Chaliyar
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Overview
The Chaliyar, about 169 km long, is a Kerala river that reaches the Arabian Sea near Kozhikode.
It rises in the Nilgiri hills and flows through Malappuram and Kozhikode districts to the sea at Beypore.
Beypore has a long tradition of building wooden dhows called uru.
The river was the centre of one of Kerala's first environmental movements, against pollution by the Gwalior Rayons factory at Mavoor.
It is the fourth-longest river in Kerala.
Nilambur's teak plantations, among the oldest in the world, lie in its basin.
Gold traces are found in its sands.
The river is important for inland fishing.
Geography and key facts
- Kerala
- Mouth near Kozhikode
- Mouth at Beypore
- Uru boatbuilding
- Mavoor pollution struggle
Why it matters for UPSC
Asked on Kerala rivers.
Note for UPSC
A Kerala river reaching the sea near Kozhikode.
Prelims asks about tributaries, the states a river flows through, its basin and the projects on it, so trace the course on the map.
Asked in PYQs
No question in our Prelims bank names Chaliyar yet.
Key facts
- Type
- River
- State / UT
- Kerala
- River system
- Peninsular
- Basin
- West-flowing (Western Ghats)
- Extent on map
- 11.2°–11.5°N, 75.8°–76.3°E
From the Map Explorer data; positions are for orientation.
In the lessons
- Physical Features and Drainage of India (map lesson)
- Drainage Systems of India: Himalayan and Peninsular Rivers (map lesson)