Calicut (now known as Kozhikode) is an important town in Malabar in Central Kerala. It had a history dating back to several centuries and was the capital of a big kingdom extending many miles towards the north Kerala, to the hinterlands upto the slopes of Western Ghats to the East and to the South upto Cochin. It was ruled by the legendary Cheruman Perumal, the warrior king who abdicated the throne handing over the kingdom to the Zamorins. The Zamorins were powerful kings and ruled the Kozhikode Kingdom for several centuries. They welcomed traders from countries from Europe and Middle East.