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Wayanad
Hill Stations
Luxuriant plantations of coffee, tea,
cardamom, pepper and rubber stretch over the hills of Wayanad as far as the
eye can see., With the fast-flowing rivers- Panamaram, Mananthavady and
kabini- cutting across the undulating panorama and lending picture-postcard
look to the whole region.
The north eastern tip of Kerala. Its
pretty image notwithstanding, perhaps what the visitor finds most endearing
abnout this quaint little hill station is ilts large tribal population and
their fascinating lilferstuyles.
Including revered monarchs of
barely fifty -strong tribes. An in -vogue barter system. And ancient
rituals. Not surprisingly, based on evidences still found ofn these hills,
historians contend that civilization existed in these parts at least a
thousand years before Christ.
SIDELIGHTS
Edakkal
Caves:
The two rock vaves at Ambukuthy Hills, 12 kms south of
Sultan's Battery (travel time: 20 min), contain ancient carvings and
pictorial writhings with human and animal figurs in puculiar headdressesss
along with geometric from and symbols.They speak of ahighly civilized people
at an early centre of human habitation.
Thirunelly:
At
just 32 kms from Mananthavady (travel time; 1 hour ), the eye-catching
backdrop of Brahma -giri hills lend an idyllic charm to Thirunelly where the
Vishnu Temlple touched by the soothing streams of Papanasini provides
eternal bliss to the searching pilgrim.
Pookot Lake:
With
its own dream-like serenity, this natural fresh water lake surrounkded by
meadows and trees on all sides is a haven for peace-seeking travellers.
You'll find it on your way from Calicut half an hour ahead of kalpetta.
Kalpetta :
A stronghold of the jains in the past
Two historic jain temples-one of which, through a network of mirrors
bedazzle the visitor with a thousand inkages of the icon-are found here.
Mananthavady:
Historicallly important as the
last resting place of Pazhassirajah who fought a guerilla war against the
British.
GETTING THERE
An enjoyable climlb of
about 1100 metres through a distance of 90kms ( time taken: 2 hours) from
Calicut brings you to the cool comforts of Wayanad.
