Wayanad - An escape to the ecstatic wild.

It was a cold December in 2021, when we, my small family packed up for exploring Wayanad, the northern wonder of Kerala.

A fairly large district in the state of Kerala, Wayanad is the land of many stories and mysteries unfolded.

For the residents of Northern Kerala, Wayanad is an easily accessible hill station. An hour of drive through the scenic hairpins of this wild and beautiful portion of the western Ghats, takes us to the top of the hill station where the town Kalpetta is.

The view point at the top gives you one of the most magnificent views on this planet with the clouds sailing under you along with a vast view of the towns and the roads underneath. The road you see also carries a major part of the history of Kerala, a story of a few centuries of tribal culture, human inhabitation and cultivation.

It is an unbelievable history of restraint, by Pazhassi Raja, the King of Wayanad tribes in the 17th century that captivates every Malayali even today. The Raja was able to drive the British Army in circles for years through the forests of Wayanad, before they could unfold the mysteries of the wilderness and war strategies of the inhabitant Tribal community of the Kurichyas.

Pazhassi Raja’s army with the major warriors being from the Wayanadan Tribal groups were able to drive the sophisticated, brave British Army across the length and breadth of these forests for years without them being able to figure out what exactly is happening. Such is the mystery and wilderness of these hills. Following this dilemma, they had to build this mountain pass in order to increase the military access to the top areas of the mountains and thereby connecting the route to Mysore, the then capital of Karnataka. And as we learn from history, later on the Army was able to take partial control of the area.

The sunshine after passing through the clouds touches the lush misty greenery of these mountains and brings in a feeling of being closer to the nature and its purity. Ultimately development should happen within the human minds so as to enjoy what the nature has to offer us, with all its sanity, and not exploit it in the name of the so called sophistication and vanity.

At the top, we could spend a little fun time playing with the monkeys and feeding them. After a few miles of drive, we were received well at a small traditional shop wherein we got the finest Wayanadan drinks and a little icecream for our girl, Daya.

Before reaching Kalpetta, in Lakkidi, there is a traditional sanctum under a tree. As per the tribal folklore, it’s where they offer prayers to their ancestral Mooppan named Karinthandan whom the British Generals murdered just after they completed the work of the Thamarassery mountain pass with his help!

The tribals and the travelers pray to him in order to safeguard the place and people from the retaliations of his soul against the historic injustice. Ironically, Karinthandan will be worshipped here forever and the General who killed him for safeguarding his fame will be swiped off to the times oblivion, sooner or later.

Our stay was arranged near Panamaram, and to reach there we had to have an unforgettable motor trek through the local roads inside of the vast Coffee plantations. It was a classic and traditional Farm stay wherein we could enjoy each and every moment of our time together. The food was locally served and was completely homely and delicious.

The see-through glass walls, and the traditional settings of the cottage was completely natural and in harmony with the lush green surroundings. You can see and listen to those rare birds, and the mellifluous sound of the water from the checkdam nearby whispering in your ears all the time.

After spending the New Year eve within the resort engaged in different activities, we were excited about having a day of exploring new places. We spent the evening swimming and bathing in the pure water of the Check-dam - a soothing and unique experience.

After breakfast we headed to Thirunelli where we had the fortune of Vishnu darshan at the historic temple known as Dakshina Kashi. It is one of the most divine places for all the Hindu families around North Kerala where they used to perform rites to their ancestors.

The sight of the serene hilltop was so captivating that I wanted to come back again for the evening prayers, and we did. After spending sometime in Thirunelli, we headed to Tholpetty for an exciting Jungle Safari.

On the way from Thirunelli to Tholpetty, comes the sights of the deep wild forests. Different species of deers and pigs were just wandering throughout our way.

The Safari at Tholpetty was a finest experience where we could also record a few videos of wildlife - Deers, Elephants, Peacocks, Bisons etc with the forest background. Tholpetty provides you an hour long jungle safari in Jeeps with the trips directly being run by the Forest Department.

There are also the sights of the ruins of an early tribal inhabitation. The Safari is a true life time experience and should not be missed. The next morning, we headed towards Kuruva Island, which was nearby Panamaram. It is a natural Island near the forests, however the place was crowded and the entry was restricted as the elephants entered the Island last night. Hence we just had to leave the place quickly.

We headed off to Mananthavady where we had lunch and visited Pazhasi Raja’s tomb. It is a well maintained museum now where Pazhassi Raja was given his last tributes by the British with all the state honors. The history of Wayanad is marked there as different frames –

“ An eventful epoch of early inhabitation and invasion, enslavement and resistance from prehistory to the Pazhassi episode.”

In fact the Edakkal caves of Wayanad had the earliest inhabitation of the human society of Kerala dating back to the stone age. Yes, we are now at a place that unveils the wonders of history and wildness just in front of your eyes.

From there we headed off to the scenic sights of the Banasura Sagar dam, named after the son of King Mahabali and is the largest earthen dam in India. The visual treat at the top of the dam is spectacular, and the dam forms a large water body around the area surrounded by the mountains.

The dawn was near, so was the end of our best family voyage so far. We slid down through the valley back to our place amidst the sparkling electric lights forming a night sky beneath the hills.

Next year also we had a visit to Munnar, The Tea Paradise of Kerala. However Wayanad has something special to offer, with the historic roars of a lion, Pazhassi still echoing behind the greenish curtains of these wild mountains.