Iritty is a Municipality and a Taluk of Kannur district in Kerala State, India.[3] The town is the main market place for the farmer communities in the surrounding regions. Iritty is at a distance of 20 km (12 mi) from Kannur International Airport and one among five taluks in Kannur district. Iritty is one of the major towns lies between Coorg and Kannur international airport -Mattanur.[4]
Iritty is surrounded by hills. A river flowing through Iritty is more commonly known as Iritty Puzha (Iritty River). There is a steel girder bridge, built in 1933, over the river. There is a dam in the place Pazhassi for irrigation purpose named 'Pazhassi Dam' which is almost 10 km from the town. Wayanad tourist destinations are near from this place. The nearby areas are depending on Iritty for most of their shopping.Padiyoor, Payam, Aralam, Punnad, Vallithode, Kilyianthara, Kondambra, Kolikkadavu, Keezhur, Ulickal, Vattiyamthode, Mattara, Kalanki, Manikadave, Manippara Perumpally, Nuchiyad, Vayathoor, Edoor, Peratta, Karikottakari, Angadikadave, Puravayal, Kootupuzha, Charal, Alathupramba, Thermala, Urathoor, Vilakkode, Madathil etc. are the nearby small towns around.
Steel bridge
Iritty Bridge Built in 1933
The steel bridge in Iritty is a 10-ton bridge constructed in 1933 by the British authorities to connect the towns of Kodagu and Thalassery.[6] It was designed by George Anderson of the Institution of Civil Engineers.[7][8] A July 2015 death of a man after being accidentally wedged between the handrail and a private bus raised concerns about the bridge's age.[6]
Administration
Iritty was initially part of Keezhur-Chavassery Panchayat and upgraded to a Municipality on 1 November 2015. The Municipal town is divided into 33 wards. K Sreekala is the present municipal chairperson of Iritty. The current ruling party of Iritty Municipality is LDF.[9]
Iritty established as a Taluk headquarters since March 2013 when Kerala government declared new taluks for the state. Iritty taluk falls under Thalassery Revenue division.[11]
Iritty, one of the beautiful hill side towns in the north Malabar of Kerala. The beauty of Iritty lies together with the unique rivers, streams, green hills and valleys. The main Streams of Iritty river are by the three rivers such as Bavali river, Aralam river and Barapuzha (Veni river). Before the name 'Iritty,' made the first cry, this land was nourished by two main rivers, one Barapuzha and Bavalipuzha . People started calling both the rivers confluence as Iratta puzha (Double River & 'Puzha' means River ), and in course of time the land became Iritty.[12]
Climate
Iritty has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with little to no rainfall from December to March and heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from April to November.
Iritty is one of the major towns of the Kannur district. With nearby villages which produce cash crops and plantation crops, Iritty is a major commercial town too. It is one of the growing towns in the district. Iritty is famous for cash crops such as pepper, rubber and cashew nuts, some of which are sold under regional brands in various auction houses and commodities markets.
Iritty is primarily a trading town. Iritty is headquarters to several State Government offices. Most of these offices have jurisdiction over nearby towns like Mattanur and Peravoor.[17]
