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Kerala Districts
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District Head Quarters – Kasargod Area – 1992 Sq.kms. Literacy – 79 Percent. Kasargod Pincode - 671121 Kasargod Std Code – 04994, Dial : 00 – (Country/ISD Code 91)-(City/STD Code 4994)-(Followed by Telephone Number) Main Tourist Centers – Bekal Fort, Ranipuram Wildlife Sanctuary, Kottencheri Hills Kasaragod was organised as a separate district on 24 May 1985. It is the northernmost district of Kerala and is named after Kasaragod Town which is the administrative headquarters of the district. The Northernmost parts of Kasaragod District were once within the territory of the Tuluva kingdom, while the Central and Southern parts were ruled by the Mushika Kingdom/Kolathiri/Chirakkal_Raja Royal Family of North Kerala. Then, there were 64 Malayalam and 64 Tulu villages in this part. When the Vijayanagara empire attacked Kasaragod, it was still under the Kolathiri Raja who had Nileshwaram as one of his capitals. During the decline of the Vijayanagara empire, the administration of this area vested with Ikkery Naiks. At the onset of collapse of the Vijayanagara empire, Vengappa Naik declared independence to Ikkery. Kumbla, Chandragiri and Bekal are considered to be the chain of forts constructed or renovated by Shivappa Naik. In 1763, Hyder Ali conquered Bedanoor (Bidnur), the capital of the Ikkery Naiks. His son Tippu Sultan conquered much of Malabar. As per the Sreerangapattanam Treaty of 1792, Tippu surrendered Malabar, except Tulunadu (Canara) to the British. The British got Tulunadu only after the death of Tippu Sultan. The landscape is dominated by the characteristic coconut palms accompanying rolling hills and streams flowing into the sea. The landscape is dotted with tiled-roof buildings, topped with the famous Kasaragod tiles made with the local hard red clay and typically walled with laterite blocks. Older houses are commonly found with elaborate woodwork. Kasaragod district consists of two taluks viz., Kasaragod and Hosdurg (Kanhangad). As of 2001 India census,Kasaragod had a population of 12,03342. Males constitute 49% of the population and females 51%. Kasaragod has an average literacy rate of 79%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 76%. In Kasaragod, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Bekal Fort is the largest fort in the state of Kerala, spreading over 40 acres (160,000 m2). Bela Church, also Our Lady of Sorrows Church, is a Roman Catholic church, 15 km north of Kasaragod. It was Other tourist attractions are the Chandragiri Fort, Ananthapuram temple, Anandashramam, Nithyanandashramam, Malik Deenar Masjid, Valiyaparamba backwater and Kareem forest park - the only man made forest in the Kerala. The forest park is located at Parappa near Nileshwar. Reference: Wikipedia
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An important features of this fort are the water-tank with its flight of steps, the tunnel opening towards the south, the magazine for keeping ammunition and the broad and wide steps leading to the Observation Tower which is a rarity. From there one has ample view of towns in the vicinity like Kanhangad, Pallikare, Bekal, Kottikkulam, Uduma etc. This observation center had strategic significance in discovering even the smallest movements of the enemy and ascertaining safety of the Fort.
built in 1890 and is thus the oldest church in the district. This Gothic Revival Roman Catholic church, which is under the Manglore Diocese, has recently celebrated its centenary and has also been renovated.Bela Catholic Parish is one of the ancient parishes of the Diocese of Mangalore. This is the oldest parish in the Kasargod district.