About Tanur

Tanur is a small town in the Tirur tehsil, Malappuram district of Kerala state, located on the coast 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Tirur. Its ancient name was Tyndis. Tanur was a part of the kingdom of the same name in medieval times. The name "Tanur (Tanni-ur)" is derived from the Malayalam language. "Tanni" refers to the Bastard myrobalan tree, Terminalia bellirica, while "ur" refers to the village. The small coastal fishing town of Tanur was one of the oldest muslim settlements in India. Many ancient mosques are situated here. This was once a Portuguese colony. It is believed that St. Francis Xavier visited Tanur in 1546 AD.