Wayanad 2010

Ever since we completed the 4-day trip to Mysore and Kodagu during May-June 2009, visiting Wayanad, which is on the way, was high on our agenda. Even though the original plan had to be postponed by three weeks, it was with good spirits that we embarked on this trip exactly at 7 am on Friday, Jan 15, 2010 from home. A straight run on a 10-month old Innova was not that comfortable though. After a brief lunch at Koduvally, near Kozhikode we reached Thusharagiri waterfalls at 2.30 pm.

Thusharagiri

This waterfall is about 6 km from Adivaram, where the ghat section begins on the Kozhikode-Kalpetta stretch. Except for a small sign board on the main road, there are no indicators any where on the narrow, bumpy road full of pot holes. It is advisable to consult pedestrians at every cross road to avoid wasting of time driving back and forth. Thusharagiri waterfall is a small stream and quantity of water was very limited. There are three or four waterfalls, but to view all of them, trekking through the forest is required. DTPC (District Tourism Promotion Council) and Forest department has placed some guides on the spot, but the number of tourists was very few. There is an entry fee of Rs. 10 per adult and Rs. 5 per child. Unnecessary and laughable procedural hitches like recording your name and address at the ticket counter is to be seen here. Why the forest department wants to record the name and address of visitors if beyond the comprehension of any person with an average common sense. There is no verification, however. So, if you say “Osama Bin Laden”, there are chances that the ticketing clerk would faithfully record that too. A particularly helpful guide showed us a ‘Thanni’ tree with hollowed out trunk which was claimed to be 250 years old. Several people can enter the inside of the trunk. We left the site at 3.45 pm. The place failed to arouse any interest in us. We quickened the journey to Pookode lake and arrived there at 4.45 pm.

Pookode Lake

It is a natural fresh water lake, brimmed with evergreen mountains. There is an aquarium and a green house here. The lake has an area of 8.5 ha and the maximum water depth is 6.5 m. This natural lake is only about 1 km away from the main road to Kalpetta. Boating facilities are available here. Since the memories of the boating disaster at Thekkady in Oct 2009 was fresh in our minds, we noticed with relief that every passenger is required to wear life jackets here. Since we arrived when it was only 15 minutes to close, boating was out of the question. We just rested on the benches watching people slowly coming back ashore when the closing time slowly reached. There is a rescue boat positioned at the farthest side watching the riders. There is a crude, under-equipped children’s park on the premises and the facilities are pitiable. The park closes at 6 pm and boating closes one hour before. It opens at 9 am in the morning. There are no illumination facilities and that might be the reason why a few police constables force every body out of the compound at 6 pm. The timing should be increased by at least an hour and a good park with standard facilities would do the park a lot of good. The fresh water aquarium on the compound is very small and not worth even the Rs. 2 entry ticket. About 20 fishes are kept in about 10 containers. We went straight to Chandragiri Inn, where we stayed for the next two nights. The hotel has no restaurant, but Hotel Woodlands, which is nearby, is excellent and offers continental and Chinese dishes as well as local flavours. We retired for the night and started the next morning at 9 am to Edakkal caves which is renowned for the pre-historic art on the cave walls.

Karapuzha Dam

On the way to Edakkal caves, a sign board was noticed announcing that Karapuzha dam is only 5 km away from the main road. Since there was time, we took the detour and arrived at the dam site soon. There are no guides, guards, ticket counters, nothing. This earthen dam can be reached by a 2 minute walk from the parking site. Reservoir was about half-full and the waterscape against the backdrop of partially submerged hillocks makes the spot picturesquely beautiful. There are no infrastructural facilities like shelters, benches, though. Since we went there at 9.30 in the morning, the sun was in full fury and walk to and fro was very difficult. Take umbrellas, if you plan to visit this site. Only the spill way was built with concrete and that seemed too far away in the intense morning heat. We returned about half way. A good garden, boating facilities and refreshment stalls would do this dam a lot of good. Sun-set here would be breath taking, surely even though we have not seen it. Half an hour was spent here and we hurried on to the caves.

Edakkal Caves

We reached there by 10.30 am. Be careful to avoid private parking lots on the way. The road is incredibly narrow and you should try to drive right to the entrance, otherwise you have to walk all the way from parking site. A hilly jeep-path connects the entrance to the rock shelter gate which is 900 m away. The climb is steep and you may either walk this distance, or a jeep service operated by DTPC is available for Rs. 70 for 6 persons to-and-fro. The rates are moderate, but the availability is miserably low. Can any one believe that only two jeeps ply in this route frequented by hundreds of tourists every day? You have to enroll your name with a caretaker who seemed to think that he should be employed in a very top official position. If you are lucky, you can have your seat in the jeep in one hour. The drive was astonishingly steep, littered with rubble and the drivers really mean business. Often, the ascent seemed to be 45 degrees. By the time you reach the top, you’d have thought that walking would have been better, especially if you sit in the front row. The ticket counter at the entrance to rock shelter was too crowded and the mob control is tough. The guard told that only about 150 people will be allowed inside at a time and access had to be blocked several times. A 30-minute wait enabled us to squeeze through the narrow rock which also serves as the entry point to the shelter. A very steep ascent of about 100 m takes you to the rock shelter which was formed by a boulder resting on two other rocks. The neolithic art inside the cave is said to be etched around 4000-1500 BC. A DTPC guide posted there explained the facts in a brief way. Though definitely helpful, he seemed to be a little high-handed in his treatment of the tourists. The descent is equally difficult as often the passage is to be traversed single-file. The sight seeing inside the cave is good only for 10 minutes. Since the authorities have banned the trekking to the summit of Ambukuthimala, we have to return after exiting the cave. The scenery is very good as you can see a large part of the valley from this vantage point. Return was also by jeep and this time, the waiting time was only 15 minutes. There are no decent restaurants anywhere here and we had to travel to Meenangadi on the way to Kalpetta, as the time was already 2 pm. Chaithram hotel, where we had our lunch proved to be a good restaurant with moderate prices and quality food. After lunch, we had to readjust our schedule to visit Soochippara waterfalls which was 25 km away, as it’d have been difficult to visit Banasura dam after this. Hence we drove straight to the dam.

Banasurasagar Dam

We reached this hydro-electric dam owned by the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB). The water is formed by impounding the Karamanathodu tributary of the Kabini river and is pen-stocked to Kuttiyadi HEP. This is said to be the largest earthen dam in India and the second in Asia, with only the spill way built with concrete. It is 21 km away from Kalpetta. Here too, there is a jeep service from the entrance site to the top of the dam. But the walk is very short, about 250 m and it is advisable to walk this short distance instead of waiting for the single jeep. The number of tourists was very less and this made the trip enjoyable. Here too, infrastrucural facilities are sorely lacking. There are practically no benches, no flowers and the nature park is a travesty of the real thing! A walk through the entire length of the dam enjoying the artificial reservoir between hillocks is really pleasing. The only saving grace of this place is the speed boat ride at the extreme end of the dam. The 15 minute ride on the boat encircling 24 islands on the reservoir is exhilarating. Only one boat was in service when we arrived and some small repairs to it caused us some anxiety as the closing time of 5.30 pm was fast approaching. Luckily, the matter was sorted out by the operators and we made it through. Wearing life jackets is mandatory. The security guard, Mr Ashokan was very helpful and in fact, he found the lost hat of one of our children. We returned to the hotel soon after sun set and the riot of colours on the setting sky was stunning and provided ample opportunities for photographing. After a small shopping walk through the main road at Kalpetta and a hearty dinner at Woodlands, we retired for the day.

Thirunelli temple

Early morning, we vacated the hotel and left to Thirunelli at 7.15 am. Something should be said here about Chandragiri Inn where we stayed. The rates are moderate since you get a ‘luxury’ double room for Rs. 750 per day. But the term ‘luxury’ is observed more in its irony than anything else. There is no hot water supply. When the reception was contacted, they claimed that it is available from 5 – 7 am in the morning, but that remained an empty promise. On the second day, we were lucky to get hot water from 6.20 to 6.35 am, and that too, quite unexpectedly. What luxury do they have in mind, if they can’t even provide hot water round the clock, or at least during the time they specify? In January, it is quite cold in the morning and the bathing was a torture. Since the hotel is located on the side of the main road, frequent traffic at night would ensure a sleepless night. To top it all, the intercom telephones in all the three rooms we occupied was out of order on both days! We had call the reception using our cell phones, dialling the full number with STD code. So, if you plan to stay at Chandragiri, be sure to remember the code for Kalpetta (04936). Our advise is to avoid this hotel. Mentally determined never to return to this hell of a hotel, we drove to Mananthavady and had tea there. This is a quiet little town where monkeys come out on the main road and snatch fruits and vegetables away from wayside vendors. It is amusing to watch them being chased away by the irate shop keepers. The temple is 31 km from here and the route goes through Tholpetty wild reserve. Wild animals like peacocks, antelopes and elephants can be seen on the way side. The road is full of pot holes, but the wild safari is heartening. The parking space near the temple is very congested. There is a fee of Rs. 25 for using camera on the temple premises and it is not allowed inside the inner sanctorum. Non-Hindus are not permitted inside. The stone aquaduct which conveys water to the temple from nearby Brahmagiri hills is quite old but still serves the purpose. A short walk to Papanasini completes the trip. We quickly moved to Kuruva island as the time was running short. No proper records of the exact dates of establishment of the temple exist, though it is claimed that Thirunelli was once an important town and pilgrim centre in the middle of inaccessible jungled valley surrounded on four sides by mountains. There also exists documentary proof that Thirunelli which is dedicated to Lord Vishnu at the time of Chola king Bhaskara Ravi Varma I (962–1019 CE) was an important town and pilgrim centre in south India.

Kuruva Island

We reached Kuruva by 11.30 am. This 950 acres of evergreen forest on the tributaries of east flowing river Kabani, is uninhabited. It is 17 km east of Mananthavady. There is a ferry which moves people to the island. The width of the river is only about 100 m and it is quite shallow. If you are athletic, you can ford the river at a nearby point, otherwise, there is no option but to wait in queue for at least one hour for the two plastic rafts which accommodate only about 8 passengers per trip. Rs. 10 for the crossing and Rs. 10 for entry is quite high. As usual, cameras are charged at Rs. 25. How a place can claim to be tourist friendly and at the same time charging for the camera is beyond my comprehension. Nowadays, all mobile phones come equipped with cameras, but they are not covered in this antediluvian rule and hence free. The contrast is evident when we remember that cameras are free even at Taj Mahal in Agra! The island proved to be a disappointment. Apart from a walk through the forested island formed in the river, there are nothing to interest us. In half an hour, we exited but had to wait again for one hour for the 3 minute boat ride. Restaurants are limited, but home food preparation is in full swing in the neighbourhood. We left Kuruva for our last destination at 2 pm.

Kappad Beach

We tried the less frequented Kuttiyadi churam to travel to Kozhikode. You have to deviate from Mananthavady – Kalpetta road from Tharuvana. There are 11 hair pin bends on the ghat section, as compared to only nine on the Thamarassery churam. Kappad beach is 103 km away from Kuruva island via Thottilpalam, Kuttiyadi, Perambra and Koyilandi. We reached the beach by 5.45 pm and had a nice time watching the sun set. This famous beach, also known as Kappakadavu locally, near Kozhikode is where the Portuguese explorer Vasco Da Gama landed on May 20, 1498, thus paving the way for a whole lot of European powers to come and colonise India for the next 450 years. The monument proclaiming Gama’s arrival is nondescript and hard to locate without specifically looking for it. There was a fairly large crowd and we left for home at 7.10 pm and reached by 1.30 am, thus ending the memorable three-day trip.

Visiting times at various places

1. Thusharagiri waterfalls: 9.30 – 17.00
2. Pookode lake: 9.00 – 17.00
3. Banasurasagar dam: 9.00 – 17.30
4. Edakkal caves: 9.00 – 17.00
5. Kuruva island: 9.00 – 16.30