Samoothiri (Zamorin; Malayalam: സാമൂതിരി, Portuguese: Samorim, Dutch: Samorijn) of Kozhikode is the hereditary royal title used by the Hindu Eradi rulers of the medieval Kingdom of Kozhikode on the Malabar Coast (present day Kerala). The Samoodiris ruled for almost six centuries, between c. 12th and 18th century AD based at the city of Kozhikode, one of the more important trading centres in southern India.
The Portuguese trader and navigator Vasco da Gama visited Kozhikode in 1498, opening the sailing route directly from Europe to India.
The Eradis with their original base at Nediyiruppu (near present Kondotty) and were land-locked and sought an outlet to the Arabian Sea. The Eradis subsequently moved their capital to the port of Kozhikode, then also called Thrivikramapuram. According to K. V. Krishna Ayyar, a historian, the city of Kozhikode was founded on a marshy tract along the Malabar coast in the 11th century AD. During Classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. The name Kozhikode is thought to be derived from Koyil (Palace) and Kota (Fort) meaning 'Fortified Palace'. Others have called the city by different names. The Arabs called it Kalikooth, Tamils called the city Kallikkottai, for the Chinese it was Kalifo. The name of the famous fine variety of hand-woven cotton cloth called Calico that was exported from the port is also thought to have derived from Kozhikode.
Kozhikode ([koːɻikːoːɖ]), or Calicut, is a city in the state of Kerala in southern India on the Malabar Coast. Kozhikode is the second largest city in Kerala and is the largest urban area in the state with a metropolitan population of 239,4000 as of 2015. The city lies about 380 kilometres (236 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
During classical antiquity and the Middle Ages, Kozhikode was dubbed the "City of Spices" for its role as the major trading point of eastern spices. It was the capital of an independent kingdom ruled by the Samoothiris (Zamorins) in the Middle Ages and later of the erstwhile Malabar District under British rule. Arab merchants traded with the region as early as 7th century, and Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed at Kozhikode on 20 May 1498, thus opening a trade route between Europe and Malabar. A Portuguese factory and fort was intact in Kozhikode for short period (1511–1525, until the Fall of Calicut), the English landed in 1615 (constructing a trading post in 1665), followed by the French (1698) and the Dutch (1752). In 1765, Mysore captured Kozhikode as part of its occupation of the Malabar Coast. Kozhikode, once a famous cotton-weaving center, gave its name to the Calico cloth.
Kozhikode (formerly known as Calicut) is a Lok Sabha constituency in Kerala.
Kozhikode Lok Sabha constituency is composed of the following assembly segments:
Madras
Kerala
Calicut, the former name for Kozhikode may refer to: