Malabar District

This article is about the administrative district of colonial British India. For similarly named places, see Malabar (disambiguation).

Malabar District മലബാര്‍ ജില്ല
District of the Madras Presidency
← 1792–1957 →   →   →
Flag
Malabar district and taluks
Capital		Calicut
History
•	Territories ceded by Tipu Sultan	1792
•	Divided into the three districts of Kozhikode, Palakkad, and Kannur	1957
Area
•	1901	15,009 km2 (5,795 sq mi)
Population
•	1901	2,800,555
	Density	186.6 /km2  (483.3 /sq mi)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain:

Malabar District was an administrative district of Madras Presidency in British India and independent India's Madras State. The British district included the present-day districts of Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad (excluding the Alathur and Chittur Taluks), and Chavakad Taluk of Thrissur District (former part of Ponnani Taluk) in the northern part of Kerala state. The district lay between the Arabian Sea on the west, South Canara District on the north, the Western Ghats to the east, and the princely state of Cochin to the south. The district covered an area of 15,009 square kilometres (5,795 sq mi), and extended 233 km (145 mi) along the coast and 40–120 kilometers (25–75 miles) inland. The name Mala-bar means the "hill country". Kozhikode is considered as the capital of Malabar.

History

Most of Malabar District was included among the territories ceded to the British East India Company in 1792 by Tipu Sultan of Mysore at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Mysore War; Wayanad was ceded in 1799 at the conclusion of the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War. The region was organized into a district of Madras Presidency. The administrative headquarters were at Calicut (Kozhikode). After Indian independence, Madras Presidency was reorganized into Madras state, which was divided along linguistic lines on November 1, 1956, when Malabar District was merged with erstwhile Kasaragod Taluk immediately to the north and the state of Travancore-Cochin to the south to form the state of Kerala. Malabar District was divided into the three districts of Kozhikode, Palakkad, and Kannur on January 1, 1957. Malappuram District was created from parts of Kozhikode and Palakkad in 1969, and Wayanad District was created in 1980 from parts of Kozhikode and Kannur.

The name Malabar was not in general use until the arrival of the Europeans. The word is most probably the fusion of the Dravidian Mala (Hill) and Puram (region) derived or westernized into bar. Malabar may so be taken to mean the hill country, a name well suited to its physical characteristics.

Geography

The district was widely scattered and consists of the following parts:-

• Malabar Proper extending north to south along the coast, a distance of around 240 kilometer, and lying between N. Lat 10° 15′ and 12° 18′ N and E.Long. 75° 14′ and 76° 56′.
• A group of nineteen isolated bits of territory lying scattered, fifteen of them in the native state of Cochin and the remaining four in those of Travancore, but all of them near the coast line. These isolated bits of territory form the taluk of British Cochin.
• Two other detached bits of land within the Travancore.
• Four inhabited and ten uninhabited islands of Lakshadweep. The four inhabited islands are: Agatti, Kavaratti, Androth, and Kalpeni.
• The solitary island of Minicoy.

Taluks

• Calicut (Area:980 square kilometres (379 sq mi); Headquarters:Calicut)
• Chirakkal (Area:1,750 square kilometres (677 sq mi); Headquarters:Chirakkal), now Kannur
• Cochin (Area:5.2 square kilometres (2 sq mi); Headquarters:Cochin)
• Ernad (Area:2,540 square kilometres (979 sq mi); Headquarters:Manjeri)
• Kottayam (Area:1,270 square kilometres (489 sq mi); Headquarters:Kottayam), now Thalassery
• Kurumbranad (Area:1,310 square kilometres (505 sq mi); Headquarters:),now Vadakara
• Laccadive Islands (Headquarters:Kavaratti)
• Palghat (Area:1,670 square kilometres (643 sq mi); Headquarters:Palghat)
• Ponnani (Area:1,100 square kilometres (426 sq mi); Headquarters:Ponnani)
• Valluvanad (Area:2,280 square kilometres (882 sq mi); Headquarters:), now Perinthalmanna
• Wynad (Area:2,130 square kilometres (821 sq mi); Headquarters:Kalpetta)

Modern day Taluks in erstwhile Malabar

Kannur District

1. Taliparamba
2. Kannur
3. Thalassery
4. Iritty

Wayanad District

1. Mananthavady
2. Sulthan Bathery
3. Vythiri (Kalpetta)

Kozhikode District

1. Vadakara
2. Koyilandy
3. Kozhikode
4. Thamarassery

Malappuram District

1. Tirurangadi
2. Eranad (Manjeri)
3. Nilambur
4. Perinthalmanna
5. Tirur
6. Ponnani

Palakkad District

1. Mannarkkad
2. Ottappalam
3. Palakkad
4. Pattambi

Thrissur District

1. Chavakkad

Note: Kasaragod and Hosdurg taluks in Kasaragod district are sometimes considered as part of Malabar region, however not part of erstwhile Malabar district. They were a part of South Kanara district with the taluk headquarters at Kasaragod.

Representatives from Malabar to Madras State

• In C. Rajagopalachari Ministry: 1) Kongattil Raman Menon (1937–39), 2) C. J. Varkey, Chunkath (1939)

• In Prakasam Ministry: 1) R. Raghavamenon (1946–47)

• In Ramaswami Reddyar Ministry: 1) Kozhippurathu Madhavamenon (1947–49)

• In P. S. Kumaraswami Ministry: 1) Kozhippurathu Madhavamenon (1949–52)

• In C. Rajagopalachari Ministry: 1) K. P. Kuttikrishnan Nair (1952–54)

Cuisine

The Malabar cuisine depicts it culture and heritage. It is famous for Malabar biriyani. The city is also famous for Haluva called as Sweet Meat by Europeans due to the texture of the sweet. Kozhikode has a main road in the town named Mittai Theruvu (Sweet Meat Street, or S.M. Street for short). It derived this name from the numerous haluva stores which used to dot the street.

Another speciality is banana chips, which are made crisp and wafer-thin. Other popular dishes include seafood preparations (prawns, mussels, mackerel) . Vegetarian fare includes the sadya.

However, the newer generation is more inclined towards to Chinese and American food. Chinese food is very popular among the locals.

See also

• Madhyamam
• North Malabar
• Kerala
• Malappuram District
• Malappuram
• Kozhikode District
• Wayanad District
• Kannur District
• Arakkal Kingdom
• Kingdom of Tanur (Vettattnad)
• Mysore invasion of Kerala

References

• Malabar Manual in Two Volumes by William Logan, first published in 1887, reprinted by Asian Educational Services in 1951.