Kottiyoor is a Township,Village and Grama Panchayat situated in eastern hilly area of Kannur district in Kerala state. Kottiyoor is the 23rd Wildlife Sanctuary of Kerala, located in the serene hills of Western Ghats. The ancient pilgrimage conducted here yearly, called 'Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam' attracts around 50,000 devotees every year. The Vavali river flows through Kottiyoor.

Dakṣayajña is an important event in Hindu mythology that is narrated in various Hindu scriptures. It refers to a yajna (ritual-sacrifice) organised by Daksha, where his daughter, Sati, immolates herself. The wrath of the god Shiva, Sati's husband, thereafter destroys the sacrificial ceremony. The tale is also called Daksha-Yajna-Nasha. The legend forms the liturgical basis of the establishment of the Shakti Pithas, the temples of Mahadevi, the supreme deity of Shaktism. It also becomes a prelude to the legend of Parvati, Sati's reincarnation, who later marries Shiva.