Wayanad, is an Indian district in the north-east of Kerala state with administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, the southern portion of Deccan Plateau. It is set high in the Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 meters. Vellari Mala, a 2,240 m (7,349 ft) high peak situated on the trijunction of Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kozhikode districts, is the highest point in Wayanad district. The district was formed on 1 November 1980 as the 12th district in Kerala, by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts. An area of 885.92 km2 of the district is forested. Wayanad has three municipal towns—Kalpetta, Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery. There are many indigenous tribes in this area. The Kabini River, a tributary of Kaveri River, originates at Wayanad. Wayanad district, along with the Chaliyar valley in neighbouring Nilambur in Malappuram district, is known for natural gold fields, which are also seen in other parts of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Chaliyar river, which is the fourth longest river of Kerala, originates on the Wayanad plateau. The historically important Edakkal Caves are located in Wayanad district.
Sultan Bathery, formerly known as Ganapathyvattam is a town and municipality in Wayanad district of Kerala, India, near the borders with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states. It is The largest town in Wayanad district, it is the headquarters of Sultan Bathery taluk.
Gudalur is a municipality and taluk in Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Gudalur is one of the major towns in West Tamil Nadu and is located at 52 km from Ooty and 48 km from Nilambur in the hilly terrain of The Nilgiris district. It is situated at the junction of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka. Tea plantations dot the whole region, and the regional economy is heavily dependent on the tea industry. The land was an offspring of the exploration done by the British during the pre-independence period to cultivate tea plantations. Being a satellite town between Ooty and Mysore, both tourist spots, Gudalur has the prospect of developing into another tourist destination. Gudalur is a place where one can see people from the three states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka live together cordially. Tamil is the most spoken and official language in this Taluk. Apart from Tamil language, Malayalam, Moundadan Chetti, Paneya, Telugu, Kannada languages are also spoken by some people.
Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is a wildlife sanctuary in Wayanad, Kerala, India with an extent of 344.44 km2 (132.99 sq mi) and four hill ranges namely Sulthan Bathery, Muthanga, Kurichiat and Tholpetty. A variety of large wild animals such as gaur, Asian elephant, deer and tiger are found there. There are also quite a few unusual birds in the sanctuary. In particular, Indian peafowl tend to be very common in the area. Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is the second largest wildlife sanctuary in Kerala. It is bestowed with lush green forests and rich wildlife. This wildlife area houses some of the rare and endangered species of both flora and fauna.
Pandalur is the headquarters of Neliyalam Municipality and Pandalur taluk.
Vellarimala Hills is a mountain range in Kerala, India, spread across Thiruvambady Panchayat in Kozhikode district and Meppadi Panchayat in Wayanad district.
Puthuppadi is a village and Panchayath located in Kozhikode district of Kerala, India. Puthuppadi Grama Panchayat covers an area of 64.75 sq km and is spread over the villages of Engapuzha and Puthuppadi. The panchayat is bounded on the north by Thamarassery, Kattippara, Kodenchery, Vythiri (Wayanad) panchayats, on the east by Vythiri (Wayanad) and Kodancheri panchayats, on the south by Thamarassery and Kodancheri panchayats and on the west by Kattippara panchayat. Famous Wayandan Churam or Wayandan Pass, which has nine hairpins between Adivaram of Puthuppady Panchayath and Lakkidi of Vythri Panchayath, is in Puthuppadi Panchayat.
Kanjirangad is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India.
Panamaram is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India.
Payyampally is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India.
Thalappuzha, Thavinhal or Thavinjal, is a village in Wayanad district in the state of Kerala, India. It is formally known as aranguthum chall, meaning the place for cultural programs.
Gudalur taluk is a taluk of Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Gudalur.
Pandalur taluk is a taluk of Nilgiris district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. The headquarters of the taluk is the town of Pandalur.
Vythiri is a small town and tourist destination located in the Wayanad district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is one of the three Taluks in the district with the other two being Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery.
National Highway 766 is a National Highway in Southern India. NH 766 connects Kozhikode in Kerala with Kollegal in Karnataka via Mysore. Of the total distance of 272 km, 117 km is in Kerala and 155 is in Karnataka. At Kollegal, it joins National Highway 948, which connects Bengaluru and Coimbatore. The highway passes through dense forests of Western ghats of India. The NH-766 passes through 19.7 km Bandipur National Park and Wayanad wild life sanctuary.
The Paniya, also known as Paniyar and Paniyan, are an ethnic group of India. They constitutes the single largest Scheduled Tribe in Kerala and are mainly found in the Wayanad District and the neighboring areas of Karnataka. They primarily inhabit villages around edge of forestland in Kerala's Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kannur and Malappuram districts. The Paniya speak the Paniya language, which belongs to the Dravidian family, closely related to Malayalam. A scheduled tribe, they have a population of around 94,000. There is a theory that the Paniyas were brought to Wayand by the Jain Gounders who trained them to be agricultural laborers in their fields. The center of the bonding contracts was the famous temple of the regional Mother Goddess of the Valliyoorkkavu shrine near Mananthavady.
The district capital of Wayanad is Kalpetta town. Kalpetta has very good road connectivity with the rest of Kerala and neighboring South Indian cities. National Highway 766 (India) NH766 connects Kalpetta with Kozhikode and Mysore. State Highways connect Kalpetta with Ooty in Tamil Nadu and Madikeri in Karnataka.
Palvelicham is a small village near Kattikkulam town in Mananthavady area of Wayanad district, Kerala, India.
Wayanad district, which is home to Edakkal Caves, has human settlement from prehistoric era. Wayanad is the sole Plateau in Kerala.
Thamarassery Churam is a mountain pass in Kerala, India across the Western Ghats. "Churam" is the Malayalam word for 'mountain pass'.
