Kasaragod
—  municipality and town  —
A bird's eye view of kasaragod town
Kasaragod Location of Kasaragod in Kerala and India
Coordinates	12°30′N 75°00′E / 12.5°N 75.0°E / 12.5; 75.0Coordinates: 12°30′N 75°00′E / 12.5°N 75.0°E / 12.5; 75.0
Country	India
Region	Malabar, Tulu Nadu
State	Kerala
District(s)	Kasaragod
Population	52,683 (2001[update])
Official languages	Malayalam
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Area • Elevation	• 19 metres (62 ft)
Codes • Pincode • 671121 • Telephone • +91–4994 • Vehicle • KL-14

Kasaragod is a town and a municipality in Kasaragod district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of Kasaragod district as well as of Kasaragod Taluk. Landmarks of note includes the famous Madhur Temple, Mallikkarjuna Temple, Theruvatthu Mosque, Chandragiri Fort, Malik Deenar Mosque and the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute.The Bekal Fort is also a major tourist attraction near Kasargod.

Malik Deenar Mosque

Madhur Temple

Chandragiri bridge which connects Kasaragod town with Chemnad panchayath

Economy [link]

Ship building industry [link]

The ship building industry of Thalangara was well known in India. In the past years a number of ships were built here and sold in various states of India and exported to foreign countries. The Kasaragod economy is mainly agrarian; cash crops such as coconut, rubber are grown and commercially exploited. Other industries include tile manufacture, timber industry etc. Foreign investment or N.R.I Income is high in this part of the state.

CPCRI [link]

Central Plantation Crops Research Institute (CPCRI) was established in 1970 as one of the agricultural research institutes in the National Agricultural Research System (NARS) under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR). The Coconut Research Station at Kasaragod in Kerala was initially established in 1916 by the then Government of Madras and subsequently it was taken over by the Indian Central Coconut Committee in 1948. (https://www.cpcri.gov.in/) ^[1]

Culture [link]

Fairs and festivals [link]

People dressed in Yakshagana attire during a local festival in Kasaragod

Onam and Vishu are widely celebrated festivals here. Eid, Bakrid, 'Milad-e-sherif' and Muharram are celebrated in a manner similar to that seen in Kozhikode. These festivals along with Shivaratri and Pooja Vaypu (Dasara) are enthusiastically celebrated by the local people, as is Deepavali. 'Milad-e-sherif' celebration includes cultural activities, competitions such as speech, songs and processions by madrassa students.

There are also local festivals like Kumbala Veddikett. Another festival of importance is Moodappaseva, a local festival celebrated in the Madhur Temple periodically.

Folk dances and traditions [link]

The region is rich in traditional folk art forms. Muslims have their own common folk and celebration art forms such as Oppana, Kolkalli, Dauf muttal etc. Oppana is a celebration dance held on the eve of Muslim marriage, where the women to be married are decorated, with whom her friends and relatives do this ritual dance. Theyyam is the dominant folk art form.

Bootha kola- A spiritual act performed in Kasargod.

Language [link]

The principal and recognized administrative language of Kasaragod is Kannada, though Malayalam language is of equal importance in Kasaragod. ^[2] Tulu, Marathi and Konkani are also widely spoken.^[2] Besides these Marathi and Hindi/Urdu are spoken by minorities.

Politics [link]

Kasaragod assembly constituency is part of Kasaragod (Lok Sabha constituency). CPI(M) member P.Karunakaran is the present MP from Kasargod.^[3] N.A. Nellikunnu of Muslim League is the sitting MLA of Kasaragod Legilative constituency.

Transport [link]

Kasaragod town lies on the path of NH 17. It is well connected by road to Kannur, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi , Mangalore and Kozhikode. Kasaragod is well connected by rail to parts of India such as Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikode, Payyanur, Kannur, Mangalore, Thrissur, Goa, Surat, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Jammu Tawi, Kanyakumari, Palakkad etc. The nearest airport is at Mangalore (49 km).

References [link]

External links [link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Kasaragod

• C.P.C.R.I
• CPCRI
• Official Website of the District Administration