The Hindu Business Line : A tale of two towns

It is 6 a.m. in Thalassery, Kerala. The morning mist is still hanging lightly in the air. Inside the kalari or training ground, lamps are being lit. Bell metal lamps stand on every step of the semicircular steps in the corner. These lead to Bhagavathi — the Goddess of Kalari, and the embodiment of courage. To the right is the Guruthara, an altar dedicated to the ancient preceptors of the art. The light from the lamps punctuate the early-morning darkness, fumes of incense smoke coil up, wafting the prayers of the supple young men whose bodies gleam with oil in the semi light.

Audiences who have gasped at the gymnastic abilities of circus artistes, most of whom hail from Kerala, and who have watched Kathakali performances, should know the contribution of kalaripayattu, the forerunner of most martial arts, particularly karate.

I am in the CVN kalari, founded in 1921. The students go through the exercises with almost ballet-like movements, grace and power evident in their postures. The weapons are curved, straight or double-edged swords, daggers, wooden sticks, a unique weapon made from the root of the tamarind tree and the urumi, a flexible ribbon-like sword which flashes like a silver whip.

This little backwater town of Thalassery is famous for many things. It was here that cricket was first played, and the maidan still stands where the father of the famous Colin Cowdrey wielded the willow. Rumour has it that when the Duke of Wellington played here in 1805, his motley team consisted of retainers, butlers and dhobis!

It was here that the British also introduced cakes and that bakery still stands — the Mambally Bakery established in 1880. Another first is the legendary Keeleri Kunhikannan, who pioneered the training of circus artistes here almost a hundred years ago.

Here also is a statue of Hermann Gundert who compiled the first Malayalam-English dictionary; Brennan the educator, after whom a college is named, lies in a mildewed churchyard here; and there is road to the Englishman Logan who wrote the Malabar Manual.

History treads softly in these two towns in North Malabar, Thalassery and its slightly more upmarket cousin, Kannur, unlike in the aggressively tourist-oriented areas of Kochi, Kumarakom and Periyar. Both are coastal towns where the sea shimmers in pristine shades of blue-sapphire, cobalt and turquoise, where foreign influences have been assimilated unobtrusively, and where the air is quiet and the women dusky and good-looking.

Kannur has been identified with the Neura of Periplus, dating back to the first century. And what better endorsement could it get than that of the celebrated traveller Marco Polo who called it "a great emporium of the spice trade"? Thalassery or Tellicherry, as the British called it, had the dubious honour of being the first British settlement on the Malabar Coast.

Both have forts. Fort St. Angelo in Kannur is solid and maintained immaculately by the ASI and has the distinction of being manned by the Kerala Tourist Police; tourist police exist only in Kerala and Goa. Here I met the redoubtable Sathyan, a police officer who is passionate about the history of the fort. He showed me around the barracks, magazines, stables, cannon and the chapel ruins, all bearing the marks of history. He said that at one time a thousand people lived within the ramparts that the Portuguese used to control the pepper trade. Dramatically silhouetted against the seafront, it is constructed of massive laterite blocks.

The Thalassery Fort, on the other hand, is in a dilapidated condition and one can only imagine its magnitude and proportions. It was used by Lord Wellesley against the Pazhassi Raja's rebellion. Now whatever is left is covered by graffiti and trampled over by careless loiterers, goats and cattle. Thus is history given short shrift.

Both towns (I cannot call them cities yet, for the chaos and the dynamism of metropolises is absent here) have serene hallowed temples within and outside town limits. Some are small and not datable accurately as they are made of wood that needs to be replaced when it deteriorates in the monsoon. Set among fields of paddy and groves of coconut and bananas, these are truly houses of God rather than the ostentatious mansions they are in other states. They are simple elegant structures of wood and brick enclosed within a wall. Their attractions lie in their quiet ambience, the hundreds of oil lamps — big and small — both inside and outside, which when lit for the evening puja, punctuate the evening shadows and literally, light up the world.

Donations are totally optional, and there is virtually no harassment. Priests expect nothing. But a sari or a mundu must be worn by women (men are bare-chested); else, admission to the srikoil is banned.

The temple that showcases the cultural symbol of this part of Kerala is the Parissinikadavu Temple on the banks of the Valapattanam river, 16 km northeast of Kannur. Here theyyam, North Malabar's unique, ancient and ritualistic folk dance, is performed every morning and evening. I got up at the crack of dawn and drove through dark silent streets and narrow lanes to the temple, also called the Muthappan Temple. Muthappan is an incarnation of Mahavishnu and he loves offerings of toddy and fried fish. And as in every temple, there is a tale to tell.

A beautiful boy was found in a basket on the steps of the bathing ghat, and he was brought up by a childless couple. But the father was shocked to see the boy hunt and eat fish and meat — for him these foods were taboo. Seeing his sadness, the boy revealed himself as Vishnu in the form of a hunter.

But he was refused drink and meat by a toddy tapper, so he turned the man into stone. In atonement, an ancient Thiyya family in the vicinity undertook to worship him with toddy and fried fish. The theyyam dance is known for its eye-catching address and attire.

If I were to choose a temple to visit in Thalassery, I would choose the Siva temple in Thodikkalam. It is on an elevated terrace with 18 laterite steps leading up to it and the mandatory temple tank below. There are exquisite murals on the outside temple walls, including episodes from the Ramayana and Rukmini Swayamvara and some rare ones of Sankaracharya in beautiful earth tones of rust, terracotta, bronze, copper and red. The blue-green of Krishna glows in the afternoon sun.

Siva temple in Thalassery.

And in keeping with the secular nature of the region, church bells peal from ancient churches and the muezzin's call is heard from mosques.

A mosque in Kannur

A request, a thoughtful follow-up, a name given, a telephone call and presto! I am invited to an ancestral tharavad or family home. Over 400 years old, it is a collection of traditional buildings, each of which has its applied function. The main house has gleaming black pillars, worn but solid wooden doors, well-polished floors, and small, whitewashed shrines. A slice of tradition, lovingly tended.

The area is known for its high-quality and reasonably priced handloom goods.

North Malabar food is spicy and different. Their biryani and their mussels — fried, steamed and with masala — are mouth-watering.

An amalgam of quiet country roads, shining sand, and beautiful beaches... what more could one want?

(Pictures by the author)