Valapattanam River, Kerala

When it comes to the rivers in Kannur district of Kerala, the Valapattanam river is the largest among them. Originating from the Brahmagiri Reserve Forest in Karnataka and at an altitude of 900 to 1350 meters above the sea level, the Valapattanam rives flow into the Kannur district of Kerala. There are several popular towns that are situated on the banks of Valapattanam river and they include

• Iritty
• Irikkur
• Parassinikkadavu
• Valapattanam
• Pappinisseri

The well known Parassinikkadavu temple is also situated on the bank of Valapattanam river.  The Parassinikadavu Muthappan temple is one of the most popular Hindu temples in Kerala and is just 16 km away from Kannur city.

In the upstream of the Valapattanam river, you can see a 14 acre island that faces the Kottiyur temple. This place is used as a place for taking rest during the annual temple festival and during that time, there will be devotees from different parts of Kerala who visit the temple.

From this island, you will be able to enjoy the beauty of the misty Palukachi mountain which is worth watching. This also helps in attracting tourists during the season.

The Valapattanam River is one of the major sources of water for the areas lying by the side of it, and it also has three tributaries. The three tributaries of Valapattanam river includes,

• Sreekandapuram river
• Aralam river
• Irikkur river

The Valapattanam river also has two important rain gauge stations at Kannur and Irikkur. There are two discharge stations at Kuiloor and Pala respectively. There are also a lot of upcoming projects that are based on the banks of this river.

The Valapattanam river joins the Arabian sea at the Azhikkal Ferry near Azhikode, which is 10 km away from Kannur city. This is the place where the Irrikku, Sreekantapuram, and Valapattanam River meets and as a result, huge deltas can be seen at this place. Therlayi, Korlayi, Pamburuthi, Kolthuruthi, Bhagat Singh Island, A.K.G Island, and Puramad are the names of these deltas.

There is also a town named Valapattanam through which the river flows and this town is known for the Western India Plywood Ltd. company, which is the largest wood-based industry in South East Asia.

The District Tourism Council of Kannur had launched a “Nadi Darshan” (river viewing) program along with a private resort in Kattampalli, which was an initiative to promote the kettuvallam for tourism promotion activities and also to help the people explore and know more about the Valapattanam river. The authorities are trying their best to make this river a major travel tourism resource for the district.