Jeseri, a distinct dialect of Malayalam, was spoken in the Laccadive Islands. Malabar District merged with the erstwhile state of Travancore-Cochin (1950-1956) to form Kerala according to the States Reorganisation Act, 1956.[7] On the same day, the present Kasaragod district of South Canara District was also attached to Malabar, and the Laccadive&Minicoy Islands of Malabar were reorganised to form a new Union Territory.[7] Malabar was trifurcated to form the districts of Kannur,[8] Kozhikode,[9] and Palakkad,[10] on 1 January 1957.