Sunday, 19 February 2012
12th Kerala State
Level Philatelic Exhibition – KERAPEX 2012, conducted at Calicut from
14th to 17th February 2012. Four Special Covers were released.
Edakkal Caves are two natural Caves located 1000 metres high on Ambukuthi Mala, 25 km from Kalpetta in the Wayanad District
of Kerala in the Western Ghats. They lie on an ancient route
connecting the high mountains of Mysore to the Malabar Coast. Inside
the caves are pictorial writings believed to be from the Neolithic
period which give evidence of the existence of a prehistoric
civilization in this region.
Revathy
Pattathanam is an annual festival held at the grounds of the Tali
Temple under the patronage of the Zamorins of Kozhikode, since the 14th Century,
to honour scholars. Traditionally the competitions were conducted for
seven days, beginning from the day of Revathy till Thiruvathira in the
month of Tulam(Malayam month), under the watchful eyes of judges chosen
from the recipients of the title in the previous years and Raja himself.
The Raja would honour the winner with the title “Bhatta” and a
“Panakishi” (bag of gold coins) and also distributed kizhis (purses0 to
101 scholars proficient in the smrithis.
This festival is now held only for a single day and its present aim is to conserve Sanskrit and the arts. The word ‘Pattathanam’ is derived from the phrase “Bhatta dhanam” which literally means “awarding Bhatta”.
Thalassery Fort was constructed in 1708 AD when the British East India Company established its settlement
on the Malabar Coast and built a sea port at Thalassery for exporting a
variety of spices such as ‘pepper and cardamom’. This Fort was built
by the British as a Military Centre to protect and control the spice trade through Thalassery port.
The square Fort,with its massive walls, war room, prison, secret tunnels to the sea, cannon holes, light house and intricately carved doors. is an imposing structure. Once the nucleus of Thalassery’s development, it is now a historical monument.
Black rocks
protect Muzhappilangad beach from the heavy breakers, creating a
tranquil area of shallow waters, which is ideal for swimming. The 4 km long beach is the only drive-in beach in Kerala, where one can drive its entire length. The beach is tranquil and rather unexplored.
