Districts
Wayanad
Today
Partly Cloudy
33.520C | 27.910C
Light rain starting in the afternoon
Places of interest
This land with its lush greenery and majestic look stands on top of the Deccan plateau with its tall and impressive ridges, scattered dense forests, deep valleys, twisted jungles and rugged terrains. Wayanad offers some the breathtaking tourist spots in the world. Some the prominent places in Wayanad to visit are the Chembra peak where you can see the most exhilarating beauty of this land and ideal place for adventure tourism. Edakkal caves with its pre historic carvings are a breathtaking beauty which prompted historians and archaeologists to rewrite the history of this land. Kuruva Island in the Kabani River is an ideal spot for picnics with its awesome flora and fauna of the evergreen forest which is full of rare species of birds and different types of orchids and herbs. Lakkidi known as the gateway of Wayanad is the highest location point with a picturesque view. Muthanga wild life sanctuary is the biggest abode of wild animals like elephant, bison, tiger, cheetah, bear and spotted deer’s. Pakshipathalam is an ideal spot for adventure tourism and trekking. Pazhassi Raja Tomb where the lion of Kerala Pazhassi Raja is cremated is an ideal picnic spot for tourists with boating facilities, children’s playground and an aquarium. Some of the other places of interests are Pookot Lake, Sentinel Rock Waterfalls, and Kanthanpara waterfalls. Soochippara waterfalls and Banasura Sagar Dam the biggest earth dam in India.
Nearest Places
What to shop
Wayanad is famous for its pure honey and spices which is in high demand in the domestic and foreign markets. Gooseberry (amla) kept in honey is one of the favorite local items. Tribal artifacts are the most sought after item here.
Highlights
- Rich in art and cultural heritage
- Strong historical significance dating back to the stone ages
- Biggest earth Dam of the country
- Yet to be explored areas and virgin forest
How to reach
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BY TRAIN
The nearest Railway station is Kozhikode railway station which is 75 Kms from Kalpetta. -
BY ROAD
Being a land locked state Wayanad is well connected by road from Calicut, Kannur, Mysore, Bangalore and Ooty.
Entertainment
Wayanad offers a wide range of entertainment activities for tourists. Kuruva Island in the river Kabani is an ideal spot for picnics and Pakshipathalam and Chembra peak is an ideal spot for adventure tourism and trekking. Pazhassi Raja Tomb is an ideal picnic spot for tourists with boating facilities, children’s playground and an aquarium. Pookot fresh water lake is also an ideal spot for entertainment with boating facility, green house and an aquarium. House boats are available to sail down the Kabana River and Pookot Lake and enjoy the scenic beauty on both sides of the land. Most of the locals provide Wayanad home stay for tourist in most of the places.
Food & Cuisines
Most of the hill resorts in Wayanad serve excellent south Indian cuisines. Some of the special cuisines are Poricha kootu, Moru kootan, and Avvial and Pal payasam. Tourists can also have north Indian foods, biriyani and Jain cuisine as per their choice. The people of Wayanad are fond of rice and it is their staple food and Rasam, Sāmbhar, Moru koottan and Poricha koottu are some of dishes taken with rice. Some of the Kuruma tribal foods are boiled wild tubers with honey, fried rock crabs, karakkundappam, bamboo rice payasam, fried mushroom, muddha ada and vada, coconut rice, kallu puttu and pollayappam.
Arts & Culture
Wayanad has a good tradition in the field of art and culture and most of the tribal events and folk dances of tribal’s are performed during February and may. Tribal’s art forms performed by Paniyas are Vattakali and Koodiyattam using instruments like thudi and kuzhal, Gadhika by Adiyas, Kolkali by Kurumas and the Nellukuthu pattu by kurichias tribes. Onam is celebrated with great pomp and show during the month of August/September. Other festivals like Maha shivrathri and vishu are also celebrated with pomp and show.
Geography
Borders
Wayanad district is bordered by Nilgiris, Mysore , Tamil Nadu and Karnataka on the east, Coorg district in the north, Malappuram district on the south and Kozhikode, Kannur on the west.
Area & Altitude
The district covers an area of 2,131 square kilometer and situated at an altitude of 700 to 2100 mts above sea level.
Rivers
Major rivers flowing through this land is the Kabani River which is the biggest and its tributaries like Panamaram River, Mananthavady River and Thirunelli River.
Hill Stations
Some of the important mountains in the district. are the Chembra Peak, Banasura Peak and Brahmagiri.
Climate
The temperature remains about 29 degree Celsius in summers and during night time it dips to below 20 degrees. The best season to visit Wayanad is from March to May when the weather is pleasant and December to February when it is cool.
Muthanga and Tholpetty wild life Sanctuary is home for hundreds of species of native birds and animals.
History
Wayanad is a lush green paradise situated in the Western Ghats of Kerala with a long history dating back to Stone Age. This blessed land is clean, quiet, pristine, hypnotizing and enchanting with a cultural and social understanding still to be discovered. During the ancient times this land was ruled by the rajas of the Veda tribe and later on ruled by the Pazhassi Raja of Kottayam. After the Sreerangapattanam truce Tipu Sultan handed over the entire Malabar region including Wayanad to the British. The British changed the whole geography of this land with plateaus being used to cultivate tea and other cash crops and roads being laid across the dangerous slopes of mountains extending up to Mysore.
Survey Results
Population
Population of Wayanad is 816,558
Density
Density is 380 people per sq km.
Religion
People of all religions stay in harmony.
Language
Language spoken is Malayalam.
Economy
Economy of Wayanad depends on agriculture, coffee, tea, cocoa; pepper, cardamom, plantain and vanilla are cash crops which stabilize the economy.