy grew, much to the disappointment of his conventional father, he became a flesh eater. When the desperation of the father grew, he decided to give up his life. At this point of time, Lord Vishnu revealed his identity and took the name of Muthuppan. Still later, the boy, being refused a toddy by a tapper, converted him into a stone in anger. Finally, he found his toddy in a lower caste family's house near the Valapattanam river. Even today, the legend has its impact strong on the people and the member of the same family acts as the Theyyam to carry out the rituals. Women need to dress up in a saree and men in mundu to visit this temple.

A Snake park is also of interest nearby. A wide variety of reptiles can be seen here. Here one can see the largest snake with poison(KING COBRA-RAJAVEMBAALA).The Park is open from 8.30 am to 5 pm.

Valapattanam Backwater: The Valapattanam river originates in the Western Ghats of Kodagu and is one of the lengthiest one in the Malabar region. DTPC gives you an opportunity to enjoy a motor boat ride on the river. The ride starts from Parassinikadavu Temple and you also have a chance to stay overnight on a houseboat.

Muzhapilangad Beach: This beach lies at a distance of 15 km from Kannur and 8 km from the Thalasseri and boasts of being one of the longest beaches in Kerala. The beach is a delight for both who wish to laze around in solitude as well as those who want to swim in the sea water. Since the beach is not very crowded, it is relatively cleaner than the other beaches around. Also, this beach happens to be the only drive in beach of India

Subramania Peralassery: Located 14 km from Kannur, the Subramania Peralassery Temple marks the place where Sri Rama along with Lakshman halted on their way to free Sita from the clutches of Ravana in Lanka. The temple has a number of bronze and copper idols of snake everywhere. There is also a temple tank worth seeing in this place.

Tellicherry Fort: This fort is located around 22 km from Kannur and is perched on a rocky hill on the Thalasseri beach itself. The fort was built in the year 1708 by Lord Wellesley and mainly served as military purposes. Standing on the fort rampart, you can enjoy a good view of the ruins of St Rosary Church and an old Angelican Church holding the cemetery of Edward Brennan

Gundert's Bungalow: The erstwhile residence of a German scholar, Dr. Herman Gundert, the bungalow is a typical example of colonial mansion. There are wide verandah, massive doors and deep eaves for you to see and roam around. Though you need to get a permission from the principal of NTTF (a technical training institute).

Trichambaram Temple: This is a temple considered holy by the Vaishnava cult. Lord Krishna is the presiding deity of this temple that is located at a distance of 20 from Kannur. Worth seeing in this temple are the carvings and the murals, though the latter has deteriorated a lot for want of proper care. The temple becomes a centre of attraction in March during the 14 day annual festival of Trichambaram utsavam.

Aralam Wild life sanctuary: This wildlife sanctuary is at a distance of 35 km from Thalessery (22 km from Kunnur) and is home to tropical and semi evergreen forests. Within these forests animals like Deer, Elephants, Boars, Bisons, Leopards, Jungle Cats, various type Squirrels and rare species of birds are found.

Pazhazzi Dam: This Dam is an ideal place if you want to relax and have fun boating. The dam is located at a distance of 37 km from Kunnur and has a garden and an Amusement Park as an additional attraction. Other worth visiting sites here include Buddha's mountain at Pazhassi, sculpture of Pazhassi King.

Kottiyoor: Standing on the banks of Bavali river, Kotiyoor has a famous Shiva Temple that attracts a number of devotees from all over. The 27 day annual festival sees a lot more people pouring in to offer their prayer to Lord Shiva.

Pythal Mala: Admire the scenic beauty of this hill station that is located at a height of 4500 feet above the sea level. The abundant flora and fauna of this hill station is sure to uplift your heart and spirit. Its distance from Kannur town is 65 km.

Ezhimala: A beautiful beach and a 286 m high hillock awaits to allure you on your visit to Ezhimala. The water here appears much clean and blue. The hill produces a lot of medicinal herbs. Chances of dolphin spotting is available from Ettikulam bay. Also, a Naval Academy is being developed here. However, permission is required to gain access to it.

Know more about kannur

Kannur ( earlier Canannore), has carved a niche in the socio-political history of the state. The capital of erstwhile Kolathiri Rajas, the ancient town had fallen to European forces in several occasions. In 15th century, the Portuguese were the first to establish a settlement here.

St. Angelo’s Fort in the city was built by the first Portuguese Viceroy in 1505. The Portuguese factory built by Cabral in 1501 was captured by the Dutch in 1663. In 1708 the British built a fort at Thalassery ( earlier Tellichery), another coastal town in Kannur.

The nearby Mahe became a French colony in the 18th century. In 1940's, Kannur became an effervescent political cauldron. Communism was the provocation. The district hamlets witnesses bouts of violence which left indelible impressions on the political landscape of the district.

Many folk art and dance forms have roots in the socio-religious culture of the district. Theyyam and Kavadiyattam were nurtured and nourished by artistes from Kannur. Another stronghold of the district is weaving. As many as hundred weaving units are ticking over here. Kannur is boarded by Karnataka's Kodagu district.

District Area - 2996 sq.km.
District Population - 22,51,727
Altitude - Sea level
Tourist Season - August to March

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New sedan to replace Esteem....

The Esteem has finally run out of steam. Maruti Udyog is all set to launch a new sedan based on the Swift platform in January next year, to replace one of its most successful models.
A source close to the company confirmed that production of the Esteem has already been stopped. But when contacted this is what a company spokesperson had to say: “The production of the Esteem is going to continue for the next 3-4 months. But Esteem owners can rest easy, as we would continue to provide service and spare parts to support the model, as always done in the past with other models that have been phased out.”
A top Maruti official said, “We will be launching the Swift Sedan shortly.” The new sedan will be priced lower than the SX4 and is touted to come in two variants, a new-generation 1.3-litre multi–jet diesel engine and in a 1.3-litre petrol variant.
Maruti Suzuki’s Esteem has been on Indian roads since 1994 and in 2006 it won the JD Power best entry-sedan award.. Maruti Suzuki’s first-ever sedan on Indian roads was the Maruti 1000 which was given a higher engine and rechristened as Maruti Esteem in 1994. Maruti Suzuki was in the process of gradually cutting down Esteem production from the beginning of this fiscal but has built up an inventory to meet the demand for the model going forward. Esteem production was cut from an estimated 1,533 units in April, to just 497 units in November. The production for the model was, however, increased to 1,903 units in August to build up an inventory.The company is offering a discount of up to Rs 57,500 on Esteem.
Swift sedan will be positioned as a practical family car(no sporty ) a new wider rear section will facilitate that. The upcoming swift sedan may replace (or) complement the esteem(if it is launched only on diesel version). Swift in its three box avtaar(sedan) will take on the upcoming next generation Indigo and is expected to be priced around Rs5.5 lakh. Maruti’s earlier bid to capture the diesel market with the esteem diesel ended in a failure node. But the esteem’s petrol model still holds some grip - even after 13years of its debut 6,000 units of esteem is sold in April-July period.

Quantum Dot LEDs..?

In the last few years, LEDs (light emitting diodes) have begun replacing incandescent and fluorescent lights in a number of niche applications. Although these solid-state lights have been used for decades in consumer electronics, recent technological advances have allowed them to spread into areas like architectural lighting, traffic lights, flashlights and reading lights. Although they are considerably more expensive than ordinary lights, they are capable of producing about twice as much light per watt as incandescent bulbs; they last up to 50,000 hours or 50 times as long as a 60-watt bulb; and, they are very tough and hard to break. Because they are made in a fashion similar to computer chips, the cost of LEDs has been dropping steadily.
While the future of electronics and other fields may revolve around nanotechnology, researchers and manufacturers are faced with fabricating large-scale components out of building blocks invisible to the naked eye. Creating hybrid optoelectronic devices depends on the precise positioning of functionally distinct materials. The researchers used organic molecules currently used in OLEDs as an organic semiconductor to deliver an electrical charge to the quantum dots. They used two parallel processes, which are already widely applicable in industry, to create separate but layered structures out of nanoscale materials.
Until now quantum dots have been known primarily for their ability to produce a dozen different distinct colors of light simply by varying the size of the individual nanocrystals: a capability particularly suited to fluorescent labeling in biomedical applications. Artificial atoms or quantum dots (QDs) constructed from semiconductors are expected to provide the basis for future generations of device technologies such as threshhold-less lasers and ultra-dense memories. The quantum dots can be induced by interface fluctuations (top of the figure) in a quantum well, self-assembled with the driving force being lattice mismatch (bottom) or formed with lithographic techniques.Recently the world have made a number of unexpected discoveries arising from the breakthrough of single quantum dot spectroscopy based on ultra high resolution techniques.
The small size results in new quantum phenomena that yield some extraordinary bonuses. Material properties change dramatically because quantum effects arise from the confinement of electrons and "holes" in the material (a hole is the absence of an electron; the hole behaves as though it were a positively charged particle). Size changes other material properties such as the electrical and nonlinear optical properties of a material, making them very different from those of the material's bulk form. If a dot is excited, the smaller the dot, the higher the energy and intensity of its emitted light. Hence, these very small, semiconducting quantum dots are gateways to an enormous array of possible applications and new technologies.
According to michael bowers who made the quantum dots and discovered their unusual properties, the white-light quantum dots, produce a smoother distribution of wavelengths in the visible spectrum with a slightly warmer, slightly more yellow tint. As a result, the light produced by the quantum dots looks more nearly like the “full spectrum” reading lights now on the market which produce a light spectrum closer to that of sunlight than normal fluorescent tubes or light bulbs. Of course, quantum dots, like white LEDs, have the advantage of not giving off large amounts of invisible infrared radiation unlike the light bulb. This invisible radiation produces large amounts of heat and largely accounts for the light bulb’s low energy efficiency.
The approach is based on encapsulating semiconductor quantum dots — nanoparticles approximately one billionth of a meter in size — and engineering their surfaces so they efficiently emit visible light when excited by near-ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The quantum dots strongly absorb light in the near UV range and re-emit visible light that has its color determined by both their size and surface chemistry.
Unlike traditional LCDs, which must be lit from behind, quantum dots generate their own light. Depending on their size, the dots can be "tuned" to emit any color in the rainbow. And the colors of light they produce are much more saturated than that of other sources.A latest Quantum dots LED, 'MIT QD-OLED' contains only a single layer of quantum dots sandwiched between two organic thin films.The researchers have demonstrated organized assemblies over a 1-square centimeter area and the same principle could be used to make bigger components.The latest MIT QD-OLED have a 25-fold improvement in luminescent power efficiency over previous QD-OLEDs. They are more efficient and achieve even higher color saturation.
Quantum-dot LEDs, particularly those that provide the hard-to-reach blue end of the spectrum, appear to be key to opening any number of exciting technological advances in the fields of full-color, flat-panel displays; ultrahigh-density optical memories and data storage; backlighting; and chemical and biological sensing."Highly efficient, low-cost quantum dot-based lighting would represent a revolution in lighting technology through nanoscience."
Thus hybridising an inorganic nanocrystal and a quantum dot lead to a quantum dot-organic light-emitting device (QD-OLED) a new kind of optoelectronic device that could lead to new types of flat panel displays to supersede liquid crystal displays in everything from mobile devices to TV sets.