Wayanad Tour

Wayanad Tour: the place of nature's most splendid creations

The district of Wayanad is in the north eastern part of Kerala. It came into existence in the year 1980. It was created by cutting out areas from the districts of Kozikode and Kannur. The district headquarters of the region is in Kalpetta. Earlier the region used to be called Mayakshetra. Next the name was changed to Mayanad. Today, the place is known as Wayanad that is the land of Maya's. It is the land of paddy fields. A lot of tribals are found here. Wayanad is situated on the high Western Ghats. The altitude of the place is between 700 to 2100 m. The mountains of strategic importance are Brahmagiri and Chembra Peak. River Kabini and its tributaries drain the whole district of Wayanad. Agriculture is the main occupation of people in this district. The main crops of the region are pepper, coffee, vanilla, tea, plantain, cocoa, etc. The main towns of Wayanad are Kalpetta, Vythiri, Padinharathara, Mananthavady, Chundale, Meenangadi, Sulthan Bathery, Panamaram,Meppadi and Pulpally.

Wayanad is famous for the fauna which resides in this district of Western Ghats. Coffee covers most of the part of Wayanad. Various species of rose wood, mullumurikku and anjili trees are found on the hill station. The region enjoys a pleasant climate due to its distance from the sea level and the area covered by forest.

Wayanad major tourist attractions

• Thirunelli Temple Tour: it is a temple belonging to the ancient times. It has been devoted to Lord Vishnu. It is on the side of the Brahmagiri hills in Kerala. The temple is situated at a height of 900m in north of Wayanad and is surrounded by mountains and lovely forests. It is 32 kilometres from Manathavady. The temple displays beautiful architecture of Kerala.
• Edakkal Caves: The natural interior of the caves manage to draw the attention of most of the archaeologists as well historians from all round the world. The origin of the caves is believed to be 5000 years ago. The caves have been formed into levels, the height of the lower portion is about 10 feet and breadth is about 12 feet. The upper portion is 96 feet long and 22 feet wide. A big hole has been created in the roof of the caves to allow the entrance of the light.
• Muthanga wildlife sanctuary: The sanctuary lies 16 kilometres away from Wayanad. It is home to elephants, deer, etc. You can enjoy a majestic view of gangs of elephants freely roaming around in the sanctuary. The sanctuary spreads across an area of 345 sq km and is rich in flora as well fauna. The sanctuary is governed by the Project Elephant. At times you can even spot tigers roaming around in the sanctuary. The flora of the region belongs to the South Indian deciduous forests and the western coast of the semi evergreen forests. The freely roaming animals can be encountered while taking a drive along the side of the road. The department of Forest also offers elephant rides to the tourists.
• Valliyoorkkavu Tour: An ancient temple which is in the hills of Valliyoorkkavu. It is at a distance of 3 kilometres from the town of Mananthavady in Wayanad. The temple has been devoted to goddess Bhagavathi or Durga. The idol of the temple is supposed to be self formed. There is an annual festival held in March which lasts for about fourteen days. This festival is the biggest in Wayanad and people from all over show their interest. The ritual of Kalamezhuthu is performed every night and is very important for the tribal people of Wayanad. On the final day of the festival folk dances are performed and musical instruments native to this place are played. These folk art forms are performed by the native and tribal people of Wayanad which is a major attraction. The Kabani River and beautiful hills are sites worth seeing.
• Mazhuvannur Maha Siva Kshethram: It is an archaic Hindu temple with Lord Shiva as the deity. The other important gods and goddesses of this temple are Sree Durga, Nandhi, Lord Ayyappa, Arayil Bhagavathy and Lord Ganapathi. This temple is being worshipped from times immemorial by the famous mazhuvannur Thekke lllam family members till today. The mythology behind this temple is that Lord Shiva showed himself to Banasura after his long and difficult tapas. Banasura expressed his wish to lord shiva that he wanted him lord Shiva to guard his kingdom. On the wish of Banasura Shiva and Parvathi guarded kotta. Banasura's daughter Chithralekha liked Lord Sreekrishna's son Anirudhan. One day Anirudhan came to Kotta to see Chithralekha and got into a fight with Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva threw his axe from the Banasura hill which fell in Mazhuvannur. The foundation of this temple is believed to have been done by Parasurama.
• Banasura Sagar Dam: This dam is built over the tributary Karamanathodu of the River Kabini. It is situated twenty one kilometres away from Kalpetta in Wayand of Kerala in the Western Ghats. The dam is largest earthen dam in India and forms a part of the Banasurasagar Project, which is a canal and a dam project started in 1979. The aim of the project is to help the Kakkayam Hydroelectric power project, to meet the irrigational requirements and drinking water shortage in the area during seasonal dry periods. This dam is an attractive spot for hiker to start towards the surrounding hills. This is dam with a set of islands formed inside the reservoir due to the surrounding land being submerged inside the water. The boating facility provided at the dam to travel between the small islands has made it an important tourist attraction. A children's recreational park is also made for small children to have fun.
• Pookode Lake: This is a beautiful lake in Wayanad surrounded by dense forests. This lake is near the Sree Narayana Ashram which is lovely place with an entourage of shady flowering trees. There used to be an art gallery also there which is now removed but the building can still be seen. The lake also has a handicrafts shop which is owned by the Uravu. The shop can help you buy household items which are made from naturally found materials which are a little dearer in price but quality is excellent. This shop has various bamboo and coconut husk items of which the raining instrument is very special it produces the rain sound when tilted. Herbal, tribal medicines and spices are also available here. Beautiful and charming lily flowers are scattered all over the lake which can be seen while boating across the lake. The boats are to be rented and the flowers are not to be touched while boating. A walk around the lake could be very soothing and the children can also enjoy the children's park and the garden maintained at the same place.

Wayanad Hotel Accommodations:

The hospitality in the hotels of Wayanad is luxurious as well as budgeted to suit all sorts of pockets. The hotels provide very prompt and round the clock service. The reservations can be made prior to the journey or even after reaching the place but if the requirements are specific then it is always better to have reservations done beforehand. Some of the most visited hotels in Wayanad include Wayanad Blooms, Aranyakam, Banasura Hill resort, The Mint Flower, Hotel Haritagiri, Issac's Hotel Regency, The Kallat Hotel, Hotel Green Gates, Bamboo Grove's. They provide airport pickups in air conditioned vehicles.

How to Reach Wayanad

This place is well connected with roads railways and airways. The nearest airport to Wayanad is in Kozhikode. The nearest railways station too is Kozhikode and the distances of the major towns from this railway station are Kalpetta 72 km, Mananthavady 80 km from Thalassery and 106 km from Kozhikode. Sultan Bathery is 97 km and Vythiri 60 km away from Kozhikode. The roadways are also well developed from Kozhikode, Kannur, Ooty and Mysore. Ooty and Mysore are 175 km and 140 km far from Kalpetta. The roads and transportation inside Wayanad are developed to meet the tourist levels. Private vehicles, tourist buses, government buses and railways can be used to travel within the district.