Malappuram, the land atop the hills, is drained by four rivers of which only the Chaliyar is perennial

Background

Malappuram district, literally the land atop the hills, was formed on the 16th of June 1969.
It is bounded by the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, Kozhikode and Wayanad districts in the north and Palakkad and Thrissur districts in the south.
The district has a geographical area of 3550 sq. kms, which is 9.13% of the total area of the State, and ranks 3rd in the State.
Four important rivers of Kerala flow through the district: the Chaliyar, the Kadalundippuzha, the Bharathapuzha and the Tirurpuzha.
The Chaliyar has a length of 169 km, originates from the Illambaleri hills in Tamil Nadu and flows into the sea at Beypore in Kozhikode district.
The Kadalundippuzha is formed by the confluence of the Olipuzha and the Veliyar and has a course of 130 km, reaching the sea at Kadalundi Nagaram; the Tirurpuzha is 48 km long and rises in the Athavanad hills in Tirur taluk.
Of these rivers only the Chaliyar is perennial, which is why the district is prone to drought.
The district has a total forest area of 758.8684 sq km, of which 325.3261 sq km is reserve forest and 433.5423 sq km vested forest, protected by the Nilambur North and Nilambur South divisions.
Malappuram was the military headquarters of the Zamorins of Kozhikode and was home to the Khilafath movement and the Mappila revolts.