The district of Malappuram, which literally means a terraced place atop hills, was carved out of the districts of Calicut and Palakkad in 1969. Although Malappuram lags behind the state's other districts in terms of stadards of literacy and education, parado-xically the district has contributed in no small measure to Kerala's cultural traditions. It has been a centre for Hindu-Vedic learning and taeching and Ponnani enjoyed a similar status as an important centre for education in the philosophy of Islam.

Physiography :
Malappuram district is bounded by Kozhikkode district on the North, The Nilgiris on the East, Arabian Sea on the West and Thrissur and Palakkad districts on the South.