Malabar History journal

An ancient mosque in the area is thought to contain the remains of a Muslim leader, Sheikh Abdul Latif. It is also home to some rare medicinal plants. The Mount Deli lighthouse is an ancient and well-known landmark in the area. In the early stages of the common era, the place also served as a harbour and an economic centre.

Ezhimala contains the remains of a fort built in 1550, that was eventually occupied by the French and British. At present, the Department of Archaeology maintains the fort and its surroundings. Currently, in Kunnaru, 14 traditional Brahmin families are believed to have been settled by Parasurama, one of the ten incarnations of the Hindu god Vishnu. It is believed that Parasurama was the architect of the Sankara Narayan Temple, located on the western side of the Ezhimala hill. The Hindu temple (Ramanthali Devaswom) used to own the entire area of Ezhimala in the past.

Works on Ezhimala

In AD 1342, Ibn Battuta, a famous Moroccan traveller visited Ezhimala and reported about its enormous seaport and the Chinese ships stationed there. Among the other prominent persons to have visited the place are, historian Abul Fida in 1273, Italian merchant and explorer Marco Polo in 1293 and Niccol de’ Conti in the 15th century, and the Portuguese scholar and traveller Barbosa;all visited Ezhimala port, which was then known as “Heli.” Scholar and historian Hermann Gundert as well as William Logan, who served as Malabar District Collector during British Colonial rule and wrote the Malabar Manual, visited Payyanur and explored the rich history of the place.

Ezhimala Naval Academy

On January 8, 2009, the then Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurated the Indian Naval Academy in Ezhimala, which is the largest in Asia. This institution, located on 2,452 acres of land, trains senior candidates for the Indian Navy and Coast Guard.

References

• History of Ezhimala. (n.d.). Accessed on March 30, 2023, from http://myvadakkumbad.blogspot.com/2010/11/ezhimala-naval-academy.html
• Ezhimala. (n.d.). Accessed on March 30, 2023, from https://www.jatland.com/home/Ezhimala
• Brief History of the Region. (n.d.). Indian Naval Academy. Accessed on March 30, 2023, from https://www.ina.gov.in/?q=History_of_region
• ഏഴിമല നാവിക അക്കാദമി. (2016, October 22). Wikipedia. Accessed from https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/ഏഴിമല_നാവിക_അക്കാദമി
• ഏഴിമല. (2022, August 5). Wikipedia. Accessed from https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/ഏഴിമല