Kozhikode: where Vasco da Gama landed in India

Not far from here in 1498, Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama landed for the first time in India by sea, opening the spice trade route to Europe.

The center is best explored by car or auto-rickshaw.

The beach of Kappad, just outside the city, marks according to tradition the exact point where Vasco da Gama landed in 1498, a monument commemorates the event today.

A short walk from the center, the Mananchira Square, a former royal water reservoir converted into a public park, remains the heart of the modern city.

Continuing on, you visit the Kuttichira quarter, where wooden mosques of unique architectural style coexist with the legacy of the Arab spice trade.

Toward evening, the city's pepper and spice market, direct heir to ancient trade routes, still sells locally grown black pepper, cardamom, and cinnamon today.

Vasco da Gama's arrival at Kappad in 1498 opened a direct maritime route to Asian spices for Europe, forever changing global commercial balance and triggering centuries of European colonialism in Asia.

Kozhikode, historically known as Calicut, gave its name to the cotton fabric 'calico,' exported worldwide since the Middle Ages thanks to Arab and Indian merchants from the region.