Kasaragod is a municipal town and the district headquarters of Kasaragod district of Kerala state in India. Situated in the rich biodiversity of Western Ghats, it is known for the Chandragiri and Bekal Forts, Chandragiri River, historic Kolathiri Rajas, natural environment of Ranipuram and Kottancheri Hills, historical and religious sites like the Madiyan Kulom temple, Madhur Temple, Ananthapuram Lake Temple and Malik Deenar Mosque. It is located 585 km north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram and 50 km south of the port city of Mangalore.
Kasaragod District is one of the 14 districts in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Kasaragod became part of Kannur district following the reorganisation of states due to predominance of Malayalam speakers. Kasaragod was declared as a district on 24 May 1984.
Politics
The major political parties are Indian Union Muslim League, CPI(M), INC and Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP) . North Kasaragod is dominated by Indian Union Muslim League, and the south is dominated by CPI(M).Some of the rural and urban areas are dominated by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). N.A. Nellikkunnu is the present Member of Legislative Assembly, Kerala Legislature. Kasaragod assembly constituency is part of Kasaragod (Lok Sabha constituency). Indian National Congress [INC] member Rajmohan Unnithan is the present MP from Kasaragod [2019 Elections].
Science and research
Kasaragod is home to the Central Plantation Crops Research Institute, originally established in 1916 as the Coconut Research Station. It is part of India's National Agricultural Research System under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research. According to the Institute, Kerala "lies in the heart of the major coconut growing areas of the country." It is also home to the Indian Society for Plantation Crops, which publishes the Journal of Plantation Crops and holds symposiums on the subject. The Central University of Kerala is also located in Kasargod.
Demographics
The primary and administrative language of the town is Malayalam. Tulu, Beary, Kannada and Konkani are also widely used and Hindi and Urdu to a lesser extent. Havyaka speakers have a strong base in Kannada. The Malayalam spoken here has influences from Beary bhashe and also from the languages of Kannada, Urdu, Konkani and Tulu and Marathi. The Kannada and Tulu spoken here are also influenced by Malayalam and the Malayalam spoken here is in turn influenced by Tulu and Kannada.
Health
Kasaragod district is one of the highest HIV infected area in Kerala. 970 HIV cases were registered in Kasaragod district. Ten HIV deaths were reported from Kasaragod district within a period of two months in 2016. HIV affected areas in Kasaragod include Dharmathadka, Nileshwaram, Manjeshwar, Bhandiyod, Vellarikundu, Kasaragod town and Padannakkad.
Kasaragod is also very badly affected by the toxic pesticide Endosulfan.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kasaragod
