Kanhangad

Kanhangad is a city and a municipality in Kasaragod district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is 28km from the district headquarters of Kasargod.

Kanhangad Town

Hosdurg (or Hosa Durga / Puthiya Kotta meaning New Fort), half a kilometre south of the town center Kottachery, hosts the Municipal office, other administrative offices, police station, court and the government hospital.The town is in its structure long and straight and branches a little.

Tourism

A prominent feature that attracts the attention of travelers in Kanhangad town center is a tall minaret piercing the skyline, a contribution from the wealthy merchants of the town who are predominantly Muslim.

• Anandashram (5 km from Kanhangad) is an internationally renowned spiritual center founded by Swami Ramdas in 1939. It offers a quiet, peaceful ambience best suited for meditation and spiritual studies.

• Hosdurg Fort (half a kilometre south of Kanhangad) is renowned for its chain of forts built by Somashekara Nayak of Keladi Nayaka dynasty of Ikkeri.

• Nithyanandashram is a spiritual center near Hosdurg Fort. Karpooreshwara Temple, built there in 1963, was constructed after the style and design of the famous Somnatha Temple in Gujarat. A full size statue of Swami Nityananda in sitting posture made of pancha-loha is one of the attractions of the asramam.

Bekal Fort Beach

• Bekal Fort is a 300-year old fort, which is one of the largest and best preserved forts in Kerala lies 10 km north of Kanhangad. With its admirable beaches, it has become the focal point for the development of tourism in north Kerala.
• Adot Vanadurga Temple, Bellikoth where the Sahashrachandika Yaagam was conducted for the prospirity of the people living all over the world.

Schools and Colleges

• Durga Higher Secondary School
• Government High School Hosdurg
• Iqbal Higher Secondary School
• Little Flower Higher Secondary School
• Chinmaya Vidyalaya Kanhangad

Institutions for higher education include Nehru Arts & Science College, Agricultural College and Swamy Nithyananda Polytechnic.

Demographics

As of 2001 India censusTemplate:GR, Kanhangad had a population of 65,499. Males constitute 48% of the population and females 52%. Kanhangad has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 74%. In Kanhangad, 12% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Personalities

Kanhangad has been the home town of many great personalities such as Maha Kavi P Kunhiraman Nair-famous poet , Sri. K. Madhavan-Veteran Communist leader, Vidwan P. Kelu Nair-Author/Freedom Fighter, C.M.Padmanabhan Nair-Leader of socialist party and so forth.

Kanhangad vs Kasaragod

Kanhangad and Kasaragod are the two large towns of the Kasaragod district.But the question of generation remains:"Which is bigger than the other?".Well if we look by population,Kanhangad is definitely bigger than Kasaragod.Also being an older settlement,it also has got more historical importance.It is also the town where people from inner region of the district come to do their business.

But Kasaragod has got more of an cosmopolitan look and standard of living is higher than that of Kanhangad.It may be due to the proximity of the town with Mangalore.Also Kasaragod is a melting place for various races such as Tuluvas and Kannadigas.

Thus both the towns are landmark places of the Kasaragod district.

References

1.Kasaragod District.

2.Kasaragod.

3.Nileshwaram.

4.Kerala.

12°19′N 75°04′E