Parassinikadavu Sri Muthappan Temple

A major Murugan (Subrahmanya) temple in Kannur district, one of the foremost Murugan shrines in north Kerala. The annual Thaipooya Mahotsavam and the Kavadi festival here draw pilgrims from across Malabar. The temple's Theyyam traditions blend with regular Agamic worship in a uniquely Kerala style.

An ancient Bhagavathy temple on a forested hilltop (kavu = sacred grove) in coastal Kannur, associated with the Theyyam tradition of north Kerala. The Goddess here is believed to protect all sea-going fisherfolk and traders. The annual Theyyam performances at this temple preserve one of Kerala's oldest ritual art traditions.

A unique forest Shiva temple that is accessible only during a 28-day annual festival (Vysakha Mahotsavam, May–June). For the rest of the year, the temple is closed and the forest takes over. The festival draws 5–7 lakh pilgrims who trek through the Wayanad forests and bathe in the sacred Bavali river. There is no permanent structure — offerings are made at a rock in the open air.

An ancient Vishnu temple deep in the Brahmagiri forests of Wayanad, known as the 'Kashi of Kerala' — performing ancestral rites (shraddha) in the Papanasini stream here is believed to liberate ancestors from all sins. The temple is surrounded by pristine forests near the Karnataka border; spotted leopards and elephants are seen in the area.