Chaliyar River, Kerala
Being the fourth longest river in Kerala with a length of 169 km, it is highly important to the places through which it passes through. As the river comes near the sea, the Chaliyar river is also called as Chulika river or Beypore river. It is one of the important rivers in the northern part of Kerala and a major source of drinking water and irrigation.
The Chaliyar rier passes through some of the major towns and villages in nothern Kerala. Some of the towns and villages through which the Chaliyar river passes through are:
- Nilambur
- Edavanna
- Areekode
- Kizhuparamba
- Cheruvadi
- Edavannappara
- Mavoor
- Peruvayal
- Feroke
- Beypore
The Chaliyar river meets the Lakshadweep sea at an estuary, and here the southern part of the estuary is known as Chaliyam and the northern part of the estuary is called as Beypore. Hence the river gets both the name Chaliyar and Beypore river.
The river is rich in its water resources and does not gets dried up during the peak summer season in March, April and May, when compared with other rivers of Kerala which often gets dried up during summer.
The Chaliyar river starts in course from the Western Ghats at the Elambalari hills which is situated in the Wayanad Plateau in Kerala. After its origin, the river Chaliyar flows majorly through the district of Malappuram and later it forms the boundary between Kozhikode and Malappuram district for almost 17 km. After that it enters into the Kozhikode district and merges into the Lakshadweep sea after travelling for 10 km in the district.
The Chaliyar drainage system is constitute with the help of six major streams such as:
- Chaliyarpuzha
- Punnapuzha
- Kanjirapuzha
- Karimpuzha
- Iruvahnipuzha
- Cherupuzha
There are also other major tributaries for the Chaliyar river and they are:
- Kurumanpuzha
- Pandipuzha
- Maradipuzha
- Kuthirapuzha
- Karakkodupuzha
The rivers mostly originate from the Nilgiri Hills in the eastern side and the Wayanad hills in the northern side. In the Nilgiri Hills and Wayanad Hills, these rivers for a good number of rapids and waterfalls which really attracts the tourists. The waterfalls and rapids are spectacular and the travelers really love to visit these water streams to enjoy its lust and natural beauty. One of the major waterfalls is the Meenmutty waterfalls, which has a significant place in the tourism map of Kerala.
The Chaliyar River has numerous tributaries under its belt and here is the complete list of tributaries for this river.
- Cherupuzha (Mavoor)
- Engappuzha
- Iruthullippuzha
- Kadungampuzha
- Iruvanjippuzha
- Pulingappuzha
- Chalippuzha
- Muthappanpuzha
- Cherupuzha (Areekode)
- Kuthirappuzha
- Kottappuzha
- Kuruvanpuzha
- Kanjirappuzha
- Karimpuzha
- Cherupuzha (Karulai)
- Punnappuzha or Pandiyar
- Maruthappuzha or Kalakkanpuzha
- Karakkodan puzha
- Maruthappuzha or Kalakkanpuzha
- Pandippuzha
- Neerppuzha
- Thottumukkam puzha
When we talk about the places near the banks of River Chaliyar, there are a lot of villages that exists around this river. Some of the major villages near the Chaliyar river include:
- Irumooliparamba
- Kottupadam
- Akode
- Kakkove
- Channayil Palliyali (Santhigram)
- Virippad, Mundumuzhi
- Vazhakkad
- Valillappuzha
- Pancheeri
- Palakkd
- Elamaram
- Korappadam
- Mepram
- Konnar
- Vettathur
- Cheruvadikavu
- Kondotty
- Neerad
- Moochikal
- Vettukad
- Iruppanthody Karatt Chola Kolambalam Edavannappara
- Mundakkulam
- Muthuparamba
- Omanoor
- Ponnad
- Arappuzha
- Muthuvalloor
There are several places near the banks of the Chaliyar river, which is ideal for a perfect vacation trip. The travel destinations around the Chaliyar river are unique in nature and most of them are great for a local picnic or trip with your friends and family. You can also enjoy the beauty of the surrounding villages through boat trips through the river Chaliyar.
The Elamaram village which is situated near Edavannappara in Malappuram District is one of the most scenic and beautiful travel destinations on the bank of Chaliyar river. You can take the help of the ferry service to go to the other side of the river and the ticket rates are very much minimal. The boat services are available from 6:40 AM till 8:40 PM every day.