# Irikkur

Irikkur is a town and grama panchayat in Kannur District of Kerala state, India.

## Location

Irikkur is located on SH 36 between the towns of Taliparamba and Iritty and is directly accessible from Kannur, Mattanur and Thalassery. It is equidistant from Kannur and Taliparamba of about 30 km (19 mi), 34 km (21 mi) away from Thalassery and 17 km (11 mi) from Iritty.

## History

Irikkur has historic and commercial importance, and is one of the largest Muslim majority towns (76%) in the Kannur district and lies on the banks of the Irikkur River, locally known as the "Ayippuzha". This river was the geographical border of the former Kottayam Kingdom ruled by Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja.

## Demography

As of 2011 Census, Irikkur had a population of 13,820, of which 6,690 are males and 7,130 are females. Irikkur census town has an area of 11.38 km$^2$ (4.39 sq mi), housing 2,327 families to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within Census Town limits and impose taxes on properties under its jurisdiction.
In Irikkur, the sex ratio is 1.066 females per male, below the state average of 1.084. Moreover, the child sex ratio is 0.991, compared to the Kerala state average of 0.964. The literacy rate of Irikkur is 92.03%, lower than the state average of 94.00%. In Irikkur, male literacy is 96.30% while female literacy rate is 88.08%.

## Transportation

National Highway (NH 66) passes through the town of Taliparamba. Mangalore and Mumbai can be accessed on the northern side and Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram can be accessed on the southern side. State Highway (SH 36) passes through Irikkur town connects with Taliparamba and Iritty. The road towards the east of Iritty connects to Mysore and Bangalore.
The nearest railway station is Kannur on Shoranur-Mangalore Section line. There are airports at Mangalore and Kannur. The Kannur International Airport (KIAL) located at Mattannur is the nearest airport, which is 13 km (8.1 mi) away.

## Geography

Irikkur is located at 11°58′N 75°34′E﻿ / ﻿11.97°N 75.57°E﻿ / 11.97; 75.57. It has an average elevation of 60 m (200 ft).

## Tourism

Irikkur Assembly constituency has a major role in tourism in Kannur district as it covers mainly hilly regions bordering Western ghats with a serene environment. Paithalmala, Palakkayam thattu, Kanjirakolli and Kappimala are the main tourist destinations in the Irikkur constituency that enhance the huge inflow of tourists. To transform Irikkur into Malabar's tourism hotspot, infrastructure development and accommodation facilities are being prioritized, driven by investor and tourism conferences aimed at attracting global investment.

## Educational Institutions

* SIBGA Institute of Advanced Studies, Irikkur
* Govt HSS, Irikkur
* Rahmaniya Orphanage HSS, Irikkur

## Religion

Approximately 76% of the population consists of Muslims
* Mamanikkunn temple, one of the famous Hindu temples of Kerala.
* 20 mosques, out of which allow to pray
* A Christian seminary

## Politics

Irikkur assembly constituency is part of Kannur Lok Sabha constituency. The current MLA of Irikkur is Sajeev Joseph from INC who won in the 2021 Kerala Legislative Assembly election with a vote share of 50.33%.