Nestled up in the mountains, Idukki extends an invitation to identify oneself with Nature. Here, where the mist plays hide and seek with the green mountains, the melody is set to the whistle of the crickets and the chirp of wild birds. Dark and deep forests with springs trickling down rocky crevices, falling steep into unfathomed chasms and rivulets flowing past rare flora and fauna, is indeed an idyllic setting to set oneself free of all fetters, understand, feel and perhaps realise, the beauty, power and glory of life. Other than places like Valara, Thommankuthu, Palkulamedu and Munnar which are of indescribable natural beauty, there are five wild life sanctuaries in Idukki district which need special mention.

Chinnar is a wild life sanctuary with an area of 90 sq.Km. The terrain here is undulating and rocky through out at an elevation ranging from 500 to 2400 metres above sea level. The thorny scrub jungle is the unique phenomenon of this sanctuary. The flora in this region consists of thorny scrub jungle, dry deciduous forests, sholas and grass lands. A wide range of wild life is housed in its sanctuary. Elephant, gaur, sambar, spotted deer, barking deer, lion tailed macaque, Nilgiri Tahr, tiger, panther, wild dog etc. inhabit in this sanctuary. The aviary includes jungle fowl, spotted dove, pea fowl, jungle crow, Kerala laughing thrush, red vented bulbul, Indian hornbill, small green bee eater, blue throated barbet and a host of other small birds. This sanctuary is situated on either side of the Marayoor - Udumalpet road and is hence accessible by road.

Eravikulam is another wild life sanctuary proclaimed as a National Park since it supports the largest population of Nilgiri Tahr existing in the world now. Anamudi peak (2695 Metres), the highest point south of the Himalayas falls in the southern part of this park. The park is 135 k.m. from Kochi and is accessible by road. Most of the park is either grassland or part of the shola ecosystem and the average altitude is 2000 metres above m.s.l. The temperature varies from (-)3 degrees Celsius in winter to 29 degrees Celsius in summer. Severe frost occurs between the months of December and January and the average rain fall is 4800 m.m. During the monsoon, lashing rains, high velocity winds and poor visibility makes the area practically inaccessible. A wide variety of plant life is present here. The famous Strobilanthus Kunthianus, popularly known as Neelakurinji is one of the rare and threatened species that grows here. The Nilgiri Tahr is seen in the highlands and rocky regions of this national park. Sambar, barking deer, gaur, giant Malabar squirrel, tiger, panther, wild dogs, civet cat, jungle cat, Nilgiri langur, giant squirrel, grass owl, black winged kite, wood pigeon, black bird, Eurasian kestrel, jungle crow etc. are seen here.

Thattekkad bird sanctuary in Devicolam Taluk of Idukki lies on the northern bank of the Periyar river. The area of the sanctuary is 25 sq.Km. The presence of more than 200 varieties of birds in this area attracted the renowned ornithologist Dr. Salim Ali and his efforts are also behind the formation of this sanctuary. This sanctuary is 80 Kms. From Cochin and 60 to 450 metres above sea level. Important birds found here include large falcon, gray jungle fowl, white breasted water hen, hornbill, jungle bush-quail, etc. A study conducted by Bombay Natural History Society during 1985 identifies 253 species here. The vegetation in this area consists of tropical evergreen, semi evergreen, moist deciduous forests and plantations of teak, rosewood, mahogany etc. Further, more than 28 varieties of animals and nine varieties of reptiles have accepted this area as their natural habitat.

With its matchless scenic beauty and the facilities offered by the Periyar lake, Thekkady attracts a large number of tourists. The sanctuary spreads over an area of 673 sq.km and is situated at a height of 900 to 1800 metres above mean sea level. Facilities are available for cruising in this lake. Wild animals seen here include elephants, bisons, sambar, monkeys and wild bear. Fortunate visitors can have a glimpse of the tigers foraging in this area. However on sunny summer days one can see herds of wild elephants bathing in the lake. Bisons are a wary and hardy lot and usually never allow any intruder to approach them and the sound of the motor boats scare them away. But a keen animal lover can stay in one of the few observation towers for a couple of days and luck will surely come his way. Some of the famous tea gardens are located around this place. Further Peermede, 43 k.m. below Thekkady, has a golf course and offers excellent facilities for stay.

Idukki wild sanctuary is quite near the District Head Quarters at Kuyilimala near Painavu. The great reservoir formed by the construction of the Idukki Arch Dam and dams at Cheruthoni and Kulamavu offers beautiful sight to the casual visitor. Further the pristine forests and green hills around the area provide ample scope for trekking. In windy and rainy days elephants can be seen even on the road from Thodupuzha to the District Head Quarters. Unless offended these pachyderms wait on the road for a few minutes and give way to the vehicles. The Arch dam at Idukki, the highest of its kind in Asia, attracts a lot of tourists. Further, the area is easily accessible by road, by being just about 100 k.m. From Eranakulam.

Blessed with natural beauty and salubrous climate Kulamavu is a colony of the K.S.E. Board employees. Kulamavu Dam is situated here.

The underground powerhouse of the Idukki Hydroelectric Project is located here. It is at the foot of the Nadukani hills

Munnar was the summer resort of the British Government in the south. The town is situated on the confluence of three mountain streams, Muthirappuzha ( Kannimalayar), Nallathanni and Kundala. Munnar has some of the biggest tea plantations in the world. This hill station more than 5000 feet above sea level with its mist and flowers, has very good potential to be developed into a tourist spot.

Peermade, another centre of tourist attraction has a history of its own. The summer palace of the erstwhile Rajas of Travancore is an important monument here.

Forty five kms. east of Kasaragod town, Adoor is noted for its ancient Siva Temple, believed to have been founded by Arjuna. The temple, which is known as Sri Mahalingeshwara temple, is situated in picturesque surroundings on the southern bank of the river Payaswini.

The Makara Samkramam is a very important festival day in the temple when a Sahasra Kumbha Abhishekam with feeding of a large number of people takes place. According to tradition, the day coincides with the anniversary of the day on which a harijan spotted the Sivalingam. The annual Jatra or festival of the temple starts with Dhwaja Arohanam (hoisting of the temple flag) on the 27th of Kumbham (February, March) and concludes with the Avabhritha Snanam (holy dip) in the water of the Payaswini on the fourth of Meenam (April) every year.

In Ajanur village is situated the famous Madiyan Kulom temple. It is about five kms. from Kanhangad. The main deity of the temple is Bhadrakali; but there are also other deities like Kshetrapalan, Bhagavathi and Bhairavan. A peculiarity of this temple is that a Brahmin priest performs pooja only in the noon, while the morning and evening poojas are performed by a sect called Maniyanis.The festivals in the temple fall during the months of Edavam (May, June) and Dhanu (December, January).

At a distance of about five kms. from Kumbla is the Ananthapuram Temple which is said to be the ‘Moolasthanam’ of the Ananthapadmanabha Swami (Sri PadmanabhaSwami Temple) of Thiruvananthapuram. Local tradition has it that Ananthapadmanabha of Thiruvananthapuram had settled down here originally.

The fame of Manjeshwaram lies in the famous Srimad Anantheswara Temple owned by the Gowda Saraswath community. Itttracts pilgrims from all over India, particularly from the region lying between Kanyakumari and Goa. The annual car Festival of the temple is on the sixth Lunar Day of the bright half of the Margashira month, usually between the third week of November and the third week of December. It is also called the Shashti Festival as the final day celebration takes place on the Skanda Shashti day , a day sacred to Subrahmanya. In the outer round of the temple, there is a flower garden named Anantha Nandana Vana.

About 11 kms. from Kumbla on the Kumbla-Badiadka road, is the Mother Dolorus Church of Bela. This Gothic style Roman Catholic church which is under the Mangalapuram Diocese, has celebrated its centenary recently.The Christian church at Kasaragod has also celebrated its centenary recently. The St. Thomas Church at Chittarikal is another famous one. The eastern parts of the district about in a number of small and big churches.

There is an ancient Sastha temple at Chandragiri which is known as Kizhur Sastha Temple. This is the headquarters of the Anjooru Nayanmar (five hundred Nairs). The festival which is peculiar to this temple is Pattu Utsavam. Troups of professional singers sing jointly in praise of the greatness of the deity. The dignitaries of all the Kazhakams of Saliyas from Pattuvam to Panamboor (present new Mangalapuram) known as Pathinalu Nagaram assemble here annually on the second Saturday of Vrischikam (November).

Two of the four sacred temples of Kumbla Seema are located in Kumbla and its suburbs. They are the Mujankavu Sri Parthasaradhi Temple and Kanipura (Kaniyara) Sri Gopalakrishna Temple. Kumbla is also called Kanipura (Kaniyara) after the latter temple.

The temple of Sri Parthasarathi of Mujankavu is situated in Ednad village, about four kms. east of Kumbla and about eight kms. north west of Madhur.

The Sri Gopalakrishna Temple, is situated in the heart of the town of Kumbla at the foot of an elevated hill which rises majestically in front of it, with the Kumbla river flanking it on the left (north). The colourful festival at Kumbla temple which lasts for five days every year, commences with the Dhwajaarohanam on the Makara Sankramana day. People in thousands from all over the region attend these festivities.

At Madhur, eight kms. north east of Kasaragod, is the famous Madhur Srimad Anantheswara Vinayaka temple. The imposing structure of the temple, with its turrets and gables and the copper plate roofing, rises majestically against the beautiful landscape of hills, paddy fields and gardens with the river Madhuvahini flowing leisurely in front of it.

The Madhur temple is a Siva temple with Srimad Anantheswara as its presiding deity. The Sivalingam of the temple is said to have been found by a harijan woman, Madharu.

A special festival associated with the Madhur temple is the Moodappa seva.The large figure of Maha Ganapathi is covered with appam. It requires enormous quantities of rice and lakhs of rupees for its conduct. The festival is conducted only periodically in view of the huge expenditure involved.It was celebrated in April 1962 after a lapse of about 160 years, and very recently in April 1992. The ceiling of the Namaskara Mantapam of the Madhur Temple has been decorated with beautiful figures of puranic heroes in wood carving. A closer examination of the wood carvings would disclose the various episodes of the Ramayana, beginning with the Putrakame-shtiyagam and ending with Seetha Swayamvaram.

The Mantapam in the interior of the temple building as well as the outside façade of the second and third storeys of the main building are also profuse with attractive and exquisite wood carvings.

Kasaragod acquired over the years, considerable importance as a centre of Islam on the west coast. It is the site of one of the mosques believed to have been founded by Malik Ibn Dinar. The mosque, Juma Masjid, which is one of the best kept and most attractive in the district, is located at Thalangara.It contains the grave of Malik Ibn Mohammed, one of the descendants of Malik Ibn Dinar and the place is sacred to Muslims. Another notable mosque, in Kasaragod is the Theruvath Mosque which is in the centre of the town. An important local celebration takes place every year in commemoration of the arrival of Malik Ibn Dinar. The Uroos attract pilgrims from all over India.

This is a Roman Catholic church on the Badiadka-Mulleria route, about 10 kms. from Badiadka. This is known as St. John Britto Church and this was established in 1939.

Uroos, celebrated in Nellikkunnu mosque, attracts people in thousands. The Nercha celebration, during the second half of November, lasts for one week.

Of the 18 temples of Muchilottu Bhagavathi, Perne is the northern most and the only one north of Payaswini Seema. It is five kms. east of Kumbla and near Ananthapuram Lake Temple, on the Kumbla-Badiadka route . The mass marriage at the time of Pooram festival in the month of Meenam, is a unique feature of this temple.

Kasaragod has a few important temples. Of these, the Mallikarjuna temple, situated near the taluk office, is the most important. The annual festival have falls in the month of March and it attracts huge crowds.

One of the most important temples of the Gowda Saraswathas in Kerala is the Venkatramana temple.The Sri Arya Karthyayani temple and the Sri Panduranga temple are also famous temples of the place.

Just on the eastern side of Pulikunnu by the Payaswini river, there is a temple belonging to the Thiyya community where thirty nine deities are worshipped. The main festival here, called Kaliyattam, falls in February/March. There is also the Palakunnu temple (near Malik Ibn Dinar mosque) akin to the Palakunnu Devasthanam of Udma. Bhagavathi temples, such as Theruvath Bhagawathi and Kadappuram Sri Kurumba temples, are spread all over the municipal area, worshipped by particular communities.

Sri Chakrapani temple has a hoary past with a legend about its origin in the ancient Brahmandapurana. The great sage Garga, according to the legend describer many a holy place in Bharath Varsha including Sri Chakrapani Temple to Yudhishtira, when the Pandava were dwelling in the Gandhamadana Sailya Forest during their twelve year exile. Thrikkaripur where the temple is situated, is about 40 kms. north of Kannur town. The temple has been bestowing spiritual solace and prosperity for generations.

This is a Siva temple on the sea shore, within one km. of the Bekal bridge. The place arround Pandyan Kallu, a rock rising above the sea near the temple, is an ideal spot for adventurous swimmers. Swimming in the sea is a popular sport here.

Palakunnu Bhagavathi Kshetram is one km. north of Trikkannad on the Kasaragod-Kanhangad road. The annual Bharani festival attracts PLACES OF TOUrIST INTEREST

Bekal, situated on the seashore of Pallikkara village, is an important place of tourist interest in the district. It lies 12 kms. south of Kasaragod town. According to Bekal Rama Nayak, a local Kannada writer, the word, Bekal is derived from the word Baliakulam, meaning Big Palace. The place is said to have been the seat of a big palace in the past. The term Baliakulam got corrupted as Bekulam and later as Bekal.

It was usual in older days for every royal palace to be protected by a fort. The Bekal fort might have, therefore, existed even from early days of the Chirakkal Rajas. While giving a description of the Kolathiri Kingdom in his Kerala History, K.P. Padmanabha Menon writes, The eldest of the male members reigned as soveriegn Kolathiri. The next in succession, the heir apparent, was the Thekkelamkur. The residence assigned to him was the Vadakara fort. The third in succession was the Vadakkelamkur in charge of Vekkolath fort. This V(B)ekkolath fort is identified by some scholars the present Bekal.

H.A. Stuart, in his Handbook of South Canara (1985), makes this observation - Several forts were built by the Shivappa Nayaks of Badnore between 1650 and 1670 A.D. The two forts of Bekal and Chandragiri were originally under the Kolathiri or Chirakkal Rajas until the time of Shivappa Nayaka s invasion. Perhaps, the Bednore rulers might have rebuilt and improved it.

The Bekal fort, which is of great historical and archaeological interest, is the largest and best preserved of its kind in the district and the land on which it is situated, runs into the sea with fine bay towards the south. According to the South Canara Mannual, Bekal fort fell into the hands of Haider Ali in 1763. It housed the Huzur of Canara during Tippu s time and the remains of a gallow reminiscent of the days of Mysorean occupation were seen here till a few years back. After the overthrow of Tippu Sultan in 1799, Bekal was incorporated into the dominions of the English East India Company. The erstwhile Kasaragod taluk of South Canara district was known as Bekal for more than half a century.

The Bekal fort is now under the Archeological Department of the Government of India. There is a Travellers Bungalow, maintained by the Public Works Department of the State Government within the Bekal fort. The natural scenery at Bekal is alluring and makes a visit to the place an exhilerating experience. There is a recently renovated temple dedicated to Hanuman, at the entrance to Bekal. An old mosque is also situated very near the fort and this is believed to have been founded by Tippu Sultan.

It was in the year 1992 the central government declared Bekal Fort as a special tourism area. It was with the intention of transforming BekalFort into international tourism centre that in the year 1995 the government formed Bekal Tourism Development Corporation. It is in Chemmanad, Udma, Pallikkara and Ajanur Panchayats that of the Bekal tourism project is implemented. At present the corporation is engaged in arranging basic facilities for the project. Corporation has decided to acquire 278 hectares of land for Bekal development.

Plans for bettering and increasing basic facilities will be implemented in the four panchayats where Bekal tourism project is implemented. Water supply scheme for the entire people of Pallikkara, Udma, Ajanur and Chemmanad will be implemented. In the first phase, programmes like waste incineration, road construction and installation of street lights will also be carried out.

B.R.D.C. has programme to develop other tourist centres of the district as part of Bekal project. Two House boats have already started functioning at Valiyaparambu this year itself. Boats clubs will be established at Bekal and Chandragiri soon. A Bekal facility centre was established in 1998 near Bekal Fort. In the facility centre there is an information centre.

Chandragiri lies three kms. south of Kasaragod town. It has a large square situated high above the Chandragiri river on its southern bank. The fort it said to have been built in the 17th century by Sivappa Nayak of Bednore, who established his authority over the area and built a chain of forts. The Chandragiri river, on the bank of which it rises, marked the traditional boundary between Kerala and the Tuluva Kingdom. There is a beautiful bridge over the Chandragiri river at Tekkil, five miles from Chandragiri. A mosque is situated nearby and the view of the bridge with the mosque in the background is one of the most attractive sights on a drive along the NH 17 from Kannur to Kasaragod. A long railway tunnel passes through Chandragiri. A boat club has been recently started here.

Cheruvathur is an important place on the NH 17. The former Mangalore-Cheruvathur coast road starts from Mangalapuram, the headquarters the South Canara district and runs through the coast line, till it reaches Cheruvathur.

The Kunniyur family in Kuttamath Amsom near Cheruvathur has produced a number of illustrious scholars who have contributed greatly to Malayalam literature.

Situated on the Kasaragod-Puthur road, about eight kms. north east of Kasaragod town, this ancient mutt is a reputed seat of learning. It attracts devotees from all over Kerala, Karnataka and other states.

This belongs to the Thotakacharya (one of the four disciples of Sankaracharya) tradition. Vadakke mutt in Trissur was established by a disciple of Thotakacharya. The Swamiji of this mutt was the founder of Padinjare mutt in Trichambaram and Edneer mutt was established by the swamiji of Trichambaram. At present the mutt is renowned for the encouragement it gives to art and culture.

Manjeshwaram is renowned as the native place of M. Govinda Pai (1883-1963), one of the greatest Kannada poets of modern times. He has enriched Kannada literature and poetry. He was conferred the title of "poet laureate" by the erstwhile Government of Madras. He was also a nationalist, historian, dramatist and linguistic.His residence in Manjeshwaram is maintained as a memorial and the Government of Kerala has established a first grade college dedicated to his memory.

The Hosdurg fort with its round bastions, looks imposing from a distance. Several public offices are located within its premises. There is a famous temple attached to the fort which is known as Karpooreshwara temple. The fort is a major attraction for tourists. In Kanhangad, there are two churches; one Catholic and the other a Protestant. There are also a number of mosques here.

An evergreen forest of about 50-60 acres, with a perennial stream, is a centre of worship connected with the Kammatam Bhagavathi Temple.

Kanhangad, the headquarters of the Hosdurg taluk, is 33 kms. south of Kasaragod. It has an area of 32 sq. kms. and a population of 23,621. Kanhangad has the reminents of a large fort built by Somasekhara Nayak of Ikkeri (1714-39). It is locally called Hosdurg (hosa, new and durg, fort) and it is after this fort that the Hosdurg taluk derives its name.

The clean and neat 3-4 kms. long beach and the swimming pool like lake, half a km. long and proportionately broad, formed by sea water, are gift of nature.

Kasaragod municipal town is situated on the banks of the Chandragiri river and is 31 m. above sea level. Kasaragod is an important business centre. Arecanuts and copra are the main trade.Pepper, copra and cashew nuts are the important commodities transported from here. One of the important local industries is cloth cap making, which is the main means of livelihood of a large number of Muslim women. The caps manufactured at Kasaragod are exported to Zanzibar and other African countries. Kasaragod is one of the minor ports of the district. The port is located on the eastern bank of the backwaters formed by the Chandragiri river, which is separated from the sea by a sand spit of about one kilometer length. Schooners do not call at this port but anchor outside the bar. Being the district headquarters, Kasaragod is a fairly developed urban centre. There are a number of educational institutions in the town. The Government College, Kasaragod, established in 1957, is the premier educational institution of the place.

This rain forest near Panathur, is a beautiful picnic centre which is also ideal for trekking. 'Talakkaveri', in the Brahmagiri mountains of Coorg, is quite near Kottancheri Hills.

The place derived its name from the mud fort built by the Nileswar Rajas and later annexed by the Bednore Nayakas in the 18th century. A Juma Masjid and a Hindu shrine stand close by.

It was at Kudlu in the suburbs of Kasaragod, where the famous eight day discourse between Madhavacharya, the great Dwaita philosopher and Trivikrama Pandit, the famous Adwaita scholar, took place. The discourse held in the presence of king Jayasimba of Kumbla, ended in the victory of Madhavacharya and the acceptance of the Dwaita philosophy by Trivikrama Pandit.

Kumbla, which is situated 13 kms. north of Kasaragod town, was the seat of the Rajas of Kumbla who once held sway over the southern part of the Tuluva country which included the present Kasaragod taluk. The town stands on a bold peninsula in a lagoon seperated from the sea by a sand spit and connected to it by a narrow channel. In 1514, Duarte Borbosa, the Portuguese traveller, visited Kumbla and he had recorded that he had found the people exporting a very bad quality brown rice to Maldives in exchange for coir, from the small port here. Early in the 16th century, the port paid a tribute of 800 loads of rice to the Portuguese. When Tippu captured Mangalapuram, the Kumbla Raja fled to Thalassery; but he returned in 1799 and after an unsuccessful bid for independence, submitted to the English and accepted a small pension of Rs. 11,788 per annum in 1804. It was in Kumbla that Parthishubha was born in the 18th century and composed all his Yakshagana Prasangas which earned for him the title, 'Father of Yakshagana'.

Once, the present Maipady was the seat of the Kumbla Rajas. The palace is about eight kms. from Kasaragod on the Kasaragod-Perla road and within three kms. from Madhur.

Manjeshwaram lies in the northern most extremity of Kerala and is a place of historical and religious importance. According to Manjula Kshetra Mahatmya, a legend which deals with the history of the place and describes the pilgrimage undertaken by Virupaksha, a Gowda Saraswatha Brahmin saint, this village was known as Manjula Khetra, Manjukhetra or Manjarisha. The southern portion of the town stands on a plain and the northern portion, on a steep bank which overhangs the river. These two portions were held by the Jain Bangara Raja and the Vittal Raja respectively, until Tippu Sultan hanged the former and forced the latter to take refuge with the English at Thalassery. Manjeshwaram has been for long, the seat of a flourishing community of a Gowda Saraswatha or Konkini Brahmins. There are two old Jaina Bastis at Bangra Manjeshwaram on the southern bank of the Manjeshwaram river.

Nileswaram, which is the abbreviated form of Nilakanta Iswar, was formerly the seat of the Nileswaram Rajas who belonged to the family of Kolathiris. It was annexed by Somasekhara Nayaka of Bednore in 1737 after a struggle of twelve years in which the French and the English took part. When the Bednore Nayaka invaded the territory, the Nileswar Raja obtained the aid of the English who had their factory at Thalassery. In 1737, a treaty was signed by which the Bednorians agreed not to advance south of the Valapattanam river and the English obtained commercial concessions including the monopoly of pepper and cardamom in those portions of the Kolathiri dominion, which were occupied by the Bednore people. The fort at Nileswaram, however, remained in the hands of the Raja and he allied himself with the French who held the fort on his behalf till 1761. In the meantime, Bednore was captured by Haider Ali and the Raja remained in power at Nileswaram till the territory was annexed by the English in 1799 and the Raja was forced to submit and accept a pension. Among the temples of the place, mention may be made of the Sri Kottappuram Vettakorumakan temple, Mannampurathu kavu, Pallikkara Bhagavathi temple and the Thaliyil Neelakanta temple.

There are two notable ashramams in Kanhangad,viz.,the Nityanandasramam and the Anandasramam. The former, which is situated on the hillock about half a km. south of the Hosdurg taluk office, was founded by Swami Nityananda.The spot was at first part of a forest area. Here Swami Nityananda constructed 45 guhas (caves) in a mountain slope. There is a temple built in 1963, after the style and design of the famous Somanatha temple in Gujarat. A full size statue of Swami Nityananda in sitting posture made of panchaloha is one of the attractions of the ashramam. Anandashramam, situated about five kms. east of the Kanhangad Railway Station, was founded in 1939 by Swami Ramadas, a great Vaishnava saint of modern times. The main ashramam and other buildings have a beautiful setting in the midst of shady mango, coconut and other groves. There is a hill to the east of the ashramam, to which the devotees retire for quiet meditation and from its west, the surrounding extensive landscape can be seen in its natural grandeur. The spot at the highest point of the hill is so fascinating that the devotees, who go up the hill and sit silently, are blessed with deep peace and tranquility.

This is an old fashioned fort on the Kasaragod-Mulleria route, about 10 kms. from Kasaragod.

Posadigumpe is an ideal picnic centre, located on a hillock, 487.68 metres above sea level in Dharmathadka, about 18 kms. east of Mangalpady. On top of it, one can see the Arabian sea and the vast arecanut gardens of Kasaragod, extending up to Mangalapuram city and to Kudremukh.

The former Madathumala has taken this new name recently. Lying 780 metres above sea level, it is only 9 kms.from Panathur, which is 48 kms. east of Kanhangad .The extensive forest of Madathumala merges with the forests of Karnataka.The natural beauty is comparable only to Ooty. This place is quite ideal for trekking.

Also known as Kekulom (the eastern place), Tulur vanam is four kms. east of Panathur. The temple here is consecrated to Kshetrapalan and Bhagavathi. The eight day annual festival commencing from Sivarathri, attracts large crowds from all over the district, as well as from Coorg.

Separated from the mainland by backwaters, this fishing village is an island with the Arabian sea as one of the borders and is an ideal picnic centre.

This hill top with ruins of a Dutch fort, built in the 18th century, is a picnic spot from where the natural beauty of Kariangot river and surroundings can be enjoyed. The Cheruvathur-Kariangot portion of NH 17 runs paralleled to the hill near Mayica, Cheruvathur

The Territorial Army is a citizens army which comprises of civilians who are eager to contribute their might to the defence of the country, while pursuing their own vocation. Although it does not offer a regular career it provides an ideal opportunity to the youth of the country to receive military training in their spare time. The Territorial Army inherits all the magnificent traditions of the services. The Territorial Army's 122 Infantry battalion was initially raised as the 51 Light Armoured Regiment at Ambala in 1949. In 1956 the battalion was redesignated and initially affiliated to the Punjab Regiment. Consequent to its move to Malappuram in 1966, it was reaffiliated to the Madras Regiment.The unit saw active service during the Chinese aggression of 1962 and both the Indo-Pak Wars of '65 and '71. The Battalion was embodied for services form 10 September '89 to 25 February '90 in Sri Lanka as part of the Indian Peace Keeping Force. It was a successful shoulder operation with the regular army at Kankesanthurai, Palali and Trincomalee. The contingent returned without suffering any casualties. This force was also drafted for Operation Rakshak during 1991-'92 and it moved to Kashmir valley. The Battalion was adjudged both as the Best Infantry Battalion (T.A) in the country and has won the Chief of Army Staff Silver Trophy, consecutively thrice during 1986 - 87, 1987 - 88 and 1988-89.