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Lakkidi is a rain forest mid-lands located in the gateway of Wayanad district of the Indian state of Kerala. During British rule a horse track through Wayanad brought European investors and traders who started cultivation of Malabar pepper and spices, tea and coffee. Today the all weather road National Highway 766 (previously NH-212) connects Kozhikode in Kerala with Kollegal in Karnataka via Mysore creating business opportunities in tourism and agriculture. The viewing spot here protected by railing offers dazzling view of misty hillocks, green valleys and silvery streams at dawn. Lakkidi is surrounded by rich biodiversity and unspoiled nature which attracts those interested in bird-watching, trekking and off-road driving. Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya in Wayanad district is situated here.
Geography
Lakkidi is one of the highest locations in Wayanad and is situated 700m above mean sea level, atop Thamarassery ghat pass. Vythiri is the nearest town, 5km from Lakkidi.[1] Chain tree, Pookot Lake and a mile long viewing side-walk are within five km of Lakkidi. It is about 58 km northeast of Kozhikode district.
Three km from Lakkidi is Pookot Lake, a natural rain-fed lake spread across 15 acres. It is one of the few fresh-water reservoirs in Wayanad. Surrounded by meadows and hills, it is a favourite picnic spot. Annual rainfall here averages 600-650 cm causing seasonal floods downstream of rivers flowing east. Many species are found in this bio-reserve park including lion-tailed macque, flying squirrel, wild buffalo and babblers and rare water-birds like Indian Shag (Phalacrocorase fuscicollis), Little Cormorant (Phalacrocorax niger), Little Green Heron (Ardeola striatus), and Pond Heron (Ardeola grayii).
Lakkidi has rich soil that supports farming of coffee, tea, orange and important spices pepper, cardamom and ginger. It receives highest mean annual rainfall in excess of 3000 mm in Wayanad and laterite , forest loamy and brown hydromorphic soil here retains moisture around the year.[2]
Annual Karinthandan Yatra
Karinthandan, the local chieftain of Paniyas, one of the tribes of Wayanad district, lived between 1700-1750 AD in foothills of Lakkidi. A British engineer had observed him go uphill along a secret forest path and approached him to show the way through thick forest towards the independent Kingdom of Mysore. This came to be known as the Thamarassery-Wayanad Ghat route.[3][circular reference] Once the engineer found his way, he killed the innocent man so that he could claim the honour and reward for finding this route. Years later, Karinthandan’s ghost started troubling every passer-by appearing as phantom figures and screaming threats and many travellers were scared and met with fatal accidents and the whole region was haunted by the troubled spirit. Scared and desperate, tribal people and traders of the region asked a witch doctor to help them. He exorcised the spirit and cast a spell to get rid of its evil powers and tied the imprisoned soul within a huge tree using an iron chain. This tree with a chain can still be seen near the highway at Lakkidi which has actually become a kind of pilgrim spot and tourist attraction. PEEP Wayanad an NGO working here since 2005 organises an annual yatra (walkathon) to commemorate the martyrdom of Karinthandan on second Sunday of March. As a part of this yatra, essay writing competition and sports events are also held to encourage tribal youth to join the mainstream. PEEP is promoted by Kerala Vanavasi Vikasa Kendram and the founders are Shri S. Ramanunni , Sri.M P Padmanabhan, Sri. E K Soman, Dr P Rajesh and Sri. T V Raghavan. PEEP along with Paniya folk has urged the government to install a statue of Karinthandan near the ‘chain tree' and name the ghat road as Karinthandan memorial ghat road. PEEP believes that this will improve the social esteem of the tribes and also help in boosting the tourism of the region.
Climate
Rains start in May and end in December. Due to the rainfall and beauty, it is often called "Chirapunjee of Kerala". Average rainfall ranges from 600 to 650 cm or above. It experiences chilly climate throughout the year with mist and fog. It is said to be the coldest place in Wayanad district as well as one of the coldest in Kerala. It enjoys koppen highland climate. Generally, monsoon comes with torrential rainfall and windy weather.
| Month | Jan. | Feb. | Mar. | Apr. | May | Jun. | Jul. | Aug. | Sep. | Oct. | Nov. | Dec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High temp | 17 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 25 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 18 |
| Low temp | 6 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 8 |
Lakkidi experiences warm climate from March-May and cold climate from October-January.
Transport
From Kozhikode: Thamarassery–Lakkidi Ghat road, part of NH 212, 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 every day. The total number of vehicles passing this road is 17,207.
