Spice Trail of Yore

From Kozhikode to Kodagu - November 26 3011 to December 1st 2011
Day 1 - Bangalore - Kozhikode
This trip was our first long(ish) trip with the new Scorpio. Having booked the Taj at Calicut, the Woodlands in Wayanad and of course, Club Mahindra in Coorg, we were ready to leave for our 6 day trip. Woke up at 4.30am, made some curd rice, I always prefer to carry a back-up meal, as a stand by, we left home at 6.30am after waiting for the rain to abate a little. Cruised through to Kadambam, had hot thatte idli and kaapi and moved on to Mysore. The route from Mysore is - Mysore - Gundlupet - take the fork to the right towards Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuary - Sultan Bathery - Kalpetta - the Western Ghats - Thamarassery - Kozhikode (erstwhile Calicut). It is a distance of about 350kms from Bangalore and should take about 7 hours.
We reached Kalpetta, capital of Wayanad district around 1 pm after a break to see the Edakkal caves, which unfortunately I could not see as it involves a trek + climb into a cave so Ranga was my eyes and ears on this one. The primordial Edakkal Caves are cradled in the hills. The Edakkal Caves are basically two rock formations purportedly formed by a large split in a mammoth rock. Legend has it that they were caused by arrows fired by Luv and Kush, the sons of Lord Rama. The Caves were stumbled upon by an Englishman (in 1890) while on shikar. Over the years, the Edakkal Caves have drawn the attention of archaeologists from around the world. The latter say that the engravings found inside the Edakkal Caves (Neolithic etchings such as these are to be found only at few places in Africa) shed light on the existence of a Stone Age civilization in Wayanad. The Edakkal Caves are sure to leave one spell-bound. There is a resort at the foot of the Edakkal Caves called Edakkal Hermitage. They have a cosy restaurant in a cavern (a natural cave which is part of the Edakkal Caves chain) where at night, dinner is served inside the cave, which is lit by hundreds of candles. It is the only natural cave restaurant in India, but unfortunately, we had to miss this one. We then continued on our drive talking about what we had seen at Wadi Rum in Jordan and now in our own backyard!
We next stopped at Pookote Lake just off the highway NH212 to Kozhikode. This is a natural fresh water lake surrounded by evergreen forests and rolling hills and is located 3 kms from south of Vythiri town. Well, what better place to have your lunch but at such a scenic setting...so after having the lunch against a huge tree, with a few dewdrops and raindrops intermingling and enjoying the hot cuppa, we proceeded on to Kozhikode. Passing a huge number of resorts, we enjoyed the ABS kicking in and the snug hug of the beast to the road, as the hairpin bends were taken with effortless ease and the Scorpio did most of it in the top gear!! Well, well, very impressive.! The towns thereafter blended in as is typical of Kerala, with its narrow roads with dense traffic, till we asked for P.T.Usha Road, which is where Taj Calicut is. The road named after the sprint queen in her hometown is a 5min walk away from the Beach Road which true to its name runs along the Kozhikode beach.
After checking in around 3.30pm, and experiencing traditional Taj hospitality and courtesy we took a nap and awoke refreshed. A cup of hot coffee and we decided to go to the beach. This is a beautiful and long stretch of coastline which was once the hub of trade for spices and still remains busy though Kochi and Trivandrum have sort of overtaken it in recent years. After spending some time enjoying the cool sea breeze and watching the localites spend their Saturday evening eating off the roadside stalls, made us hungry too and off we went back to the hotel for some yummy dinner and the eyes just closed at 9.30pm, so zzz it was!
Day 2 - Kozhikode - Beypore - Kappad
Calicut is an ancient city but little is known about it before the 13th century except that it was ruled by the Cheras. But, The Udaiyavar of Ernad, whose headquarters was at Nediyiruppu wanted an outlet to the sea and after fighting with the Polatthiri King for 48 long years conquered the area and built a fort at a place called Velapuram. Thus the city of Calicut came into existence sometime in the 13th Century AD. With the accession of Calicut, the status of Nediyirippu increased and he come to known as Swami Nambiyathiri Thirumulpad, which gradually became Samuri or Samuthiri (Lord of the Sea) over the years. The Europeans called him Zamorin. The place surrounded by the fort was known as Koyil (palace) Kotta (fort) and hence the name of the place became Kozhikode. Foreigners called it by different names, for Arabs it was Kalikat, for Chinese it was Kalifo while the city is known to outside world by its European name - Calicut. Interestingly, the name Calicut is derived from 'calico,' the fine variety of hand-woven cotton cloth said to have originated from this place, which was then an important manufacture. Kozhikode passed to British rule in 1792. Kozhikode city, today, is the marketing centre for commodities like pepper coconut, coffee, rubber, lemon grass oil etc., produced in Kozhikode and the neighbouring districts of Wayanad, Malappuram and Kannur.
During the Middle Ages, Calicut was a major trading centre and a flourishing seaport engaged in spice trade. The Moroccan traveller, Ibn Battuta, who visited the city six times, describes Calicut as “one of the great ports of the district of Malabar” where “merchants of all parts of the world are found”. It was a prosperous and busy city where minarets and temples amplified the landscape of the metropolis. The prosperity of Calicut depended on maritime trade. Arab merchants built up their commercial complex centred around this city. They were joined by Jewish and Gujarati merchants also. The Arab predominance was enhanced by their smooth integration with local Indians. Many of them, who made Calicut their permanent home, married Indian women and, as a consequence their descendants were known as Moplas (a contraction of the word Mapillais - sons-in-law). They played an instrumental role in the training of Indian seamen, who would later be dubbed as Lascars by the Europeans. Without the service of these Indian seamen, who were very articulate in the art of sailing and steering ships, it would have been inconceivable for Calicut to achieve its commercial ambition. The term lascar is derived from the Persian word "lashkar" or the Arabic word "al-askar", meaning guard or soldier.
We decided to begin our sightseeing by driving down to Beypore and left early at 8am so as to beat traffic. Beypore is located about 10 km south of Kozhikode town at the mouth of the Chaliyar River. Historically, it has a special place as being one of the prominent ports and fishing harbours, and was also an important trade and maritime centre during the days of the early Arab and Chinese travelers and later the Europeans. Soon after gaining prominence as a port and trade centre, Beypore slowly began to flourish as a centre for shipbuilding, since ships were in great demand by merchants from Western Asia. The shipbuilding yard at Beypore is famous for its traditional construction of the "Uru" or the Arabian trading vessel known popularly in Middle East as the "dhow". This tradition of shipbuilding is nearly 1,500 years old, and the craftsmanship of the workers here is exceptional.
Traditionally, Arabs constituted the major chunk of buyers. They placed orders with their specifications and needs. Unlike modern day shipbuilding involving the development of blueprint and machinery to facilitate manufacturing of ships, here, at Beypore everything is conceived in the minds of the ship designers, who as a team executed the highly intricate woodwork to perfection.
After knowing the history, we just could not resist it - we bought a lovely model of the "Uru" and lovingly placed it in the central space between the two row of seats, sent up a prayer to the Lord to help us carry this fragile ship home without wrecking it, so to speak, we walked back to the beach, had a simple breakfast at a wayside small restaurant, and moved on to drive to the Pazhassiraja Museum. The Pazhassi Raja Museum, located at a distance of 5 kms from Kozhikode at East Hill, houses a veritable treasure trove for historians and connoisseurs of art.
The museum and the art gallery are named after the great Pazhassiraja Kerala Varma of the Kottayam Royal Family. The famous 'Pazhassi Revolt' (against the British East India Company during the second half of the 1700s) was led by Pazhassiraja. Nicknamed the 'Lion of Kerala', Pazhassiraja is also credited with introducing guerilla warfare in the hills of Wayanad to resist the increasingly intolerable British colonialism. This great freedom fighter was shot dead in an encounter in 1805 . His tomb, is in Wayanad which we visited later. On display in the museum are ancient murals, antique bronzes and coins, megalithic relics such as diamond cysts, temple miniatures and umbrella stones. Adjacent to the museum is the Art Gallery, also known officially as the Krishna Menon Museum which exhibits an excellent collection of paintings by Raja Ravi Varma and Raja Raja Varma. Unfortunately photography is prohibited. However I'm posting a photo of one of his famous paintings, a reproduction of which we have at home. Art lovers that we are, we enjoyed the paintings' tour.
We weren't done yet, next we took the road to Kappad but were told the flyover was under repair and we had to take a 6km diversion, well we did through Atholi village seeing first hand the lovely Kerala homes, bought a packet of banana chips (another product of Calicut!), and chomped on it as we negotiated a stretch which we were misdirected to which was hair rasing to say the least...it was barely 8feet wide with mud bunds on either side and hardly anyone around, we prayed no one would come the opposite way as the Scorpio barely managed to squeeze itself in...after a traumatic half hour, we opened out on to Kappad beach with a sigh of relief and looked out for a grand monument marking the landing of Vasco da Gama nearly 500+ years ago. Calicut found a place in World History with the discovery of sea route to India in 1498 by the Portuguese navigator Vasco Da Gama. He landed at Kappad a coastal fishing village and history was changed with the political scanario of India ultimately ending with it's colonization by the British. It remained under the Madras Presidency till the formation of Kerala in 1956 after independence. So imagine our horror when all we saw was a small granite obelisk in a forgotten road corner to which someone has abutted his compound wall. I was extremely saddened that we who as a nation have so much history and heritage neglect it so wantonly. The apathy is a disgrace. The name of a contractor who built some Tsunami rehab centre close by is larger and grander than this plaque commemorating a world altering event, Oh the indignity of it! It is so non-descript that hardly anyone knows about it except for people who live in that area...its a shame!
We were by now ravenous and found the only decent restaurant "Whispering Winds" (it should have been called the Roaring Tornado or something, the winds are so rough!) at the Kappad Beach Resort, had a good meal and then hit back - this time finding the right road and also thanking the Malayalees for their habit of afternoon siesta which helped us get back to the hotel quick and call it a day by 4pm. Tired? You bet! but what a day. Fabulous.

Day 3 - Kozhikode - Wayanad
On the Western Ghats in South India is a little green heaven called Wayanad. Cut out of the Northeastern part of Kerala, it is one of the new hotspots for travellers to South India. Of the many far flung attractions here, there is what you could call the 'gateway' into this hilly district -- if you are coming in from Kozhikode ie.-- the Wayanad Ghat Section. Also known as the Thamarassery Churam (meaning ghats in Malayalam*), the roads through this ghat section which stretches to upto a 15 kilometres, is made up of 9 hair-pin-bends through the rugged terrain and a whole lot of scenic views. All the way through, you will see nothing but greenery and some exposed patches of the rocky Western Ghats. The scene only gets better with the altitude: you get better vistas of the surrounding hills and the valleys in between. By the time you get to hair-pin-bend 9, you get to see the mountain tops. If it is a little foggy, there's nothing like it: you will see the mountains in different shades of green till they turn blue in distance, thanks to fog settling down in the valleys in between. Most of the sightseeing in Wayanad is either towards Kalpetta or towards Kozhikode, having covered some sights on Day 1, we continued our sojourn on our way back from Kozhikode to Kalpetta. A picturesque drive down the Chundale-Udagamandalam road takes one towards Neelimala. An easy 30 minute upward climb takes you atop Neelimala. No sooner are you atop, you begin to hear the roar of a cascading fall. The Meenmutty Falls, one of the largest waterfalls in Kerala, has to be really seen from atop Neelimala to fathom its utter beauty.
Then as we neared Kalpetta we saw a restaurant called Chain Tree and suddenly realised we had stopped right in front of this tree. Legend has it that a tribal person from Wayanad showed a British engineer, who was searching for a path to build a road running through Wayanad, the Thamarassery Ghat as an easy way to reach Mysore from Kozhikode. Eager to take credit for it, the engineer killed the helper and buried his body under a nearby tree. Soon after these roads were built, several people met with horrendous accidents at the Thamarassery Ghat – all attributed to the tribal's spirit haunting that stretch of road. Before long, an exorcist was summoned and fettered the victim’s spirit onto that nearby tree with chains. Today, one knows it as the famous Chain Tree. and has a small temple at the base of the tree too.
The British opened up Vythiri for the cultivation of tea in 1889. You can meander through the sprawling tea plantations that are ensconced atop the rolling hills of Vythiri, its not a patch on Munnar of course, but beautiful nonetheless. The whole area is so green, you practically sigh invountarily out of sheer pleasure. We reached The Woodlands hotel which is smack in the middle of a busy street and were a bit upset to hear that this hotel was not part of the Woodlands chain, and even contemplated a change of hotel, as it was a kaam chalao, budget place but changed our mind as it was just for a night and the lunch we had there was tasty and also the hotel was close to the road we were to take the next day. It is value for money at about Rs.2500/night (on CP basis) and is very clean and well serviced, but no frills. Anyways we had only a couple of other things we wanted to see, which were again on our way to Coorg, so we decided to just enjoy the cool weather, went for a stroll, returned to the hotel and relaxed.
Day 4 - Kalpetta - Kodagu
We left Kalpetta after a good breakfast and asked for the Mannthavady road. The road we were taking was Mananthavady - Tholpetty - Kutta - Gonikoppal - Virajpet - Madikeri to reach Kodagu, a distance of about 135kms. En route we planned to make two stops - one at Thirunelli and one at the Pazhassiraja tomb. The latter came up first. This place is reached through a couple of winding narrow roads which were challenging and we parked the SUV in a school compound and we were immediately beseiged by school children wanting to know all about us and curious about the vehicle. We interacted with them for a while, then walked up to the tomb. In remembrance of Pazhassiraja, his mortal remains was laid to rest and a tomb constructed. Pazhassi Raja's tomb is situated at Mananthavady. He was cremated in 1805 after the warfare against British East India Company. A park in the memory of Pazhassi Raja is present here. He was a prominent figure as he was the earliest to revolt against British and adapted guerilla techniques. We bid goodbye to the kids again, and resumed our drive.
As we meandered down enjoying the beautiful coffee estates which had taken over from the tea estates and revelled in the lush green, about 30kms down, we spotted the fork to go left to the Thirunelli temple at a distance o13kms from the main road. We of course turned and started off the bad road to reach the holy Thirunelli Temple, which is the only temple in the world where the devotees can perform all the rituals related to one’s life, starting from birth to death and life after death. It is one of the most ancient temples in Kerala, said to be 5000 years old. It is believed that here the prathishta of Lord Vishnu was performed by Lord Brahma. It is also known as ''Sahyamala Kshetram'' and ''Kashi of the South''. Well, it certainly looks ancient.Thirunelli Temple draws pilgrims from all over, primarily for ancestral rites. The rituals are performed on the banks of the stream Papanasini which flows down from Mount Brahmagiri. It is believed that this stream has divine power to dissolve sins of all the mortals. Another major attraction of the temple is the holy rock where people pray for their forefathers. The famous incarnation of Vishnu - Parashurama is reputed to have visited Thirunelli and performed last rites at the death of his father sage Jamadagni. On the western side of the temple is the cave temple Gunnika, dedicated to Lord Shiva. Thus Thirunelli becomes blessed by the unique presence of all the members of the trinity. The beautiful Brahmagiri hills and the surrounding green forests have made the temple premises a valley of tranquility. So everybody feels completely relaxed after sitting in the sanctum of the temple. The temple is an embodiment of ancient temple architecture. Its ''Koothambalam'', has one of the best and the rarest paintings of the state. The aquaduct that brings water to the temple is also a witness to thousands of years of history. We only paid a voluntary donation and went in. No photography is permitted within the temple sanctum sanctorum but we got a few of the exterior. We got the holy "chandanam" and "rasayanam prasadam" and somehow feeling at peace with life resumed our drive back.
Passing through the Tholpetty wildlife sanctuary(WLS), we realised that we had not seen a single animal despite passing through three wildlife sanctuaries - Bandipur, Muthanga and now Tholpetty. An important fact for all motorists to remember is that the WLS are closed in the early mornings and evenings for traffic and should plan their trip accordingly.
Soon after we entered back into Karnataka and were brought back to earth with a thud - bad roads literally - potholes/craters, welcomed us back and right through for the next 50 odd kilometers it was a tortuous drive right uptil Madikeri. A drive of a total 135 kms which should not have taken over 4 hours even with the stops and diversions became a saga of over 7 hours. Ridiculous! Only one good thing - we literally cut across Kodava land and travelled south to north with a brief stop at Ponnampet for lunch at a small hole in the wall joint, which was squeeky clean though and the food tasted nice and our mind and body and the car too got the much needed break. We saw the King's Cottage and the Clock tower in Virajpet, all remnants of the British.
We checked into Club Mahindra Kodagu Valley resort which always brings a feeling of homecoming for us. It is beautiful, green, clean and the courteous service is exemplary. My request for a ground floor unit due to my bad leg was catered to, and being next to the pool, it was lovely other than when kids tended to be over exuberant and loud. We relaxed and went for a stroll within the resort that evening, passed the packed activity centre and bonfire but with our penchant for solitude, this is not our scene. Had dinner in the balcony overlooking the serene green and chatted late into the night, reliving our journey.
Day 5 - Kodagu
Day 5 was designated a stay - at - home day and we woke late, went for a morning walk in the beautiful resort, decided to give our Scorpio some tender loving care, as it had performed beyond our expectations and we had put it through the grind - in rains, up hills and down to the sea, through good roads and terrible non-existent roads, it was steady and dependable as a rock! We gave it a thorough cleaning and cleaning the mighty muscular beast is no ordinary car wash, it is a cardio workout on steroids!! Hungry as the devil, we ordered breakfast in the room and enjoyed it in the balcony. Relaxed in silence with a book on the history of Kodavas and went for a swim around 12.30pm. Came out ready for lunch. Made some lunch in the room and collapsed for a looooong nap. When we woke up it was dark outside. Had a cup of hot coffee, went for a stroll to the shop and bought a bagful of spices, honey, a couple of books on Kodagu and reached the room. Had a quiet dinner, watched a movie and called it a night. A blissfully quiet day. Known as the Scotland of India for its rolling green landscape and weather, Kodagu is a charming place belying its violent history.
Day 6 - Kodagu - Bangalore
We had a slightly relxed start out after breakfast, around 9.30am, after all, we were returning home. On the way, just after the Koppa causeway, we took a right and drove for 3kms to the Namdroling Monastery or as it is more famously called the Golden Temple. It is also known as Little Tibet. Namdroling Monastery belongs to Sangha Community, where Buddha’s preachings are preserved intact for worldwide propagation. This monastery was founded by His Holiness, Pema Norbu Rinpoche. Home to 6000 monks and nuns, this monastery is known as a centre for pure upholding of the teachings of Buddha. Awestruck by the beautiful Buddha statues in the ornate hall and held captive by the resonating sound of prayer chants, we spent over an hour there without realising it, and when we next saw the time it was 12pm! We started our journey back and barring a brief stop at Kadambam for lunch near Chennapatna around 1.30pm, we returned to Bangalore by 2.30pm, went to amma's place, gave them the stuff we picked up in Kodagu and returned home and quickly opened the packed "Uru" to find that it had arrived unscathed! Yippee!
What a trip it had been - typical of travels in India - a mix of history, religion and nature. We returned energised, a bit more knowledgeable and certainly happy with our choice of the offroader - Scorpio! After travelling a distance in all of 1050kms...it was a satisfied two who returned home.