Udayagiri, Kerala
| Udayagiri | |
|---|---|
| village | |
|
St. Mary's Church, Udayagiri | |
  Udayagiri Location in Kerala, India | |
| Coordinates: 12°14′0″N 75°28′0″E / 12.23333°N 75.46667°ECoordinates: 12°14′0″N 75°28′0″E / 12.23333°N 75.46667°E | |
| Country |
 India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Kannur |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
| Vehicle registration | KL- |
Udayagiri is a village in Thaliparamba taluk of Kannur District in Kerala, India.[1] It is about 60 km from Kannur city. People of this village mainly depend on agriculture for their income. The villagers of this hamlet migrated from southern parts of Kerala in the early 1940s, most of them from Kottayam and Ernakulam district. These days the economy is driven by remittances from people employed elsewhere.
Early days: An aboriginal population of hunter-gatherers, known locally as "Maayilyans" lived here for generations before the so-called settlers from Southern part of Kerala arrived. They survived on hunting and gathering honey in the vast forests. The Maayilyan community was pushed out of the forests, their way of life, and displaced by the migrants. The "Maayilyans" became either daily wage workers in the area or survived on making and selling artifacts out of bamboo.
During the early days (1950s) the settlers lived in tree houses to escape from large number of elephants present in the area. The needs of the population was very basic. They cleared forests and planted Rice, Yucca and Bananas. The essential services like local hospitals or schools did not exist. Transportation was very limited. Educational institutions where tens of miles away. The daily staples beyond what they produced, had to come from Thaliparamba, which was about forty km away by foot. Many early families in the area had to fight years long, painful legal battles to get their land rights.
Major agricultural crops grown are
Pythalmala
Pythalmala is a hill station, situated 4,500 ft. above sea level near the Kerala-Karnataka border, is rich in flora and fauna. It is a 6 km trek to the top of the hills.
Transport
The major town nearby is Kannur. Kannur is well connected by road and rail. The nearest airport is Calicut International Airport which is 115 km close to Kannur. From Kannur, passenger buses are frequently available to Udayagiri.