Sure, it’s not a tourist destination, but that’s exactly what we love about it. Calicut isn’t trying to impress you or sell you something. In fact, it has none of the downsides that come with popularity – but stay a while and you'll understand that it's more than a general transit town.

Identified with the ancient port of Tyndis, Calicut (also known as Kozhikode) hosted the Romans, Arabs and Chinese centuries before the Portuguese, Dutch, French and English. You name them, they’ve been here, and left their mark somewhere in the local architecture, food and culture. It’s a cosmopolitan heritage you can trace in the Mappila Muslim cuisine, in beautiful colonial churches, and in the three magnificent medieval mosques. And today, Calicut continues to prosper.

One of our favourite things to do is to head down to the wholesale market, where lorries’ licence plates tell of cross-country journeys from Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat, and workers throw crates of chillies, pepper and rice around without any attention paid to onlookers. After the well-oiled tourist machinery of Kochi or Alleppey, however stunning the backdrop, it’s refreshing to get a glimpse of real life going on without the expectation of an audience.

Calicut is also a repository of intangible heritage, where some people still practise pulluvan pattu snake worship, perform thiruvathirakali dances around lit lamps in lush gardens, and practice the indigenous martial art of kalari. The Harivar Heritage Homestead, housed in the former manor house of the Kadathanad Royal Family, spearheads the preservation of many of these art forms.

Accommodation here isn’t anything special, but Calicut is much more than just a stop on the way to somewhere else. It’s a wonderful place to wander without expectations or hassle, watching life buzz away on the beach, or discovering lesser-known pockets of the city.