Mal: കണ്ണൂര് kaṇṇūr
‘Bamboo Town’ [Cannanore] City/District, Kerala
From Mal: kaṇ(a)/ka(ṇ)ṇu, ‘bamboo (cane)’; and ūr, ‘village’, ‘town’, ‘city’.
Kannur was an important trading centre (especially for spices) in the 12thC with important trading partnerships in Persia and Arabia, but It lost its premier position to Kochi under the British. It is still an important commercial centre.
The nearby Trichambaram temple, dating back to the 11thC is dedicated to Krishna a.k.a. Kannan [Tam: kaṇṇaṉ , ‘the one with the (beautiful) eyes’] – but here he is in the raudra bhavam [Skt: raudra, ‘furious’, ‘fierce’, ‘wild’; and bhavam, ‘disposition’, ‘state’, ‘posture’] which suggests something rather less attractive.
The area around Kannur is famous for its beaches (including Muzhappilangad Beach, the longest Drive-in Beach in Asia), backwaters, and St. Angelo Fort.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Kerala place names.
Payyambalam Beach and Backwater, Kannur Nisheedh