Kattippara

Kattippara is a hilly town and grama panchayath in Kozhikode district, Kerala. Kattippara, the name derived from two Malayalam words , katti which means hard and para means rock. It is a  hilly panchayath on western ghat mountains of Kozhikode district, is home to huge hard rock masses which are jutting out of huge cliffs. Almost everywhere, one can witness hard rocks and hills towering skyhigh.

Kattippara is well connected by road networks. National Highway 766 which connects Kozhikode to Kollegal in Karnataka, is passing through Malapuram village which is 6 kilometres away from Kattippara town. Perumbally – Kattippara – Thalayad road and Kattippara – Poonoor road both of which are other major roads which pass through Kattippara panchayath. There are regular bus services between Thamarassery and Kattippara towns.

Kattippara is a migrant village where majority of the population are migrants from other part of the state. People from central Travencore state, especially people from eastern part of Kottayam district commenced large scale migration to Malabar region in the early twentieth century. Most of the families in the Kattippara are descendants of these migrant families. Muslim families from neighboring areas in Kozhikode district have also moved to Kattippara due to easy availability of land at cheaper prices in a place not far from national highway. Before migration, there lived only tribal communities who still exist in Kattippara.

Kattippara Tourism

As a hilly area, Kattippara offers a very high potential of tourism activities. It is rich in waterfalls and plenty of opportunities for trekking and tent tourism. A huge majority of Kattippara panchayath falls under dense verdant forest.

Amarad Waterfalls

Amarad Waterfalls is a serene and untapped tourism hotspot in Kattippara. Water here falls from a great height through a slope rocky hill and create a plunge pool at the bottom which offers one of the exotic waterfall bathing experience in Kerala. Bathing is safer here except early monsoon period (June to September). In monsoon season and in the time of heavy rain, there are possibilities of sudden surge of water caused by flash floods. Amarad Waterfalls is safer than other waterfalls in Kozhikode district which is notorious for the death traps in waterfalls. Period between October to February is ideal time for visiting Amarad Waterfalls.

Amarad Waterfalls is just half an hour walkable distance from Kattippara town. The access to the site is little challenging and constrained due to lack of paved roads and narrow forest walkways. Tourists have to climb up to the site through land owned by private individuals. It requires a mini trekking to reach the site.

Karinchola Mala Landslide

Karinchola mala landslide was one of the string of disasters which occured in Kerala in 2018 which witnessed terrible and unprecedented flood. 2018 flood wreaked havoc in the month of August and even before that, in the month of June, Kattippara in Kozhikode district, signalled an upcoming disaster even two months earlier.Torrential rainfall accompanied by strong wind which triggered vulnerable and fragile landmass of Karinchola mala which was already under threat due to illegal construction activities.
Karinchola landslide which occured in Karinchola mala on 17 June 2018 during early stage of south west monsoon which claimed 17 lives including women and children.

Karinchola Mala is one of the many hills in Kattippara panchayath like Amarad mala, Thevar mala and Kolamala. It is sparsely populated and most of them were migrant families from neighbouring panchayaths. Kattippara panchayath is mainly a migrant panchayath where migration started in the mid-1940s and is still going on. Apart from Travancore migrants, many bankrupted families from neighbouring panchayaths have moved to here. Kattippara had offered cheaper fertile lands and tolerable society welcomed every outsiders, as all of them were immigrants themselves, it was easy to blend in with others.

Karinchola Mala was not a heavily populated area. People mainly cultivated coconut, banana, tapioca and yam to feed the family because the income from daily wages were insufficient to lead a normal life. Most of them who had owned 10 cents or less than 10 cents of land in Karinchola Mala. Some people who migrated to middle eastern contries and remitted back their hard earned money to build better shelter and make better living facilities.