Lakkidi, Wayanad

The Chain Tree at Lakkidi

Lakkidi Church

Lakkidi school

Lakkidi is the gateway of Wayanad district of Kerala state, south India. Lakkidi is one of the highest locations in Wayanad. It is situated 700 m above mean sea level, atop Thamarassery ghat pass. Vythiri is the nearest town, just 5 km from Lakkidi.^[1] Chain tree, Pookot Lake, Sight seeing point on ghat road and number of tourist resorts are within 5 km from Lakkidi. It is about 58 km northeast of Kozhikode district

The lofty mountain peaks, the gurgling stream, luxuriant vegetation and the bird's eye view of the deep valley on the south, with its winding roads, are breathtaking. Three km from Lakkidi is the Pookot Lake, the natural fresh water lake, spread across 15 acres, one of the rare reservoirs of water in Wayanad. Surrounded on all sides by meadows and hills, it has become a favorite picnic spot. Lakkidi has a heavy rainfall with averaging 600–650 cm annually. It is one of the richest biodiversity areas in the western Ghats. There are a number of species including lion tailed macque, rare birds, Indian Shag (phalacrocorase fuscicollis), Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax Niger), Little Green Heron (Ardeola striatus ), and Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii) .

History

Once during the colonial rule, Lakkidi was a secret route for local adivasis of Wayanad. An English engineer took help from a local chieftain called Karinthandan to identify the route through the ghats. Karinthandan helped him to find the shortest route to pass the ghat. Once the English engineer found out the way, he killed the adiviasi to take credit for finding the route. Later it was seen that the travellers who passed by the new route were haunted by the soul of Karinthandan. Hence a priest was called and in a chain his spirit was called, and tied in a small tree. It is believed that the chain grows along with the tree.^[2] This place has become a tourist spot attracting lot of tourists everyday.

An NGO called PEEP (People's Action For Educational And Economic Development Of Tribal People) organizes Karinthandan Smrithi Yatra on the 2nd Sunday of March every year in memory of Karinthandan, who is considered as the first martyr of Wayanad.

Climate

Lakkidi is a true rainforest along some deciduous forests in the Ghats section of Wayanad so rains starts in May and ends in December. Due to the rainfall and beauty it is often called "Chirapunjee of Kerala". It has an average rainfall ranging from 600–650 cm or above. It experiences chilly climate throughout the year with mist and fog. It is said to be coldest place in Wayanad district as well as one of coldest in Kerala. It enjoys koppen highland climate. Generally monsoon comes with torrential rainfall and windy weather .

the given above are average high and low, Lakkidi experiences warm climate from [March - May] and cold climate from [Oct - Jan]

Lakkidi has highly rich soil with an average height of 700 m above sea level thus forming one of highest mountains in Wayanad district. Good soil has resulted in plants like coffee, tea, oranges, spices, etc. It gets copious rainfall latire soil.

Transportation

From Kozhikode: Thamarassery–Lakkidi Ghat road, part of NH 212, which connects Kozhikkode and the rest of Kerala, south of Kozhikkode with Wayanad. The Hill Road at Lakkidi is the lifeline of Wayanad. 1,813 buses and 591 minibuses pass through the Hill road everyday. The total number of vehicles passing this road is 17,207.

Sleep / Places to Stay

Resorts in Lakkidi host top class restaurants, swimming pools and other high-end facilities. Some of the good places to stay are given below: 1. Lakkidi Village, Near Veterinary College, Lakkidi 2. Vythiri Greens Resort 3. The Wayanad Gate 4. Orchard Holiday Resort [www.orchardholidayresort.com] 5. Upavan Resort 6. Coffee Trail Resort

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lakkidi, Wayanad.