For many, Calicut – or Kozhikode, to use its traditional name – is best known as the place where 450 years of European imperialism in India began with the arrival of Vasco da Gama in May 1498 at Kappad, 18 km north of the present town of Calicut.
But despite the Portuguese navigator’s claims, Kozhikode was known to the Chinese, Arabs, and others long before it anchored in a calm bay where the curving coastline of Kerala forms a natural harbor before straightening out to head further north.
Today’s Kozhikode district, bordered by Kannur to the north, Malappuram to the south, Wayanad to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the west, consists of three distinct regions: an 80 km coastal belt, a lateritic midland, and a rocky highland that merges into the Western Ghats.
Known in ancient times as the ‘City of Spices’ – for its black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, and more – Kozhikode was an important trading center and port. Today, the city remains a bustling commercial hub, but the crumbling ruins of the once-busy piers are a wistful reminder of the faded maritime activity.