Kavvayi Backwaters

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Kavvayi
Kavvayi boat jetty
Kavvayi Location in Kerala, India Kavvayi Kavvayi (India) Show map of KeralaShow map of IndiaShow all
Location	Kerala
Coordinates	12°05′N 75°11′E / 12.09°N 75.18°E / 12.09; 75.1812°05′N 75°11′E / 12.09°N 75.18°E / 12.09; 75.18
Primary inflows	Kavvayi River
Basin countries	India
Surface area	37 km2 (14 sq mi)
Islands	Kavvayi

Kavvayi Backwaters located near Payyanur is the third largest backwater in Kerala and the largest one in north Kerala. The Kavvayi Kayal(Backwaters) is dotted with several small and large islands. Valiyaparamba island is the largest among them and stretches over 16 km2.

Islands of Kavvayi backwaters[]

• Kavvayi
• Valiyaparamba
• Padannakkadappuram
• Vadakkekkadu
• Kokkal
• Edayilakkad
• Madakkal
• Kannuveed
• Kavvayikkadappuram
• Udumbanthala
• Kochen
• Vadakkumbad

Geography[]

Doodle of Kavvayi_by Savad Muhammed

The Kavvayi Backwater, located near Payyannur, is the third largest backwaters in Kerala and the largest one in north Kerala. Locally called as Kavvayi Kayal or the backwaters of Kavvayi, this lesser known lake of northern Kerala is fed by five rivers viz. River Kavvayi and its tributary streams Kankol, Vannathichal, Kuppithodu, and Kuniyan.^[1] Kavvayi backwaters is named after the Kavvayi island close to Payyannur. Kavvayi used to be an inland port and a major administrative center during the past centuries and during British East India Company rule.

The Kavvayi lake is dotted with several small and big islands, Valiyaparamba island is the biggest among them and it stretches over 16 km². The northern portion of Kavvayi lake is also known as Valiyaparamba backwaters. This Island has a population of 10000. The island's main source of income come from agriculture and fishing. A secluded beach named Valiparamba beach runs parallel to the backwaters on its western side.

From an ecological point of view the backwater of Kavvayi and its surrounding region is considered to be of significance. The Kavvayi backwater is the biggest wetland ecosystem in north Kerala with an area of 37 km². The backwater and the wetlands are home to a variety of fauna and flora.it is used for watership man training by Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala^[2]

Valiyaparamba is a small island in the Arabian Sea in the Kasaragod district of Kerala state, south India. It is one of the main tourist spots of the district and also a fishing centre.

• Peringome 20 km from Payyanur
• Ezhimala 12 km from Payyanur Town
• Kunhimangalam village 8 km from Payyanur town
• Kavvayi Island 3 km from Payyanur
• Ramanthali 7 km from Payyanur
• Karivellur 10 km from Payyanur
• Trikarpur 6 km from Payyanur

Transportation[]

There is bus and jeep service to Payyanur town. The financial affluence has ruled out the viability of public transportation. The national highway passes through Perumba junction. Goa and Mumbai can be accessed on the northern side and Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram can be accessed on the southern side. The road to the east of Iritty connects to Mysore and Bangalore. The nearest railway station is Payyanur on Mangalore-Palakkad line. Trains are available to almost all parts of India subject to advance booking over the internet. There are airports at Kannur, Mangalore and Calicut. All of them are international airports but direct flights are available only to Middle Eastern count.

See also[]

• Kavvayi
• Payyannur

References[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kavvayi Backwaters.