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The temples & mosques of this district contain sculptures & inscriptions, which are of considerable interest to the students of art. Kozhikode town itself has many temples; the most important of which are the Tali temple, the Tiruvannur temple, Azhakodi temple, Varakkal temple, Bilathikuam temple & Bhairagimadom temple. Some of these temples contain sculptures & paintings of very high artistic order. The Thiruvilangad temple contains many ancient sculptures. Its gateway is interesting because it is built in the same style as the Jain Bastis.

At Meppayur, 16.09kms. Southeast of Vadakara, is the Elkavattara temple of Durga, in the grove attached to which are some sculptured images. Southeast of Vadakara by 4.92kms is the Lokanarkav, in the vicinity of which are three rock-cut caves. There is an art gallery & Krishna Menon Museum at East hill in Kozhikode city. Lalithakala Academy also has an art gallery adjacent to town hall, Kozhikode.

 The district is famous for folk songs or ballads known as Vadakkan Pattukal. The most popular folk songs among them are those which celebrate the exploits of Tacholi Meppayil Kunju Othenan, 'the Robinhood of 'North Malabar'.

During temple festivals & important social functions entertainments like Koothu, Kathakali, Ottanthullal & Kaikottikali are performed. There are also ritual dances such as Thira & Theyyam.

One of the favourite pastimes of the Muslims of this district is the singing of the Mappilapattu & Oppana. These songs are sung in a distinctive tune & cover a wide range of themes. The songs are composed in a composite language of Arabic & Malayalam.

RELIGION & CUSTOMS:Hindus constitute the majority of the population & next come the Muslim & the Christian communities respectively.The Hindu community is organised on the basis of caste & sub castes as elsewhere in the State. They worship all the major gods & goddesses of the Hindu pantheon as well as several minor deities Vishnu & Siva are the major gods worshipped. The temples here are in many respects different fromthose of the East Coast. Elaborate rules prescribed by the Sastras are followed in their construction. The Kavu dedicated to the Bhadrakali is a typical example. They have their own oracles called Velichappad. There are also temples devoted to such deities as Ayyappan, Hanuman & Garuda. Serpent worship has been widely prevalent here. The Hindus practise ancestor worship.The Muslims of the district are known as Mappilas. A great majority of them are sunnis following the Shafi school of thought. They are noted for their piety.

Though Christianity is believed to have been introduced in Kerala in 52A.D., not much progress was made by the Christians of this district before the advent of the Portuguese towards the close of the 15^th century. Almost all different sections of Christians are represented here. Christians of Travancore & Cochin have migrated to the hilly regions & have settled there.

Revathy Pattathanam:The famous intellectual debate for vedic scholars to win the coveted position of Pattathana takes place at thali temple during the month of thulam. It is said that this unique intellectual gathering commenced during the fag end of the 13^th century. Many stories are attributed to the beginning of the pattathanam. The seven-day debate starts on Revathi day & concludes on Thiruvathira day of the Malayalam moth of Thulam.