Wayanad

Tuesday, 7 June 2011

 Wayanad District, located northeast of Kerala is headquartered at Kalpetta and includes three taluks - Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery and Vythiri. Carving a niche for itself in the mighty Western Ghats and anchoring itself at an altitude ranging between 700m to 2100m above Mean Sea Level, Wayanad derives its name from two words, Vayal (paddy) and Naad (land) meaning “The Land of Paddy fields”. The place has drastically emerged as a popular tourist destination in the recent past.

Thanks to Google! It helped us to an encyclopedia of information about the place. On seeing the photographs posted on the net we were all set to venture Wayanad and make our presence felt in God’s Own Country! We took the Bangalore – Mysore – Gundlupet – Sulthan Bathery route, straight on NH 212 (around 226 km) on a cold February morning. We had planned our tour for 3 days, 2 nights and had prepared a long list of tourist attractions to be covered during our short tour, without missing any. Our journey to Wayanad began at 4.00am. We drove to Mysore for breakfast and once done with it, headed straight to Wayanad, without any pit stops. At Gundlupet, we took a deviation to reach Sulthan Bathery via Bandipur. On reaching the Karnataka – Kerala Border at 9am, we received a warm welcome from the gentle rays of the Sun and unpolluted air which left us rejuvenated the entire day.




                                                  Waynad Internal Route Map

Our first visit was to the Sri Rama temple, on the way to Sultan Bathery. The priest at the temple, adding a mythological flavor, explained that the water in a natural pond near the temple was the result of Sita’s tears! The complex also housed the temples of Sri Sita, Sri Lakshmana and Sri Hanuman. Paying our obeisance to all four, we continued our journey towards Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary. Located very close to Karnataka Border, is an abode of wild animals. The Forest Department has made facilities to tourists for Safari and elephant rides (usually early mornings and late afternoons). We could make it to neither as it was quarter to 10 when we reached Muthanga.

 

Our next station was the Jain Temple at Sultan Bathery. The Jain Temple dates its association back to Hyder Ali and Tipu Sultan. No Gods were housed in the sanctum sanctorum, however, were told that the place was used as a storehouse of weapons (referred to as Battery) by Tipu Sultan. Hence the place also gets its name as Sultan (referring to Tipu Sultan) Bathery (from Battery)!!

 

 

It was close to 12 noon when we realized we had not covered many places on our list. We enquired from the care taker of the temple about the number of places we could cover the same day. Wasting no time, as per his directions we set out to discover our next destination – The Wayanad Heritage Museum, where we found the collection of various articles used by the tribes, the stone sculptures and the rock edicts on display.

 

 

On the way to the Heritage Museum, we saw a board which read Phantom Rock. On enquiring about it with the natives, they said it was a rock, shaped like the cartoon character Phantom! Not paying much heed to it, as we were behind schedule, did not want to miss Edakkal caves (25 km from Kalpetta). Getting help with directions, we reached Edakkal caves with high expectations of seeing the mesmerizing caves captured to perfection by the late Kannada legendry director Puttanna Kanagal in his movie “Edakkallu Gudda Da Mele” (Starring: Abinavasharade Jayanthi). Our expectations came crashing down in a jiffy when we read on a big white board, which said in red paint “Edakkal Caves Closed for Restoration”. Tough Luck!!

We had no choice left, but to proceed further. A few passersby told us about the Karaphuza Dam. When we reached the dam, to our dismay, there was no water! A flight of 60-70 stairs, lead us to a tranquil reservoir, dotted in the background by a chain of hills covered by lush green foliage. Taking a few pictures at Karaphuza dam, we left to Vythiri, where we had lunch at Hotel Woodlands. The menu was predominantly non-vegetarian, however, we managed to get a vegetarian meal served with thick boiled rice and sambar, seasoned with coconut oil! Our platter was also filled with various other side dishes, the names of which we are unaware. Not too good for a Bangalorean tastebud!! We found infinite bakeries along the length of the road, where we purchased biscuits and a few pieces of cake, they tasted awesome and just melted in the mouth. Looked like we had made our choices when it came to food J

 

Lakkidi View Point our next peek, 5km South of Vythiri, is one of the highest locations in Wayanad, at an elevation of 700m above MSL. The scenic view presents mountain ranges amidst dense forests, deep valleys and winding roads which lead to Kozhikode…a fascinating sight indeed. A few kilometers down Lakkidi View Point were the Chain Tree and Phookote Lake. Chain Tree was on the way to Phookote Lake and was clearly noticed with a huge chain around it (a lock as well J). The person, who narrated the story behind it, said that the spirit of an Englishman is chained inside the tree!! Pretty spooky!! It did not take us much time to forget the stories of the Englishman and the Chain Tree, with the thought of Phookote Lake crossing our minds. A couple of kilometers down Chain Tree was Phookote Lake, a natural fresh water lake (smaller to the one in Ooty) and the most sought after tourist destination in Wayanad. The statue of a Fish Goddess guided us to an aquarium with different species of colourful fish. Boating (both pedal and row boats) is another attraction here.

 

 

It was almost half past five in the evening and the sky had started to turn crimson. We felt a sense of accomplishment that we managed to cover most of the places on the first day and at the same time were thoroughly exhausted. Without stopping anywhere else, we started driving towards Meppadi to each our home stay in Ripon (off Meppadi) before it got dark. Our drive to Ripon was amazing, amidst endless tea estates flanked on either side of the road.

 

We had made arrangements for our stay at

Valley View Avenue

, 2km from Kanthanpara Falls. Our hosts Jinoy and Jobi were very hospitable and made sure we were comfortable. We were catered to the best choice of food, served steaming hot in an open dining area! The water was coloured and usually served hot. We were told that they boiled water with a mixture of herbs called “Karingali”, which gave it a characteristic colour. We were also told that this ayurvedic concoction would prevent any chance of stomach upset.

                        

Much accomplished and more to go… Day two started with a visit to the Kanthanpara (Para – Rock in Malayalam) Falls. Set in the midst of lush green pleasant surroundings, less frequented by people, Kanthanpara was all ours for close to 2 hours. The crystal clear water, so soft, soothed our  mind, body and soul.

 

Soochipara Falls, our next agenda for the day was relatively bigger than Kanthanpara and attracts a sea of tourists. We had to walk quite a distance, close to 2-3km, to take a look at the splendour. Our bags were checked at the entrance and no plastics were allowed, except the waterbottles. The good thing about Wayanad is that it is a “plasctic free zone”. There are well laid steps to reach the waterfall. Soochipara Falls, we were told had three levels and the one we visited was level1. It was a spectacular feeling to be under the waterfall balancing on the moist slippery rocks. J

 




On completion of the balancing act, we realized, the appams we had for breakfast, were completely digested and our stomachs craved for more. We stopped at Meppadi for lunch. It was boiled rice, sambar and a couple of side dishes again. With the bakery option still open, we had included fresh orange juice in the menu this time!

Meenmutty Falls was the next in line and we had to literally trek 2.5km down the hill, with the help of ropes, to take a look at this magnificent creation! This vertical descent was the best adventure we ever had in Wayanad. Quite risky but worth the effort! There were jeeps which took us to the point, 2km from the main road, from where we had to start the down hill trek. We walked half a kilometer in the midst of tea and coffee plantations before we began the actual adventure with the help of our guide. The mindblowing Meenmutty Falls proved us the might of nature! Our day two was thrilling, with most of our time in degrees of comparison! (Kanthanpara – Good, Soochipara – Better and Meenmutty – Best).

 

 

 

Soon it was day 3 and our list still looked big, we had opted out of the Chembra Peak trek which would take almost one full day. Chembra Peak, near Meppadi Town is the highest peak in Wayanad and is visible as a distinct triangle from most parts of the district. Our target for the day was the Banasura Sagar Dam, India’s largest Earth Dam and Asia’s second largest. A huge reservoir bordered with a park on one side and the Banasura hill on the other, is a scenic delight. The best part of this place was the speed boat ride. We had to shell out quite a few bucks, considerably expensive, for 20 mins or less.

 

 

 

We bid adieu to Banasura Sagar and took the Mananthavady route to reach Bangalore, via Kabini. It was all over so soon, with so much more to see… We missed on Pakshipathalam and Thirnelli Temple (at Thirnelli), Pazhassi Raja Tomb (at Mananthavady) and Kuruva Dweep/Island (East of Mananthavady), due to lack of time. Probably, with an extra day to our kitty, we could have made it. Nevertheless, our experience of Wayanad was truly Exciting, Enchanting and Exhilarating!