An aboriginal population of hunter-gatherers, known locally as "Maayilyans" lived here for generations before the so-called settlers from the southern part of Kerala arrived. They survived on hunting and gathering honey in the vast forests. The Maayilyan community was pushed out of the forests, their way of life, and displaced by the migrants. The "Maayilyans" became either daily wage workers in the area or survived on making and selling artifacts out of bamboo.During the early days (1950s), the settlers lived in tree houses to escape from the large number of elephants present in the area. The needs of the population were very basic. They cleared forests and planted rice, yucca and bananas. The essential services like local hospitals or schools did not exist. Transportation was very limited. Educational institutions were tens of miles away. The daily staples beyond what they produced, had to come from Thaliparamba, which was about 35 km away by foot. Many early families in the area had to fight years-long, painful legal battles to get their land rights.

The National Highway 66 passes through Taliparamba town. Goa and Mumbai can be accessed on the northern side and Cochin and Thiruvananthapuram can be accessed on the southern side. Taliparamba has a good bus station and buses are easily available to all parts of Kannur district. The road to the east of Iritty connects to Mysore and Bangalore. The nearest railway stations are Kannapuram and Kannur on the Mangalore-Palakkad line. Trains are available to almost all parts of India subject to advance booking over the internet. The nearest airport is Kannur International Airport which is about 60 kilometres from Udayagiri.