Ezhimala is one of the palce which is recorded in the most ancient History of Norhtern Kerala. "Mooshika Vamsham" written by Athulan throws light into the pre 10th Century history fo Northern Kerala. This was the head quarters of the Ezhimala Radii during the Sang period. In Sang literatures, this area is referred to as "ezhil malai" which means high hillock. It is believed that in the later years ezhilmalai reduced to ezhimala. This region is also known as "Elimala", "Mooshika Sailam", "Sapta Sailam","Mount Eli" and "Mount the Eli" in the history. The first king of Mooshika Vamsham (Mooshika Dynasty)was Rama Ghata Mooshaka, and his Capital was Ezhimala. Athulan describes the later Kings of this Dynasty, which is now mentioned as the Kolathiri Dynasty. The successors of King Ramaghata Mooshakan shifted their capital to Pazhi (the Present village of Pazhayangadi), Valabha Pattanam (Valapattanam) and to nearer places.

The Lighthouse here remained a tourist attraction until this area was acquired by the Government of India for the development of Naval Academy.

Bordered by sea on three sides, Ezhimala is set to occupy a prominent place in the Naval history of the country, consequent to the proposal for commissioning the Naval Academy there. Indian Naval Ship (INS) Zamorin was commissioned marking Phase I of the Ezhimala Naval Academy project,Asia's biggest naval academy. This will be dedicated to the nation today by Hon.Prime minister Dr.Manmohan Singh.

A mountain on the Malabar coast which forms a remarkable object from seaward, and the name of which occurs sometimes as applied to a State or City adjoining the mountain. It is prominently mentioned in all the old books on India, though strange to say the Map of India in Keith Johnstone's Royal Atlas has neither name nor indication of this famous hill. [It is shown in Constable's Hand Atlas.] It was, according to Correa, the first Indian land seen by Vasco da Gama. The name is Malayal. Eli mala , ‘High Mountain.' Several erroneous explanations have however been given. A common one is that it means ‘Seven Hills. This arose with the compiler of the local Skt. Mahatmya or legend, who rendered the name Saptasaila , ‘Seven Hills,' confounding eli with elu , ‘seven,' which has no application. Again we shall find it explained as ‘Rat-hill'; but here eli is substituted for eli . [The Madras Gloss . gives the word as Mal. ezhimala , and explains it as ‘Rat-hill,' “because infested by rats.”] The position of the town and port of Ely or Hili mentioned by the older travellers is a little doubtful, but see Marco Polo , notes to Bk. III. ch. xxiv. The Ely-Maide of the Peutingerian Tables is not unlikely to be an indication of Ely.

1298.—“ Eli is a Kingdom towards the west, about 300 miles from Comari.… There is no proper harbour in the country, but there are many rivers with good estuaries, wide and deep.”— Marco Polo , Bk. III. ch. 24.

c. 1343.—“At the end of that time we set off for Hili , where we arrived two days later. It is a large well-built town on a great bay (or estuary) which big ships enter.”— Ibn Batuta , iv. 81.

1516.—“After passing this place along the coast is the Mountain Dely , on the edge of the sea; it is a round mountain, very lofty, in the midst of low land; all the ships of the Moors and the Gentiles … sight this mountain … and make their reckoning by it.”— Barbosa , 149.

.c. 1562.—“In twenty days they got sight of land, which the pilots foretold before that they saw it, this was a great mountain which is on the coast of India, in the Kingdom of Cananor, which the people of the country in their language call the mountain Dely , elly meaning ‘the rat,' arMenu1[9] = ' 1 A correction is made here on Lord Stanley’s translation. '; 1 and they call it Mount Dely , because in this mountain there are so many rats that they could never make a village there.”— Correa, Three Voyages , &c., Hak. Soc. 145

1579.—“… Malik Ben Habeeb … proceeded first to Quilon … and after erecting a mosque in that town and settling his wife there, he himself journeyed on to [ Hili Marawi].…”—Rowlandson's Tr. of Tohfutul-Mujahideen , p. 54. (Here and elsewhere in this ill- edited book Hili Marawi is read and printed Hubaee Murawee ).

1638.—“Sur le midy nous passames à la veüe de Monte-Leone , qui est vne haute montagne dont les Malabares descouurent de loin les vaisseaux, qu'ils peuuent attaquer avec aduantage.”— Mandelslo , 275.

Prime Minister inaugural speech at Naval Academy

The Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the Naval Academy (NAVAC) in Ezhimala, Kerala on 8th January 2009. The Naval Academy was planned as a full-fledged permanent Naval Academy to replace the present Naval Academy , INS Mandovi at Goa .  Surprisingly it has taken almost 22 years to inaugurate the Academy for which the foundation stone was laid by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi on January 17, 1987.

This Academy will prove to be the premier officer-training establishment of the Indian Navy and is the largest Naval Academy in Asia . From June this year, all officers inducted into the Indian Navy, under various schemes, will undergo basic training at this Academy.

Located 38 km north of Kannur (Cannanore) district of Kerala. Ezhimala was a flourishing sea port in anscient Kerala.

As Phase-1 of the project, INS Zamorin was commissioned in Ezhimala campus on April 06, 2005 to support the construction of the academy and all aspects of its training and administrative functions for the new naval academy. Also Naval Orientation Courses for Officers are going on since 2005.

 

The Academy would start training approximately 450 trainees this year and would progressively increase to about 1100 trainees by 2013. This would include officer-trainees from the Indian Coast Guard and friendly foreign countries.

The Academy will have a mix of uniformed and civilian staff for the conduct of training and other administrative support functions. There would be 161 officers, 47 professors/ lecturers, 502 sailors and 557 civilians. Along with the families of staff, the campus would have a population of about 4000.

It is my great pleasure to be present here today at this magnificent campus overlooking the Arabian Sea . There could not have been a better place for the establishment of India 's Naval Academy . I am grateful to the Government of Kerala for having made this possible. Today marks the realization of a dream of our late Prime Minister Shri Rajiv Gandhi who laid the foundation stone of this Academy. The decision to establish a world class Naval Academy was a truly forward-looking one. As I look at the vast expanse of the Arabian Sea before me and the Indian Ocean beyond, it is easy to see why the Indian Navy must have a much greater role in safeguarding the Nation's vital security interests.

The Mumbai attacks have highlighted the need for heightened vigilance and response to asymmetric threats from the sea. We face such threats not only in the Arabian Sea but also in the Indian Ocean . There is a marked increase in the attempts by various terrorist and other groups to use the blue waters around India for nefarious purposes. This is a matter of concern. This emerging maritime security environment greatly enhances your responsibilities. We have a coastline of over 7600 kms. with over 1200 island territories spread across the Indian Ocean . We have a large Exclusive Economic Zone. We have a vital interest in the Indian Ocean and a close relationship with countries of the Indian Ocean Rim, and specially the Gulf region.

We should also recognize that there will be fother competing interests whose maritime presence in the sphere of our interest and our influence will have to be carefully monitored.

The importance of the Indian Navy in safeguarding our vital security interests has thus become paramount. There can thus be no doubt that the Indian Navy must be the most important maritime power in this region.

As India's oil and gas imports increase demands on the Navy will become further pronounced. There is an inextricable link between our economic resurgence and our maritime power. As economic power shifts to Asia, the demand for energy and the volume of trade passing through the Indian Ocean region will expand rapidly. This shift is being accompanied by the emergence of a host of threats that travel through the oceans.

The actions taken by the Navy recently to combat piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia have been timely. I would like to commend the professionalism of the Navy, which has been widely acknowledged across the world.

Traditional naval powers continue to rely upon their sea-control assets while emerging powers are developing sea-denial capabilities. More and more resources are being spent on naval modernization and research and development for new ship designs and battle space dominance through information networking. Increasingly, space and information technology are being harnessed for enhancing naval capabilities. The ongoing Revolution in Military Affairs and network-centric warfare has also impacted on the navies as the joint-ness between the land, air and naval forces improves.

All this is leading to the emergence of a new international maritime order, one that is characterized by a great deal of flux. This will have major implications for India . The Indian Navy will be required to have capabilities to perform in the entire spectrum of conflict ranging from military missions and strategic deterrence to humanitarian assistance. As India moves ahead, it would need naval capabilities commensurate with its expanding national interests.

Keeping the sea-lanes of commerce open, projecting power and maintaining strategic stability dictate that India should possess a strong blue water Navy. The sea is increasingly becoming relevant in the context of India 's security interests and we must re-adjust our military preparedness to this changing environment. We have in place an ambitious plan for force modernization of the Navy which will contribute to the Navy's emergence as a three-dimensional force.

These include the transportation of weapons of mass destruction, small arms and other weaponry through the oceans to the hinterland; the threat of piracy in international waters; organized crime; drug trafficking; environmental degradation; rising sea-levels; illegal migration and human smuggling.

Today naval power is not just about fighting wars. It has an integral role to play in international diplomacy, commerce, energy supplies, exploitation of sea resources and ensuring order at sea. In such a scenario naval interactions have an important role to play. The large number of exercises that India has held in the recent years with several countries has resulted in greater exposure for the Indian Navy. They have enhanced the ability of the Indian Navy to operate with other navies to respond to common security threats.

To face up to these challenges the Navy needs well trained manpower. I am confident that the Naval Academy will produce well rounded graduates with the latest scientific and technical skills, and a broad awareness of our national interests.

I congratulate all those who have contributed towards the creation of this institution. Such institutions are better known by the quality of their alumni than by their stone facades and I have no doubt that INS Ezhimala will, year after year, send out future generations of naval officers of whom the country will be proud.