Kozhikkode Seashore
The seashore at Kozhikode is the admired hangout of the people in and around the ancient port town and is just one km from the centre of the city. Its potential as a well known tourist destination has yet to be tapped. This seashore has a prominent place in the history of Calicut as the key port where do businesses from Arabia and China weighed anchor and had been trading for decades. The emergence of Beypore as the major port eclipsed its marketable importance. The seashore still has two piers built in the 19th century though it is in ruins currently. Fallen into neglect for long, they have survived the merciless beatings of waves for more than a century and have finally begun to crumple.
The seashore road runs about 10 km along the coast. A part of the road immediately behind the city of Kozhikode is a marketable hub. The Big Bazar that is a major trading centre in Malabar is also nearby. Streets with exotic names like Silk Street and Gujarathi Street has been the hub of the spice do business for centuries. Many warehouses lining the seashore road and its side roads have an ancient look.
The area close to the piers is a favorite spot of the tourists. Here the water is mud-spattered and sea is not shallow enough for swimming. However, the slightly sloping sandy shore is relatively wide and an ideal place for spending an evening chat or gazing at the setting sun. The seashore has a lighthouse and a children’s park, though the latter is in a state of disrepair. A few kilometers north from the light house are a marine aquarium that too is a big draw for the visitors.
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