| Chaliyar | |
| Chaliyar, Chaliyar | |
| River | |
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| States | Kerala, Tamil Nadu |
| District | Kozhikode |
| Tributaries | |
| - left | Iruvazhinjipuzha, Cherupuzha, Engappuzha |
| - right | Cherupuzha Nilambur |
| City | Nilambur, Edavanna, Areekode, Kizhuparamba, cheekode, Vazhakkad, Cheruvadi, Mavoor, Peruvayal, Aakode, Feroke, Beypore. |
| Source | Kakkadampoyil Clif |
| - location | Western Ghats, South India, India |
| - elevation | 11.183 m (37 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
| Mouth | |
| - location | Beypore, Arabian Sea, India |
| - elevation | 0 m (0 ft) |
| Length | 100 km (100 mi) approx. |
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Labelled map of Chaliyar
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Chaliyar is the fourth longest river in Kerala at 169 km in length. The Chaliyar is also known as Beypore River as it nears the sea. Nilambur, Edavanna, Areekode, Kizhuparamba, Cheruvadi, Mavoor, Peruvayal, Feroke and Beypore are some of the towns/villages situated along the banks of Chaliyar.
Contents |
The river has two names - Chaliyar and Beypore River, of which the former is more popular. The river meets the Arabian Sea at an 'azhi' (estuary), the southern part of which is known as Chaliyam and northern part as Beypore. Thus the river gets the names Chaliyar and Beypore River.
CHALIYAR AND FEROKE BRIDGE
Chaliyar is one of the rivers which doesn't get dried up in the drought season.Many other rivers in Kerala get dried up during march and April.
The Chaliyar originates in the Western Ghats range at Elambalari Hills located near Cherambadi town in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu and flows through Malappuram District for most of its length and then for around 17 km it forms the boundary between Malappuram District and Kozhikode District before entering the city of Kozhikode for its final 10 km journey and finally empties into the Arabian Sea. Some of the Chaliyar's tributaries originate from Wayanad District and joins the main river in Malappuram.Near the origin of river are the Meenmutty Falls at coordinates by Vaduvanchal, Wayanad
During late 19th century and early 20th century, the Chaliyar was extensively used as a waterway for carrying timber from the forest areas in and around Nilambur to the various mills in Kallai of Calicut city. Rafts made of logs were taken downstream during the monsoon season to Kallayi, where these were sawn to size in the timber mills dotting the banks of the river. Kallai was during this period one of the most important centers in the world for timber business. The place was famous for wood of superlative strength and durability like teak, rosewood, etc. Towards the second half of the 20th century, the activity came down drastically as tree felling was banned or strictly controlled with a view to stop deforestation. Many mills still operate in Kallai, though with far less output. Many have closed down.
Chaliyar River was in the news a few years ago because of the ecological damage caused by a pulp factory at Mavoor, that released effluents into the river and affected the marine life. This factory has since closed down.
In addition to these rivers some creeks also join Chaliyar from Neelithode, Poonkudi, Vadasseri, Edavanna, Kunduthodu and Mampad.