Kallayi is a small village on the banks of Kallayi River

Kallayi River

Kallayi River is one of the rivers in Kerala, India. It originates in Cherikkulathur in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 45 m and is 40 km long. It is linked to the Chaliyar River by a man-made canal on the south side of the small timber village of Kallayi lying on its banks.Its basin is...

 which links with the Chaliyar river

Chaliyar River

Chaliyar is the fourth longest river in Kerala at 169 km in length. The Chaliyar is also known as Beypore River as it nears the sea...

 on the south by a man-made canain. It is in the Kozhikode district

Kozhikode district

Kozhikode District , formerly Calicut, is a district of Kerala state, situated on the southwest coast of India. The city of Kozhikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 38.25% urbanised...

 of Kerala

Kerala

or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....

 in south India

South India

South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...

. This village is famous for timber

Timber

Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...

 trading.

During late 19th century and early 20th century, the Chaliyar River

Chaliyar River

Chaliyar is the fourth longest river in Kerala at 169 km in length. The Chaliyar is also known as Beypore River as it nears the sea...

 was extensively used as a waterway for carrying timber from the forest areas in and around Nilambur

Nilambur

Nilambur is a municipality and a taluk in the Malappuram district of Kerala, South India. It is famous for its forests, especially its wildlife habitats, rivers, waterfalls and teak plantations. It is situated close to the Nilgiris range of the Western Ghats on the banks of the Chaliyar River...

 to the various mills in Kallayi near Calicut. Rafts made of logs were taken downstream during the monsoon

Monsoon

Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...

 season to Kallayi, where these were sawn to size in the timber mills dotting the banks of the river.

During this period, Kallayi was one of the most important centers in the world for timber business. The place was famous for wood of superlative strength and durability like teak

Teak

Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...

, rosewood

Rosewood

Rosewood refers to any of a number of richly hued timbers, often brownish with darker veining, but found in many different hues. All rosewoods are strong and heavy, taking an excellent polish, being suitable for guitars, marimbas, turnery , handles, furniture, luxury flooring, etc.In general,...

etc. Towards the second half of the 20th century, the activity came down drastically as tree felling was banned or strictly controlled with a view to stop deforestation. Many mills still operate in Kallayi, though with far less output. Many have closed down.

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