Driving Kanhangad to Payyanur

Driving from Kanhangad to Payyannur is a delightful experience because the roads are not crowded as in the  Mangalore-Kanhangad stretch.  Kanhangad has an alternative name called ‘Hosdurg’ which is not widely used now.  But the southern side of the town is still called Hosdurg by the locals. The next towns are Kovvalpally, Moothappanar and Aingoth.  There is a forest temple at Moothappanar and a Nalla Idayan Church at Aingoth.  The next landmark is a flyover at padanakkad village followed by Nehru Arts and Science College on your right.  You can try your resistance to spices at the ‘Pacha Mulaku Restaurant’ as Pacha Mulaku means green chilli in Malayalam language.  The government is also running a restaurant here called DTPC Green Park.  You can also visit Nileshwar Palace on the way. For the well heeled travellers, there is the Nalands Resort at Nileshwar bridge.  Nileshwar is popular for the cheap Parippu Vada snacks they offer and the crowds who stop here to buy them.  Nileshwar also has a reputation as the center of V.S.group of communists and they are maintaining a separate V.S.Achuthanandan Auto Stand here.  This is a kind of open challenge to mainstream Communist Party of India Marxist group which is very powerful in the whole state. The vast campus of Kerala Agricultural University catches your attention on either side of the road.  Very soon you cross the Pallikkara road overbridge followed by Mayicha Kadavu. This scenic village has a temple called Shri Vayalkkara Devi temple.  The Taste Buds Restaurant at Mayicha is also quite popular. After RTO Checkpost you have to turn left and reach Paduvalam, Kalikkadavu and Anoormukku villages.  Shri Vishnu Murthy Temple and Karivelllur Raktha Sakshi Nagar attracts visitors.  The next towns are Onakkunnu, Vellur and Kottancherry. Kottancherry Maha Kshethrm is a famous place of worship in Vellur town. There is a language institute at Kandoth village called Malayala Bhasha Padana Shala and after that comes Kothayi Mukku Junctin and the Grand Dubai Restaurant, Kandoth.  The next landmarks are the NCC Office and the architecturally important Iruttan Tharavad House and Aramana Palace House. The majestic white structuare of Kandoth Juma Masjidh catches your eyes on the right side and Payyannur is just three kilometre if you turn right.  Don’t turn right, go straight to Perumba village another 500 meters and relax your limbs before coming back to crowded and noisy Payyannur town and accommodate yourself in one of the many hotels available cheaply near the old bus station.  On the next day, you can visit scenic villages like Kavvayi, Ramanthali and Trikaripur which are all in five kilometre range from the railway station.  The railway staion itself is an attraction as there is commercial development here but only paddy fields and coconut farms.