Kozhikode or Calicut is a metropolitan city in the state of Kerala on the Malabar Coast. This place has people belonging to all religions. There are many temples, churches and also a parsi temple called Parsi Anju amman Temple.
Pishakarikavu Temple, one of the prominent shrines in Kozhikode dedicated to Goddess Bhagavathy is situated at Kollam, 30 km away from the city. The temple has two Sreekovils (shrines), one devoted to Lord Shiva and other to Goddess Devi. The centuries old temple has exquisite wood carvings and mural paintings which is believed to be the oldest in the state.
The seven day annual fiesta of the Pishakarikavu temple is celebrated in the Malayalam month of Medam (April- May). Moossadu, a sub cast of Brahmins fixes the date of Kodiyettu (flag hoisting) and the rite is known as ‘Kaliyattam Kurikkal’. Temple arts such as Thayambaka, pachavadyam, padhakom, Ottanthullal, Chakyarkoothu are performed during the festive days and on the final day, the main idol, ‘Nandhakam Vaal’ (sword) is taken out of the temple in a grand procession. The festival concludes with ‘Kaliyattam’.
Lokanarkavu temple: Dedicated to Goddess Durga known by the name Lokanarkavil Amma, this temple is situated at Memunda, 4 km from Vadakara town (48 km north of Kozhikode). Apart from the main shrine which is believed to be more than 1500 years old, there are two more shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva and Vishnu.
A notable feature in the temple premises is the three rock cut caves artfully engraved with beautiful carvings and fascinating murals. This temple is said to be in Athythama state while most of the other Goddess temples in Kerala are in Madhyama and rarely in Uthama state. Two festivals are celebrated here annually in the Malayalam months of Vrischikam (November-December) and Meenam (March/April). Pooram that is celebrated in March- April is a weeklong festival which begins with Kodiyettam (flag hoisting) and concludes with Arattu. Mandala Utsavam alias Mandalavilakku festival held in Vrischikam is the major festival that lasts for 41 days. Thacholikali, a peculiar folk dance that resembles the martial art Kalarippayattu, is performed during the festival by a group of people known as Theeyampadi Kurup.
The legendary martial hero, Thacholi Othenan was a great devotee of the goddess ‘Lokanarkavil Amma’. He used to seek her blessings before going for any duel, and even today Kalaripayattu artists seek her blessings before their debut.
Mannur Temple: Located 12 km away from Kozhikode at Kadalundi village, Sri Mannur Maha Shiva Kshethram or Mannar Temple is one of the 108 renowned temples in Kerala, believed to be built by the great sage Parashurama. Although no sturdy evidence is available, scholars say that this temple is more than 1000 years of old. It is believed that Sree Parashuraman starts his Siva Linga prathista at Tiruvannur and completes it here every noon. The noon pujas here are therefore considered very special. The exquisitely carved Gajaprathista (elephant) styled laterite structure is more than two centuries old.
The sanctum sanctorum facing west is constructed at two levels with intricate architectural calculations. The foundation is made of granite and the red laterite stone walls are beautifully carved. Here Lord shiva is depicted as Aghoramurthy, i.e the angry form of Shiva after the Dakshayaga. Sreeparvathi, Dakshinamurthy and Vigneswara are the upadevathas (other deities) in the temple. The temple complex also consists of Mahavishnu temple, Chuttambalam, Sastha temple and Karinkali Kavu.Shivarathri and Thiruvathira are the major festivals celebrated here.
Ponmeri Temple: Ponmeri Siva Kshethram situated in Villiapally, Vadakara, Kozhikode district in Kerala state, India, is one of the major siva temple in north kerala.The presiding deity of the Temple is LORD SIVA. The peculiarity of the temple is the presence of ‘Thrimurtees’- Brahma, Vishnu and Siva. In addition to the supreme deity Ganapathy, Bhagavathi, ankaraNarayana, Adithya, Boothathevar, Ayyappa, Subramaniyam are installed in the temple complex. Ponmeri Siva is fondly called ‘Thiyyannur Appa.
Varakkal Devi Temple: The shrine is located in West Hill within the town. It is one of the 108 Durga temples and the last one founded by Parasurama. The deity is Durga Devi (Bhagawathy)
Tali Temple: It is an ancient and largest temple in Kozhikode. The deity here is Lord Siva and the Sivalingam in this temple was believed to be worshipped by Parasurama. The Temple is Renowned for the ‘Revathi Pattathanam’, an annual competition of academic skills.
Sree Valayanad Bhagavathy Temple: Situated at Govindapuram about 6kms away from Kozhikode is the Valayanadu Bhagavathy Temple, renowned for its unique architectural beauty. It is one among the Saktheya Temples in India and the presiding deity Chandika also known as ‘Mahartham’ and ‘Kalasarppini’ is supposed to be a goddess from Kashmir. Here the poojas (temple worship) are carried out along with Ruruji worship. Moosad, the temple priest follows Kashmiri way of worshipping and performs the Pooja according to certain rules.
Other unique features are the ‘Sreechakra’ in the sanctum which was designed by Sivayogi Thayyavur Sivasankar and the Saptha School of architecture. ‘Guruthy Tharpanam’, an important ritual of this temple is done from the alleyway of ‘Kshethrapalan’. Apart from the main Devi deity, there are also the idols of Lord Shiva, Ayyappa, Vigneshwara, and Bagavathy. The annual festival of the temple begins on the day of Karthika of Makaram and it continues for seven days.
Mosques
Jama Palli: It is famous mosque which dates back to the 14th cent. It is a huge mosque which can accommodate around 1000 worshippers at a time.
Mishkal Masjid: It is an old mosque built around 700 years ago constructed by an arab merchant Nakhooda Mishkal.
The St Mary’s Church, the CSI church and Mother of God Cathedral are the famous churches.
Source:
https://kerala.me/districts/kozhikode/kozhikode_religiousplaces