Wayanad district

വയനാട്
വയനാട് Location of വയനാട് in Kerala and India
Coordinates	11°36′18″N 76°04′59″E / 11.605°N 76.083°E / 11.605; 76.083
Country	India
State	Kerala
Headquarters	Kalpetta
Member of Parliament	M I Shanavas
Collector	P.P.Gopi
Population • Density	780,619 • 369 /km2 (956 /sq mi)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area	2,131 km2 (823 sq mi)
ISO 3166-2	IN-KL-

Wayanad District (Malayalam: വയനാട്, Tamil: வயல்நாடு )in the north-east of Kerala, India, was formed on November 1, 1980 as the 12th district by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. Kalpetta is the district headquarters as well as the only municipal town in the district. The region was known as Mayakshetra (Maya's land) in the earliest records. Mayakshetra evolved into Mayanad and finally to Wayanad. The Folk etymology of the word says it is a combination of Vayal (paddy) and Naad (land), making it 'The Land of Paddy Fields'. There are many indigenous tribals in this area. It is set high on the majestic Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 m.^[1]

Contents 1 History 2 Geography 2.1 Mountains 2.2 Rivers 2.3 Climate 3 Economy 3.1 Agrarian crisis 4 Demographics 4.1 Politics 5 Access 6 Culture 6.1 Places of importance 7 Flora and fauna 8 Education 9 References 10 External links

History

According to archaeological evidence, the Wayanad forests were inhabited more than 3 millenniums^[2]. Wynad was originally ruled by Vedar kings. However after a Kshatriya Prince (Raja of Kumbala) was captured and held hostage in Tirunelli by the Vedars, a combined force lead by the Raja of Kottayam and the Raja of Kurumbranad invaded and annexed Wynad. The Vedar king (Arippan) was killed and most of his subjects were also massacred. However the Raja of Kumbala asked a Nair aristocrat, Nanthillath Nambiar to marry the daughter of the Vedar king who survived the massacre. Nambiar was appointed as the Moopil Nair of Veliyambam, where the surviving Vedars were resettled. It was decided that Wynad should be partitioned between Kottayam and Kurumbranad. The Kottayam Raja was awarded North West Wynad and the Raja of Kurumbranad was awarded South East Wynad. But as a result of disputes between them, the Kurumbranad Raja gave up his country to the Kottayam Raja, except the palace and some landed properties. The Raja of Kottayam divided Wynad in to 10 Swaroopams (Naads) and appointed governors (Usually Nairs with the tile of Vazhunnor) to rule each one of them. These swaroopams were again divided in to Chiefdoms, which were ruled by Moopil Nairs. The administrative subdivisions of Wynad under the Kottyam rule were as follows^[3]:

• (1) Muthornad (Muthakurnad) - This division was placed under the direct control of the senior Raja of Kottayam. Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms (The rulers of which were jointly known as Aruvarambath Jenmakkars):
  • (1) Vazhathattil Nayar
  • (2) Tavinjal Nayar
  • (3) Mulliyankizhil Nayar
  • (4) Alattil Nayar
  • (5) Ayiravittil Nayar
  • (6) Varayal Nayar

• (2) Ellornad (Elankurnad) - This was placed under the direct control of the second Raja of Kottayam. Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms:
  • (1) Edachana Nayar
  • (2) Vemom Nambiar

• (3) Wynad Swaroopam - Placed under the third Raja of Kottayam. Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms:
  • (1) Kuppathode Nayar
  • (2) Tonder Nambiar
  • (3) Pulpadi Nayar
  • (4) Chikkalur Nayar

• (4) Porunnanur - Placed under the third Raja of Kottayam. Comprises Porunnanur and Vellamunda Amsams. Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms:
  • (1) Manchan Nambiar
  • (2) Karingari Nayar
  • (3) Mangalasseri Nayar
  • (4) Vattathode Nambiar
  • (5) Cherukara Nayar

• (5) Nallurnad - Placed under the third Raja of Kottayam. Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms:
  • (1) Manchan Nambiar
  • (2) Karingari Nayar
  • (3) Idachena Nayar

• (6) Kurumbalanad - Comprises Kurumbala and Kottathara Amsams. This division was placed under Avinjat Nayar of Payyormala. He was the son of the Kottayam Raja, who gave him the title of Vazhunnavar (Ruler). Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms:
  • (1) Thenamangalath Nayar
  • (2) Poyil Nayar

• (7) Edanataskur - Comprising Amsams of Kottapadi, Kalpetta and Vayitri. Divided in to the following Nair Chiefdoms:
  • (1) Kalpetta Nayar
  • (2) Kanthamangalath Nayar

• (8) Tondernad - Placed under the Tonder Nambiar.

• (9) Muttil-Pakkam - Placed under Bhagiam (Pakam) Swaroopam.

• (10) Veliyambam - Placed under Veliyambam Vazhunnavar (Nanthillath Nambiar, who married the Vedar princess).

Senior Raja of Kurumbranadu helped the British in their fight against Tipu Sultan. Following Mysore's withdrawal, Kerala Varma Pazhassi Raja (the head of western branch of the family) and the British parted their ways. And in 1799, after the fall of Tipu, the British took over Wayanad. Pazhassi Raja engaged in a prolonged guerrilla war with the British until he was killed in 1805. When the state of Kerala came into being in 1956, Wayanad was a part of Kannur district; later in 1957 south Wayanad was added to Kozhikode district and north Wayanad remained with Kannur district. By amalgamating the north Wayanad and south Wayanad, the present Wayanad district came into being on the 1st November 1980 comprising of three taluks; Vythiry, Mananthavady, and Sulthan Bathery.

Geography

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 forest but the continued and indiscriminate exploitation of the natural resources point towards an imminent environmental crisis. Colonists from south Kerala have ravaged Wynad's environment. Thanks to their greed and anti-nature views, large areas of valuable forest cover have disappeared. So is case with animal wealth fauna which was once plentiful in Wynad Plateau.

Mountains

Chembra Peak (2,100 metres (6,890 ft)), Banasura peak (2,073 metres (6,801 ft)), Brahmagiri (1,608 metres (5,276 ft)) are some of the important mountains in the district. These mountains are also famously known as honeymoon site.

Rivers

The Kabini River, one of the three east flowing rivers of Kerala, is an important tributary of the Kaveri River. Almost the entire Wayanad district is drained by Kabini and its three tributaries, the Panamaram, Mananthavady, and Kalindy rivers. The Banasura Sagar Dam is built on one of tributaries of the Kabini River.

Climate

The distance from the mean sea level and forest cover creates a salubrious climate in the region. Generally the year is divided into four seasons; cold weather (December to February) hot weather (March to May) South West monsoon (June to September) and North East monsoon (October to November). During the hot weather the temperature goes up to a maximum of 35 °C (95 °F) and during the cold weather the temperature goes down to 10 °C (50 °F). The more perceived temperature variation in the last 5–6 years is in the range of 18 °C (64 °F) to 28 °C (82 °F). The average rainfall is 2,500 millimetres (98 in) per year.

Economy

Wayanad is 3.79% urbanised. Agriculture, is the main stay of the economy. Coffee, tea, cocoa, pepper, plantain and vanilla are the main crops. Besides these cash crops, the most important crop in the district is rice. Dams and aqueducts have been constructed to take water to the otherwise dry areas in the district. Price of land is going up even though Agrarian crisis.

Agrarian crisis

The district is prone to an agrarian crisis, due to the high dependence of the population on agricultural income. Between 1997 and 2005, more than 150,000 farmers across India have committed suicide, of which nearly 8% were from Kerala (11,516). 90% of this was in Wayanad and the reasons contributing to farmer suicide were mainly due to a crash in prices of locally-grown crops such as coffee, pepper, ginger, arecanut, etc. as well as plant epidemics. The NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) enacted by the current UPA government has helped and Wayanad and Palakkad were the only districts selected to receive the benefits under this scheme, the need being most acute in these districts^[4]. The daily wage under NREGS at Rs. 125, regardless of gender, in Kerala is the highest among all the states. Work under NREGS includes building elephant trenches (crop-raiding by wild elephants is another problem in Wayanad), waterbodies, roads, etc. Due to a combination of the NREGS and measures undertaken by the state government, in 2007, the state reported 10 farmer suicides as opposed to 131 in 2004.

Demographics

This section may need to be wikified to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please help by adding relevant internal links, or by improving the section's layout. (March 2009)

No. of Taluks: 3 (Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, and Vythiri)
No. of state Assembly Legislators: 3 (North Wayanad, Sulthan Bathery, and Kalpetta)
Lok Sabha Representation: 1 (Wayanad constituency).
District Headquarters: Kalpetta. Other Important Towns: Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavady.

At present, the area is still occupied by tribal populations who still practice age-old customs and rituals and live a nomadic life. Some of the tribal populations include Paniyas, Adiyas, Kattunayakan and Kurichiyans. It is the district with the highest share in the adivasi population (about 36%) of Kerala. Wayanad also has a large settler population. The Jains from Karnataka came in the 13th century. The Hindu Nairs from Kottayam-Kurumbranadu, in Kannur district, made an entry in the 14th century and established their feudal system. They were followed by Muslims. There was large scale migrations from southern Kerala in the early 1940s. Their hard work helped them to build prosperous lives.Christians who came in the 1950s from Travancore, were well established as plantation owners until the crash in the price of plantation crops. On the other hand, the last few decades have seen the complete marginalisation of the indigenous people. Alienated from their land, exploited by the settlers and neglected by the state, their struggle for rights to the land has so far been unsuccessful.

Politics

"Assembly Constituencies - Corresponding Districts and Parliamentary Constituencies" (PDF). Kerala. Election Commission of India. http://archive.eci.gov.in/se2001/background/S11/KL_Dist_PC_AC.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-18. </ref>

All the three legislative constituencies in Wayanad Distinct (Kalpetta, Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavady)are part of the newly constituted Wayanad parliamentary constituency. The erstwhile North Wayanad constituency is now renamed as Mananthavady.

Access

The Kozhikode - Mysore National Highway 212 (NH 212) passes through Wayanad district. The nearest railway station is at Kozhikode, 75 km from Kalpetta. Kozhikode airport at Karipur is the nearest airport. Wayanad is well connected by road to various parts of Kerala and other neighbouring states. Buses go frequently between important centres. While travelling from Mysore on NH 212, at a place called Gundlupet the road forks, one goes to Ooty and the other goes to Sultan Batheri, which is a prominent town of Wayanad.

NH 212 passes through Bandipur National Park 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.

Culture

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (March 2009)

Places of importance

There are various places of touristic, ecological, religious, and historic importance in the district.

• Thirunelli Temple is a very old temple on the foothills of Brahmagiri.
• Edakkal Caves, 32 km from Kalpetta near Ambalavayal, is famous for its pre-historic carvings and paintings. Muthanga is a wildlife sanctuary. It is on the way from Mysore to Sulthan Bathery. Wild animals such as bison, elephant, deer, and tiger has been spotted. There are also quite a few wild birds in the sanctuary. The Jain Temple near Koottamunda and the Ananthanatha Swami Temple.
• Valliyoorkav is a temple of historic and social significance. Pallikunnu Church, 14 km from Kalpetta is a famous Pilgrim centre in north Kerala. Varambatta Mosque is one of the oldest mosque in wayanad and it's famous for varambata nercha. Mazhuvannur Siva Temple is an ancient Shiva temple near Tharuvana. Karat Siva Temple is a very old temple near Kommayad. Sulthan Bathery is famous for its fort, which was built by Tipu Sultan. The tomb of the chieftain Pazhassi Raja, who fought the British with the help of Kurichiya warriors, is in Mananthavady.
• Lakkidi, the entry-point to Wayanad on the road from Kozhikode, receives one of the highest rainfalls in India.
• Pookode lake is a famous tourist centre near Lakkidi. For the adventurous the Chembra peak and Banasura, both over 2000 m high, provide tough challenges.
• Kuruva Dweep (10 km from Mananthavady) is a unique and fragile delta system on the Kabini River. An important and unusual pilgrim centre for sociologists and educationists is Kanavu a centre for alternative education which help the adivasis (tribals) to adapt to the challenges without losing their cultural moorings.
• Ananthanatha Swami Temple, (also known as ParswanathaSwamy Jain Temple at Puliyarmala) is a beautiful Jain temple located at Puliyarmala, 6 km from Kalpetta. Pakshipathalam is a very popular trekking spot on the Kerala-Karnataka border.
• Soochipara, Kanthapara, and Meenmutty are waterfalls in the Meppadi-Ambalavayal region.
• Thovarimala Ezhuthupara is 5 km from Sulthan Bathery have 400M trekking to reach Thovarimal Ezhuthupara we can see stone age pictorial writing on a rock

Flora and fauna

Please help improve this section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page. (March 2009)

The flora of Wayanad are characteristic of the Western Ghats and the plantation crops grown in the cool climate. A major portion of the district is covered by coffee. Trees of the wild type like rose-wood, anjili (Artocarpus), mullumurikku (Erthrina), several species of caussia and many other non-descrip varieties are still preserved here and there, to give shade to the coffee plants. These trees give a dembalance of wilderness to the landscape of Wayanad. In a majority of coffee plantations, the age-old species are replaced by the silver-oak which is suited to the cold climate. This tree grows quickly and its cultivation is widespread among coffee plantations for shade and for giving support to pepper. It is used for the plywood industry and thus is economical to the farmers. Eucalyptus grandis, a shorter variety of eucalyptus, whose fragrant smell suffuses the very air around it, is cultivated on a large scale in centain parts of the district. Eucalyptus oil is extracted on commercial basis from its leaves.

Of the 20,864 hectares of reserve forest, the major portion is teak plantation. Arecanut palms and jack trees are also grown here. Tea is grown as an industry in large estates. The soil and climate of Wayanad are suitable for horiculture on commercial basis. For promoting the cultivation of vegetables and raising of orchards, the Kerala Agricultural University is running a Regional Agricultural Research Station at Ambalavayal.

With the clearing of forests, the diverse and buzzling animal life, characteristic of the forests of Western Ghats, has vanished from Wayanad. One can still see the bonnet monkeys, loris, mongooses, jungle cats, squirrels, jackals, hares, etc, in the limited forest areas. The World's longest venomous snake, King Cobra is also found here. Elephant, bear and other wild animals from the neighbouring wild life sanctuaries of Karnadaka and Tamil Nadu, stray into the Begur forest range and the forests around Muthanga, which is 20 kilometres away from the town of Sulthan Bathery. Karapuzha dam near menangadi-10km, Banasurasagar dam 20km from vythri. Today large game is found only in region that border with Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Here there is the one of the largest concentration of wild Asiatic elephants in whole world. Tiger, bison, sambhar, spotted deer, boar, leopard, wild dog and other large mammals are also present in fairly decent numbers.

Education

The Kerala government says: The recently established professional colleges like the Government Engineering College in Mananthavady and Veterinary College in Pookode is set to change the traditional way of life of Wayanad in the professional education sector.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Wayanad (district)

• Official site of Wayanad district
• Kerala Government Wayanad Info page

v • d • e Cities and towns in Wayanad district Wayanad Sulthan Bathery · Mananthavady · Kalpetta · Meenangadi · Panamaram · Pulpally · Vythiri Cities and towns in other districts Alappuzha · Ernakulam · Idukki · Kannur · Kasaragod · Kollam · Kottayam · Kozhikode · Malappuram · Palakkad · Pathanamthitta · Thrissur · Thiruvananthapuram

v • d • e Districts of Kerala, India Districts Alappuzha · Ernakulam · Idukki · Kannur · Kasargod · Kollam · Kottayam · Kozhikode · Malappuram · Palakkad · Pathanamthitta · Thiruvananthapuram · Thrissur · Wayanad

v • d • e Major Towns of North Malabar Kannur · Thalassery · Vatakara · Mananthavady · Kasaragod · Kanhangad · Mahé · Payyannur · Thaliparamba · Nadapuram · Mattannur · Kuthuparamba · Kutttiyadi · Orkkatteri · Pazhayangadi · Pappinisseri · Panoor · Azhiyoor · Kannookkara · Villiapally · Valapattanam · Thirunelli · Kattikkulam · Trikaripur · Cheruvathur · Nileshwaram · Iritty · Cherukunnu · Manjeswaram · Payyoli · Uppala ·

v • d • e Places of Worship in North Malabar Lokanarkavu Vadakara · Muthappan Temple Parassinikkadavu · Kunjipalli Azhiyoor · Church of Mahé · Thirunelli Temple Mananthavadi · Kottiyoor Temple · Peralasseri Temple · Thiruvangadu and Jagannatha Temples Thalassery · Kadalayi Temple Chirakkal · Moonnu Pettumma Palli Pappinisseri · Sree Annapoorneswari TempleCherukunnu · Oliyankara Juma Masjid Cherukunnu · Thavam Church Cherukunnu · Madayi Palli Pazhayangadi · Madayi Kavu Pazhayangadi · Trichambaram Temple Thaliparamba · Sree Rajarajeswara Templa Thaliparamba · Sree Subramanya Swami Temple Payyannur · Sree Thirunelli Temple Mananthavadi · Trikaripur Juma Masjid  · Kasaragod Juma Masjid  · Sree Madhur Temple Kasaragod

v • d • e Places of interest in North Malabar Velliyamkallu: Associated with the valiant Kunhali Marakkar at Vadakara · Sand Banks: Where the Kotakal river reaches the sea at Vadakara · Silent Beach: South of Sand Banks is Silent Beach at Vadakara · Azhiyoor Vadakara · Palloor Mahé · Panthakkal Mahé · Poozhithala Mahé · Mahe Beach Mahé · Mayyazhi Puzhayoram Mahé · Pakshi Pathalam Thirunelli Mananthavady · Pookkottu Thadakam (Lake) Mananthavady · Tellichery Fort Thalassery · Muzhappilangadu Drive-in Beach on Thalassery - Kannur Road · Payyambalam Beach Kannur · St. Angelo Fort Kannur · Meenkunnu Beach Kannur · Valapattanam Kannur · Pazhassi Dam Kannur · The thuruths (small islands in the river) of Cherukunnu · The small hills of Cherukunnu · Azheekkal ferry and beach Azhikode · Ezhimala beach Payyannur · Kotti Payyannur · Ayyankunnu Iritty · Paithal Mala Thaliparamba · Snake Park Parassinikkadavu · Vismaya, the water theme park Parassinikkadavu · Valiyaparamba island Trikaripur · Ranipuram Kanhangad · Bekal Fort Kasaragod · Chandragiri Fort Kasaragod · Ananthapuram Lake Kasaragod · Kanwatheertha Beach Resort Kasaragod ·

v • d • e Professional Colleges ofNorth Malabar National Institutes National Institute of Fashion Technology NIFT Mangattuparamba, Kannur-63 · Universities The Central University of Kerala, Vidya Nagar, Kasaragode-21  · The Kannur University, Mangattuparamab, Kannur-63  · Engineering Colleges Govt. Engineering College, Mangattuparamba, Kannur-63 · Govt. College of Engineering Mananthavady · L.B.S College of Engineering, Muliyar P.O., Kasargode  · Sree Narayanan Guru College of Engineering & Technology, Kankol, Payyanur · Vimal Jyothi Engineering College, Jyothi Nagar, Chemperi, Kannur · Institute of Technology, Mayyil, Pavannoor Motta, Kannur · Chinmaya Institute of Technology, Govindagiri, Chala, Kannur · College of Engineering, Thalassery · Medical Colleges Pariyaram Co-operative Medical College Kannur {{.}} Kannur Medical College, Anjarakandy, Post Mamba , Kannur  · Govt. Ayurveda College, Pariyaram Kannur · Parassinikadavu Ayurveda Medical College, Parassinikadavu · Dental Colleges Pariyaram Dental College, A.C.M.E., Pariyaram, Kannur  · Kannur Dental College Anjarakandy, P.O. Mamba, Kannur  · Paramedical Sciences Colleges Academy of Medical Sciences, Pariyaram, Kannur · Kannur Medical College , Anjarakandy, Post Mamba , Kannur  · Crescent B. Pharm College, Madaipara, Payangadi R.S. Kannur-58 · Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, ACME, Pariyaram Kannur · Malik Deenar College of Pharmacy, Thalankara, Kasargode · Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Pharmacy, Meeliyat, Trikaripur  · Co-operative Institute of health Scienc Kannur · Nursing Colleges Malik Deenar College of Nursing, Kasargode-22 · College of Nursing, A. C. M. E. Pariyaram Kannur · Koyili College of Nursing, Kannur-04 · Century College of Nursing, Poinachi, Kasargode · Canossa College of Nursing, Cherukunnu  · College of Nursing Kannur Medical College, Anjarakandy, Mamba P.O.,Kannur  · Lourde College of Nursing, Taliparamba  · B Ed Colleges College of Teacher Education College Vadakara · Mahe Co-operative College of Teacher Education MCCTE Mahé · Keyi Sahib Training College, Karimbam, Taliparamba  · Govt. College of Teacher Education Kasargode  · Kannur University B.Ed Centre Mangattuparamab, Palayad, Kasaragod and Mananthavady  · Govt. College of Teacher Education Thalassery  ·

v • d • e Panchayaths in Wayanad district Wayanad Sulthan Bathery · Mananthavady · Kalpetta · Meenangadi · Panamaram · Pulpally Panchayaths in other districts Alappuzha · Ernakulam · Idukki · Kannur · Kasaragod · Kollam · Kottayam · Kozhikode · Malappuram · Palakkad · Pathanamthitta · Thrissur · Thiruvananthapuram