Location: About 16 km from Kozhikode town.
For
the people of Kozhikode, this pleasant stretch of rock-studded beach is
Kappakkadavu. To the tourist it is one of the most charming of Kerala's
beaches.
Kappad finds mention in history and geography texts as the
gateway to the Malabar Coast. Here, 501 years ago, 170 men led by the
Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama (1460-1524) sailed in and stepped into
Kerala to create a new chapter in history; the story of a long and
tumultuous socio-political relationship between India and Europe.
It was the
spices and wealth of Malabar that first brought the Arabs, the Phoenicans,
the Greeks, the Romans, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the English to Kerala.
Kappad has witnessed many such landings.
Kozhikode was then the most
important trade centre of the Malabar region and the Zamorins who ruled this
mighty land were powerful and shrewd. Though the Portuguese were welcomed in
Kozhikode they were not too well encouraged or entertained for long by the
Zamorins, which might be the reason they shifted their base to Kochi and
Kollam towards south. Today only a little stone monument is left at the Kappad
beach to speak of its great historic importance. On the rocks nearby is a
temple believed to be 800 years old.
To the tourist, this
little seafaring town is a haven. The best route to Kappad is along the
backwaters. Unspoilt and uncrowded, the picturesque backwaters of Kozhikode
offer a bewitching experience. A ride down the backwaters through the
Korappuzha river brings you to the beach.
Getting
there:
Nearest railway station: Kozhikode, about 16
km.
Nearest airport: Karipur International Airport, Kozhikode
about 23 km from Kozhikode town. |
