Mananthavady: When Mananthavady was a key administrative centre of British Malabar, it witnessed grand celebrations marking the 1911 Delhi Durbar. Over 115 years later, vivid records of those events remain carefully preserved at the Kozhikode Regional Archives.

In 1911, the seat of British administration in India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. To mark the occasion, King George V of England visited India, prompting the British administration in Malabar to organise celebrations across the region.

Details of the celebrations held in Malabar on December 12, 1911, as part of the Delhi Durbar, are documented in a file titled Selected Records 201, preserved at the Kozhikode Regional Archives. These historical records came to light during research undertaken by Prof M C Vasishth, former Head of the Department of History at Malabar Christian College.

In British Malabar, the 1911 Delhi Durbar celebrations were organised at key administrative centres, including Kozhikkode, Malappuram, Kannur, Ottapalam, Kollengode and Mananthavady. As part of the preparations, special prayers were held at temples as well as Christian and Muslim places of worship in Mananthavady to ensure the smooth conduct of the Durbar.

A massive pandal measuring 90 feet in length and 30 feet in width was erected in front of the Mananthavady taluk office for the celebrations. Among those who gathered to witness the festivities were Europeans as well as local women.

A night-time procession featuring caparisoned elephants, their headgear adorned with images of the British monarch, added grandeur to the event. A detailed official report on the Delhi Durbar celebrations was submitted to the Malabar Collector by the secretary of the Mananthavady Durbar Celebrations Committee on December 18, 1911, six days after the event.