Kasaragod
Kasaragod | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Kasaragod | |
|
Clockwise from top: Bekal beach, Chandragiri River, Chandragiri Fort, Ranipuram, Bekal Fort, Kavvayi Backwaters at Nileshwaram, Malik Dinar Mosque, and Arikady fort | |
| Nickname(s): The Land of Seven Languages, The Land of God | |
Kasaragod in Kerala | |
| Coordinates: 12°30′N 75°00′E / 12.5°N 75.0°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kasaragod |
| Municipality Established | 1966 |
| Government | |
| • Type | District |
| • Body | Kasaragod Municipality |
| • Municipal Chairman | Abbas Beegum (UDF) |
| • District Collector | K Inbasekar IAS |
| • Superintendent of Police | P B Rajeev IPS |
| • MP | Rajmohan Unnithan |
| • MLA | N. A. Nellikkunnu |
| Area | |
• Town | 16.7 km2 (6.4 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 93.3 km2 (36.0 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 19 m (62 ft) |
| Population | |
• Town | 54,172 |
| • Density | 3,200/km2 (8,400/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 192,856 |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 671121 |
| Telephone | +91 4994 |
| Vehicle registration | KL-14 |
| Official language | |
| Website | kasargod.nic.in |
Kasaragod (Malayalam: [kaːsɐrɐɡoːɖɨ̆] ⓘ) is a municipal town and the administrative headquarters of the Kasaragod district in the state of Kerala, India. Established in 1966, Kasaragod was the first municipal town in the district. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and is also known as Sapta Bhasha Sangama Bhumi ('The Land of Seven Languages').
Situated in the rich biodiversity of Western Ghats, it is known for the Chandragiri and Bekal Fort, Chandragiri River, historic Kolathiri Rajas, natural environment of Ranipuram and Kottancheri Hills, historical and religious sites like the Madiyan Kulom temple, Madhur Temple, Ananthapuram Lake Temple and Malik Deenar Mosque. The historic hill of Ezhimala is located on the southern portion of Kavvayi Backwaters of Nileshwaram.
Kasaragod is located 90 km north of Kannur city corporation and 50 km south of Mangalore. Kasaragod district has the maximum number of rivers in Kerala - 12. The town is located on the estuary where the Chandragiri River, which is also the longest river in the district, empties into the Arabian Sea. Kasaragod is home to several forts, including Arikady fort, Bekal Fort, Chandragiri Fort, and Hosdurg Fort. Bekal Fort is the largest and best preserved fort in Kerala. Talakaveri, which is home to Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary where the 805 km long Kaveri river originates, is located closer to Ranipuram on the Kerala-Karnataka border.
Robert Caldwell describes the extent of Malayalam in the 19th century as extending from Chandragiri (fort and river) in the north to Neyyar river beyond Thiruvananthapuram in the south and from Malabar Coast in the west to Western Ghats in the east besides the inhabited islands of Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea.