Ranipuram

Ranipuram is a hill station in the Western Ghats in Kasaragod district, northern Kerala, situated at about 750 metres above sea level. Formerly known as Madathumala, it features evergreen forests, shola grasslands and mist-covered peaks. Known for trekking trails and panoramic views of the surrounding hills and plains, it lies within a forested region near the Karnataka border and is popular for nature walks, photography and seasonal waterfalls.

Visitors can expect a forested hill station with rolling grasslands, shola forests and misty hilltops in the Western Ghats. The area offers marked trekking trails to viewpoints, open meadows, seasonal streams and dense evergreen patches. There are no large built structures; the experience is primarily nature-based with viewpoints overlooking plains and distant hills, opportunities for photography, birdwatching and short forest walks from the base area near the forest check post.

Ranipuram was formerly known as Madathumala and forms part of the Western Ghats forest range in northern Kerala. The area has traditionally been forested land used by local communities and later promoted as an eco-tourism hill station by the Kerala tourism and forest departments.

The surrounding region is inhabited by local agrarian communities and reflects the rural culture of northern Kerala and the Western Ghats. The hill station is valued as a nature retreat and eco-tourism destination rather than a religious site.