Wayanad district

Wayanad District, in the north-east of, , was formed on  as the 12th district, carved out of  and. Though the word Wayanad is believed by some to have originated from Vayal and Naad (land), 'Land of Paddy Fields', some scholars disagree. The region was known as Mayakshetra (Maya's land) in the earliest records. Mayakshetra evolved into Mayanad and finally to Wayanad. There are many indigenous s in this area. It is set high on the majestic  with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100. The district is going through its worst agrarian crisis.

Basic information
Area: 2132 ² Population (2001 census) : 780,619 Density of Popn: 369 people/km² No. of s: 3 (Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, Vayithiri) No. of state Assembly Legislators: 3 (North Wayanad, Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta) Representation: North Wayanad Assembly Seat is in Kannur Lok Sabha Seat, the other two in Kozhikode. District Headquarters: (Municipality, pop: 29,602 in 2001 census) Other Important Towns:,.

History
In ancient times the land was ruled by the Vedar Rajas. Later Wayanad came under the rule of of  Royal Dynasty of. The modern history of the district is associated with the events that took place during the Mysorean invasion and the long spell of the stretching over a period of about two centuries. There was fierce encounter between the British and the Pazhassi Rajah. When the state of Kerala came into being in, Wayanad was a part of Cannannore district; later in south Wayanad was added to  district and north Wayanad remained with Cannannore district. By the north Wayanad and south Wayanad, the present Wayanad district came into being on the 1st November 1980 comprising of three s; Vythiry,  and Sulthan Bathery.

People
One important characteristic feature of this district is the large population, consisting mainly of s, s,  and ns. Wayanad district stands first in the case of population (about 36%) among other districts in the state. Wayanad has a large settler population. The from Karnataka came in the 13th century. The from Kottayam-Kurumbranadu  (not the southern district of kottayam but pazhassi raja's kingdom of Kannur) made an entry in the 14th century and established their feudal life. They were followed by. There was large scale migrations from southern Kerala in the early 1940s. Their hard work and sacrifice helped them to prosper. On the other hand, the last few decades have seen the complete marginalisation of the indigenous people. Alienated from their land and victimized by the state, their status is a blot on the progressive ideals of Kerala society. who came in the 1950s from Travancore, were well established as  plantation  owners until recently when the crash in the price of plantation crops.,who used to be proud people,  were very hospitable to early settlers are now the  worst  affected, under abject poverty.

Economy
Wayanad is the most backward district in Kerala. It is 3.79% urbanised. [www.censusindiamaps.net/page/India_WhizMap/IndiaMap.htm] Agriculture, mainly plantation and estate type, is the main stay of the economy. ,, , and lately, plantain,  are the main s.  Besides cash crops, the most important crop in the district is. s and s have been constructed to take water to the otherwise dry areas in the district.

Agrarian crisis
The district is struggling to deal with an agrarian crisis precipitated by the economic reforms. The s of Wayanad have hit the headlines of national dailies along with that in other parts of the country. The tea s are facing shut downs mainly due to the Free Trade Agreement with. Unscrupulous farming practises like excessive use of s and insecticides have laid to waste large tracts of land. It is a known fact that the neighbouring districts and even the people of Wayanad do not consume some of its own products.

Geographical details
Wayanad district stands on the southern top of the Deccan plateau and its chief glory is the majestic Western ghats with lofty ridges interspersed with dense forest, tangled jungles and deep valleys, the terrain is rugged. Quite a large area of the district is covered by but the continued and indiscriminate exploitation of the s point towards an imminent  crisis.

Mountains
Chembra peak (2345 m), Vellairmala (2145 m), Banasuran mala (2061 m), Elembileri mala (1839 m), (1608 m), Kunnelipadimala (1607 m), Thariode mala (1553 m) are some of the important mountains in the district.

Rivers
The, one of the three east flowing rivers of Kerala, is an important of the. Almost the entire Wayanad district is drained by Kabini and its three tributaries, the Panamaram River, Mananthavady River, and Kalindy River. The crosses one of tributaries of the Kabini River.

Weather
The distance from the mean sea level and surrounding forest creates a salubrious climate. Generally the year is divided into four seasons; cold weather (December to February) hot weather (March to May) South West s (June to September) and North East monsoon (October to November). During the hot weather the temperature goes up to the maximum of 35 ° and during the cold weather the temperature goes down to 10 °C. The more perceived temperature variation in habitational areas since last 5-6 years is in the range of 18-28 degree Celsius. The average rainfall is 2,500 mm per year.

Access
The Kozhikode-  No. 212 passes through Wayanad district. Nearest railway station is at Kozhikode, 67 km from Kalpetta. Kozhikode at Karippur is the nearest airport. There are good connections to various parts of Kerala and other neighbouring states. es go frequently between important centres. While travelling from Mysore take the NH 212. At a place called Gundlupet the road forks, one goes to Ooty and the other goes to Sultan Batheri , which is a small town of Wayanad.

This road passes through Bandipur forest and then through the Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary which is the Kerala state border. The roads are good except for some sections inside the Bandipur Forest .While travelling at night please take care, this is an elephant country .Various destinations like Mananthavady , Vythiri etc are connected by good roads.

Places of importance


There are various places of touristic,, and  importance in the district, including:
 * is a very old temple on the foothills of which is a Papa Nasini.
 * , 32 km from near, is famous for its  carvings and paintings.
 * is a wild life sanctuary. It is on the way from to . Wild animals such as, , , and  has been spotted. There are also quite a few wild birds in the sanctuary.
 * There is a famous Temple near, the.
 * , 14 km from is a famous Pilgrim centre in north kerala. Pallikunnu Church celebrates the festival on February 10th and 12th every year.
 * Mazhuvannur Siva Temple is a very old temple near.


 * Karat Siva Temple is a very old temple near.


 * is famous for its, which was built by.
 * The tomb of the chieftain, who fought the British with the help of Kurichiya warriors, is in.
 * is a temple of great historic and social.
 * , the entry-point to Wayanad on the road from Kozhikode, receives one of the highest rainfalls in India.
 * nearby is a famous centre as well.
 * A ride through the tea estate is also very beautiful.
 * For the adventorous the Chembra peak and Banasura, both over 2000 m high, provide tough challenges.
 * (10 km from ) is a unique and fragile system on the.
 * An important and unusual centre for sociologists and educationists is  a centre for alternative education which help the adivasis (tribals) to adapt to the challenges without losing their cultural moorings.
 * , {also known as ParswanathaSwamy Jain Temple at Puliyarmala Jain Temple at Puliyarmala} is a beautiful Jain temple located at Puliyarmala, 6 km from.
 * Pakshipathalam is a very popular trekking place [7.5 km oneway] in the Kerala-Karnataka border
 * - a lovely waterfall