Valayam

The Panchayat is said to have acquired its name 'Valayam', meaning 'circle', as the place is surrounded by hills and mountains. The Panchayat was formed in the year 1978 carved out from the Vanimel Panchayat.

• 1. Chekkotta Bhagavathy temple
• 2. Paradevatha Temple

As of 2001 India census, Valayam had a population of 13835 with 6766 males and 7069 females.[2]

• 1. Valayam Higher Secondary School
• 2. Valayam U P School
• 3. Industrial Training Institute

Valayam village connects to other parts of India through Vatakara city on the west and Kuttiady town on the east. National highway No.66 passes through Vatakara and the northern stretch connects to Mangalore, Goa and Mumbai. The southern stretch connects to Cochin and Trivandrum. The eastern Highway going through Kuttiady connects to Mananthavady, Mysore and Bangalore. The nearest airports are at Kannur and Kozhikode. The nearest railway station is at Vatakara.

Valayam has a reputation for intermittent political conflicts between Muslim league workers and Communists.[3] Many people were killed in the last few years and there is recurrence of violence on a daily basis there and in nearby villages. Normal business and travel has been hampered in this area because of frequent street fights and agitations.[4] On 24 January 2015, one communist volunteer called P. Shibin was murdered by a muslim league worker in a local dispute. The police issued prohibitory orders in violent areas like Nadapuram, Valayam, Kuttiady and Edachery. The communist volunteers retaliated by torching the houses of an entire Muslim locality in vellur.[5]

The police are not effective in this area because the number of security personnel deployed is only ten percent of the perpetrators of the violence.[6]