Kannur Municipal Corporation

The ancient port of Naura, which is mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea as a port somewhere north of Muziris is identified with Kannur.^[6] Ezhimala was the headquarters of a powerful kingdom who later became Mushika dynasty in the ancient period.^[6] Kannur was an important trading centre in the 12th century, with active business connections with Persia and Arabia. In his book on travels (Il Milione), Marco Polo recounts his visit to the area in the mid 1290s. Other visitors included Faxian, the Buddhist pilgrim and Ibn Batuta, writer and historian of Tangiers. Kannur was the capital city of Kolathunadu, one of the four powerful kingdoms who ruled Kerala during the medieval period.

The arrival of Portuguese at Kappad, Kozhikode in 1498 during the Age of Discovery, opened a direct sea route from Europe to India.^[7] The St. Angelo Fort at Kannur was built in 1505 by Dom Francisco de Almeida, the first Portuguese Viceroy of India. The Dutch captured the fort from the Portuguese in 1663. They modernized the fort and built the bastions Hollandia, Zeelandia, and Frieslandia, which are major features of the present structure. The original Portuguese fort was pulled down later. A painting of this fort and the fishing ferry behind it can be seen in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam. The Dutch sold the fort to the king Ali Raja of Arakkal in 1772.

During the 17th century, Kannur was the capital city of the only Muslim Sultanate in the Malabar region - Arakkal.^[8] Arakkal Kingdom and Chirakkal kingdom were two vassal kingdoms based in the city of Kannur. The Ali Rajas of Arakkal kingdom, near Kannur, who were the vassals of the Kolathiri, ruled over the Lakshadweep islands.^[9] The island of Dharmadom near Kannur, along with Thalassery, was ceded to the East India Company as early as 1734, which were claimed by all of the Kolattu Rajas, Kottayam Rajas, and Arakkal Bibi in the late medieval period, where the British initiated a factory and English settlement following the cession.^[10][11] The British conquered the fort Kannur in 1790 and used it as one of their major military stations on the Malabar Coast. During the British Raj, Kannur was part of the Madras presidency in the Malabar District. It served as the British military headquarters on India's west coast until 1887. Kannur Cantonment is the only cantonment board in Kerala.

Kannur municipality was formed on 1 November 1866 according to the Madras Act 10 of 1865 (Amendment of the Improvements in Towns act 1850)^{[12][13][14][15]} of the British Indian Empire, making it the second oldest municipality in the state. The Kannur Municipal Corporation was created by merging the erstwhile Municipality of Kannur, and Panchayats of Pallikunnu, Puzhathi, Edakkad, Elayavoor, and Chelora in 2015.^[16]

The following are the Income sources for the Corporation from the Central and State Government.^[17][18][19]

The Mayor is the elected head of the Kannur Municipal Corporation, assisted by a Deputy Mayor. Both are elected from among the councillors for a five-year term. The Corporation functions through six standing committees such as Finance, Development, Health, Education and Sports, Tax Appeal, Town Planning, and Welfare. Councillors are elected from wards and form the council, which elects the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and standing committee chairpersons. Each council has a five year term and election occurs in every five years.^[20]

The administrative wing is headed by the Corporation Secretary, appointed by the Government of Kerala, and assisted by an Additional Secretary and other government-appointed officers. The secretary is tasked with implementing council decisions and its administrative functions.

The following is a list of the councillors of Kannur Corporation for the 2025–2030 term, as elected in the 2025 local body election.^[22]