Chaliyar river, also popular as Beypore River as it nears the sea, is the fourth longest river in Kerala having a length of 169km. The river which originates from the Elambalari Hills in the Western Ghats, Tamil Nadu flows through Wayanad, Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. The southern part of an estuary (‘azhi’ in Malayalam) where the river meets Arabian Sea is known as ‘Chaliyam’. During the late 19th and early 20th century, Chaliyar river was the main waterway to carry timber from the forest areas in Nilambur to the mills in Kallayi, one of the major center of timber business in the world. Chalipuzha, Punnapuzha, Pandiyar, Karimpuzha, Vadapurampuzha, Iringipuzha and Iruthilpuzha are the major tributaries of the Chaliyar river.