The department of Malayalam is accredited by the people of Kerala as centre of excellence in higher education in Malayalam Language and Literature. The Department owes a lot of reputed teachers like Prof.O.N.V.Kurup(Winner of Jnanapeedam award), Prof.M.N.Vijayan,M.K.sanu,Attoor Ravivarma, N.KrishnaPillai,Panmana Ramachandran Nair,Dr.RaghavanPayyanad,N.Prabhakaran, Kalpetta Narayanan,M.A. Rahman who are among the most respected literary personalities in Kerala, for their efforts in raising the Department to its present status.Famous literary critics Prof.Thayattu Sankaran, Brajeevan,Thomas Mathew,and many more rentered their service in to the Department as Teachers. The Department established in 1890. In 1958 B A Degree Course started. P G Malayalam started in 1970. The Department Became Research Centre of Kannur University in the year 2000.This centre is prominent and renowned for its academic endeavours. Scholars from various parts of the state has been part of the department from its inception, producing thesis of promising academic relevance. The department promises proper guidance and umpteen resources allowing the scholars to take up topics from the wide arena of studies.So far, twenty-six PhD has been awarded and twenty research works are ongoing. Taking up varying thesis topics which are methodological, interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary from different areas of studies keeping up with the quality that the department promises. In 2017 a chair started in the name of forgotten writer who authored the novel saraswathi vijayam,1892 to give proper orientation local culture and research.currently 9 faculty members are in the department.all are Ph.D holders including 6 research guides.two among the faculty got UGC Research award for post doctoral research. Two faculty members are famous creative writers in malayalam.A live research forum is working under the department named MALAYALA GAVESHANA VEDI .Research forum actively support all research activities of the department through conducting various programmes etc.
Behind the reputation of this Department there is a tradition of decades during which the Department fostered literary taste and talent among its students and the general public through many a number of Seminars, conferences and workshops in which all the eminent writers, critics, painters and performing artists of Kerala participated.