Clear the mind of what one imagines God’s own country to be before beginning a tour of Wyanad, advises rakesh kumar
It was an exhaustive five hours journey by flight to Calicut airport
from Delhi and from there it took two hours more to reach Vythiri in
Wayanad district of Kerala. But our long journey seemed to pay off the
moment we prepared to land. From the plane itself I could see a sea of
coconut palms ~ it appeared that God himself had arranged them to make
them look more beautiful. Of course, the sight was soothing for people
like us, who are more exposed to urban life. It was evening when we
reached Vythiri, a small hill station at an altitude of 2,000 metres,
braving thick forests and hills.
For all those, who know Kerala only for its rice boats, backwater
cruises, sandy beaches, colonial churches or thatch-roofed fishing
villages, be informed that this part of Kerala doesn’t offer any of
these. Wayanad has tea gardens and coffee plantations covering the
hill-sides, the largest tribal population with a distinctive culture, an
800-year-old Jain community ~ the numerous Jain temple ruins as
evidence ~ and last but not least, soft green paddy fields
(Wayanad means land of paddy) covering the foothills. The region also
houses a wildlife sanctuary, forest range, waterfalls, lake, dam, rocks
and caves, is a paradise for trekking and, not to forget, tasty cuisine.
What else does a visitor need?
Back to nature
We stayed in the Vythiri Village Resort, sprawled across 20 acres, amid
mesmerising mist-clad hills of Wayanad. Sited in a picturesque corner
of Wayanad, Vythiri Village is poised to be a five-star resort with 200
guest rooms and a high-tech conference hall spacious enough to
accommodate 2,000 delegates, when fully commissioned. The resort has
streams, a waterfall, nature walks and a zipline, swimming pool, an
excellent Ayurvedic spa, and a huge convention centre housing a
state-of-the-art auditorium with a capacity of 1,500. The food is
outstanding and the rooms are spacious. There are 12 cottages, 36 deluxe
rooms and 26 suites. Some 40 pool villas will soon be ready.
Wandering feet
The next morning, it was the chirping of birds that broke our sleep, compelling us to leave bed early because a lot more was to come. Our exploration of Wayanad began with the Edakkal Caves, which was an hour’s drive from the hotel. Inside these magnificent caves were pictorial writings, believed to be from Neolithic times. Our resort manager had warned that there would be a tough, steep climb for about a kilometre, so better come in trekking mode. Edakkal Caves are not really caves, but a small rock formation that is partially covered. Although the inscriptions on the walls are very old, they are not visually interesting unless one can read them. The engravings are spread over an area of 500 sq feet on the two walls of the cave. Archaeologists have dated these rock engraings to the Neolithic period, between 4000 BC and 1000 BC.
Next on the list was the picturesque Kanthanpara Waterfalls, situated
about 6 km from Meppadi. The crystal clear water flowing down from the
top of the mountain present an exhilarating sight and an ideal picnic
spot.
The next morning, we left for Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary, which is an
ideal place for nature lovers and wildlife enthusiasts. Established in
1973, Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary is rich in bio-diversity. One could
spot elephants roaming freely here and tigers are said to be sighted
occasionally. Various species of deer, monkeys and birds are also found
in the Reserve, which is home to a small population of tigers,
butterflies and insects. The trees and plants in the sanctuary are
typical of the south Indian moist deciduous forests and west coast
semi-evergreen forests. We had taken the morning safari in a semi-open
jeep and were lucky to see deer, peacocks, wild boar, monkeys and
elephant. The safari lasted for an hour and covered a total distance of
21 kms.
The trip ended by visiting Banasura Dam, the largest earthen dam in
India. The view from the dam is beautiful. There is nothing much to the
dam itself, but it hosts activities like motor biking and other sports.
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