A picturesque drive down the Kozhikode-Bangalore highway took me towards Lakkidi (one of Lakkidi’s lesser-known claims to fame is that it boasts of receiving the highest rainfall in the country after Cherrapunji); the gateway to Wayanad. Tucked away at an altitude of 700-2100 meters above sea level, Wayanad is probably the only hill station of its kind in Kerala. As my car wound its way up the Thamarassery Ghat, I craned my neck to have a peek at a banyan tree bound by a large chain around its trunk. Legend has it that a tribal from Wayanad had showed a British engineer (who was searching for a route to build a road running through Wayanad) the Thamarassery Ghat as an easy way to reach Mysore from Kozhikode. Eager to take credit for the same, the engineer bumped off the tribal. He buried the latter’s body under a nearby banyan tree. Soon after these roads were built, the Thamarassery Ghat witnessed a spurt in the number of accidents. These horrendous accidents were attributed to the tribal’s wanton spirit haunting the place. Before long, an exorcist was summoned… The latter is said to have chained the tribal’s spirit onto that banyan tree. It’s believed that since, there has been a dramatic fall in the number of accidents here.

One of the better kept secrets of Wayanad happens to be Annapara; a hideaway cocooned in the lap of nature at Vythiri. Leaving Lakkidi behind, I headed for Vythiri… Annapara is as cut off from the world as it can get. The moment I stepped in, I was transported into an ethereal world… I was received with warmth by my host Zafar Salim. I got really excited when he went on to tell me of the ‘Vythiri Wilderness Trail’ that they had recently designed. The spirit of adventure was already brewing in me. I could hardly wait… Before long, I had set off on the ‘Vythiri Wilderness Trail’…

The ‘Vythiri Wilderness Trail’ took me past sprawling tea plantations, through a vast stretch of rainforests, towards the awe-inspiring Chembra Peak (towering 2,100 meters above sea level, Chembra happens to be the highest peak in Wayanad)… The whole experience, I must say, was quite exhilarating. There is so much to see around Wayanad, that you are spoilt for choice. I was up early, the following morning, to set off for the primordial Edakkal Caves ensconced atop the Ambukuthi hills near Ambalavayal. The Edakkal Caves are basically two rock formations. They’re believed to have been formed by a large split in a huge rock. Legend has it that they were caused by the arrows fired by Luv and Kush, the sons of Rama; the legendary hero of the Ramayana. Like the world-renowned Ajanta and Ellora Caves in Maharashtra, the Edakkal Caves too were stumbled upon by a British (in 1890) while on shikar. Over the years, the Edakkal Caves have drawn the attention of archaeologists from around the world. The latter say that the engravings found on the walls of the Edakkal caves shed light on the existence of a Stone Age civilisation in Wayanad.

A picturesque drive down the Kalpetta-Udagamandalam road later that afternoon, took me towards the Meenmutty Waterfalls; the second largest waterfalls in Kerala. Before long, I began to hear the roar of the cascading waterfalls… The Meenmutty Waterfalls has to be really seen to fathom its utter beauty. I stood awe-struck by the magnificent beauty of the cascading waterfalls… I rounded off my visit to Wayanad with a bout of boating at Pookote; a perennial fresh water lake nestled among the wooded hills near Vythiri. Back after my boating at the Pookote Lake, I refreshed myself with a sip of tender coconut. While basking in the splendour of the sunset, I turned over in my head all that I had experienced during my weekend in Wayanad. My feelings are best described by these words of poet Robert Frost: “Two roads diverged in the woods. I took the one less traveled by. And that made all the difference.”

Information

Wayanad is situated at a distance of about 75 kilometers from Kozhikode. It enjoys a salubrious climate all through the year. For more details on Wayanad, check out the Wayanad Tourism Organisation’s website at www.wayanad.org

Sanjay Sivadas is a travel writer based in Bangalore. He may be reached at sanjaysivadas@yahoo.com