Handmade in India

Crafts of KANNUR
Bronze casting
Ship building
Kathakali &
Theyyam headgear
Nettur petti -
jewellery boxes
Symmetric wood
stringing
RESOURCES
Craft Raw Materials Sources
Nettur
petti
Wood
carving
Bronze
casting
Anjili, Jackfruit and
Rosewood, Velvet and
Brass
Kumizhu wood
Chakai,
Thiruvananthpuram
Kannur
Brass, Copper, Tin, Zinc Kannur
1 An essential element of the local material culture,
lamps play a crucil role in temple rituals; seen here is the
daily refilling of oil in the deepastambha or tiered pillar
lamp at Lokanarkavu, near Thalassery.
2 Craftsman construction small scale models of ships at
workshop in Beypore.
Subclusters of
KANNUR
Kannur district:
Kannur, Payyanur,
Thayineri, Korom,
Padoli, Nettur,
Kunhimangalam
Kasaragod district:
Kasaragod,
Trikkaripur,
Nileswaram
Kozhikode district:
Kozhikode,
Koyilandi,
Thuvakkodu,
Beypore
Wyanad district:
Wyanad,
Thrikkaipettah
Malapura district:
Malapura,
Pookottumpadam
3 A craftsman applying the
final details on a ritual
headdress.
4 A metal smith executes the
finishing of the traditional
lamp or vilakku at his
workshop in Payyanur.
The scenic coastal town of Kannur was an important maritime
trade centre in the 14th and 15th centuries. The presence of
European settlers is apparent in the misnomer of the region`s
name as Cannanore. It is also seen in the spattering of colonial
architecture - the 16th century Portuguese built St. Angelo Fort
in the port city of Kannur, the laterite fort built by the British
East India Company in the 17th and the 18th century French
enclave of Mahe. The busy commercial town of Kozhikode,
which used to be known as Calicut, was the capital of the
kingdom of the Zamorins; under them the town prospered as a
major centre in spices and textiles, and it was from Calicut that
the word `calico` originated as the term for white, unbleached
cotton. The Basel Mission Society, a group of Protestant
missionaries, who came in 1834, helped develop Kannur and
Kozhikode as centres of innovative handwoven furnishings.
Fabrics were exported under the name of Malabar Handlooms,
and later as Cannanore Handlooms until British renamed the
weaving centre in Kozhikode as Commonwealth trust. Today
the number of weavers has reduced and the organization is in
need of revitalization. The town`s numberous large sized
mosques, with elaborate wood carvings, reflect the Muslim
heritage of Malabar region. The nearby districts of Wyanad
contain virgin rainforests, mist clad mountain ranges and
plantations of cardamom, peper, coffee and rubber. They are
inhabited by large groups of indigenous communities such as
the cave dwelling Cholanaikens and the Paniyas as well as by a
settlement of Jains clustered around the Jain temples near
Kalpetta.
ACCESS
Kannur has rail and road connections with Mangalore and is
thus linked by the Konkan Railway to Mumbai. The nearest
airport is in Kozhikode. It has bus services to Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka.