Madayipara is a flat topped hillock located about 21km from Kannur town in Kerala state. It overlooks Payangadi town on the northern bank of the Kuppam river. The Kuppam river turns due south at Payamgadi and runs parallel to the sea to meet the Valapattanam river at Mattakara before finally emptying into the Arabian Sea. The top of the hillock is a laterite plain more than 365 ha in area.
There are many places of religious significance in this area . It is the site of the Madaykavu(Thiruvar Kadu Bhagavathi Temple dedicated to Goddess Kali).The Vadukunnu temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva .The Shiva temple of Madayipara was destroyed by the followers of Tippu Sultan during the 18th century; however it has since been rebuilt. An ancient temple named Vadukunda Shiva temple is located on the western side of the plateau. Near the temple is a perennial fresh water pond, about 1.5 acre in extent. On the northeast slope of the hill is the Thiruvarkad Bhagavathi temple and a sacred grove which draws thousands of pilgrims throughout the year. It is a temple of the mother Goddess Kali and belongs to the royal family of Chirakkal. The temple festival is conducted on the plateau near the Vadukunda pond. Also a 10 days long festival of Pooram is celebrated during the month of March.
The area is also known for the Malik Ibn Dinar mosque which is stated to have been originally build by Malik Ibn Dinar of Arabia in 1124 AD. There are also the remnants of an ancient fort which was once occupied by the dynasty of the Kolathiris and later by Tipu Sultan.
The area is also known to have been inhabitated by the ancient Jews during the period 605 CE and 490 CE as there is a Jews Pond.
The plateau is also renowned for its bio- diversity.There are aquatic and semi -aquatic plants which form a carpet of blue , pink, white and yellow during the monsoon season. The area contains about 300 flowering plants, about 30 varieties of grass and several insect eating plant species. There are also medicinal herbs which are much in demand.. The area is also rich in avian life and sustains about 100 species of butterflies and about 150 species of birds .The biggest butterfly in the world, the Atlas butterfly is found here.