Vythiri is a town located in

Wayanad district Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of the Indian state of Kerala, with its administrative headquarters at the municipality of Kalpetta. It is the only plateau in Kerala. The Wayanad Plateau forms a continuation of the Mysore Plateau, ...

in the

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...

. Along with

Mananthavady Mananthavady is the Grade 3 municipality in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. The municipal boundaries are defined by Tirunelli Panchayat to the north, Kabani River to the east and south, and Thavinhal Panchayat to the west. Mananthavady i ...

and Sulthan Bathery, it is one of the three

taluks A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative ce ...

in the district. 2.084 sq. km is the total area of vythiri.

Etymology

Administration

The Vythiri taluk consists of 18 villages, including Lakkidi, Vythiri, Chundale, Padinjarathara, Meppadi, Kalpetta, and Kaniyambetta. The village of Vythiri acts as the administrative centre of Vythiri Taluk.

Religion and worship

St. Mary's Orthodox Church, part of the Sultan Bathery Diocese of the

Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (MOSC) also known as the Indian Orthodox Church (IOC) or simply as the Malankara Church, is an Autocephaly, autocephalous Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox church headquartered in #Catholicate ...

is located in Vythiri.

Tourism

The all season attractive weather, greenery and the terrain of this place makes Vythiri a major tourist destination in Kerala. Tourists from all parts of the world visits and stays in Vythiri to enjoy the beauty of Vythiri and other tourist destinations in

Wayanad Wayanad () is a district in the north-east of the Indian state of Kerala, with its 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 Chain Tree Legend

According to the local legend, an English engineer built the Ghat road to Vythiri on the basis of the information given by a tribal youth. After getting the necessary guidance, the English people killed the tribal guide. The spirit of the tribal youth got angry and caused many accidents in the road. So a priest took the initiative to chain the spirit to a tree in Vythiri. This Chain Tree is seen even today at Lakkidi. Some of the passing motorists even pay homage to the tree for allowing a safe passage.

Altitude

Vythiri is 700 meters above the sea level and the weather is remarkably cooler than other parts of Wayanad. There are many resorts in Wayanad thanks to the salubrious climate here.

Education

There is a university here specializing in Veterinary science and there is a special college for catering management. Oriental school of hotel management.

Transportation

Vythiri is 66 km by road from

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

railway station and this road includes nine hairpin bends. The nearest major airport is at

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

. The road to the east connects to

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

and

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. Night journey is not allowed on this sector as it goes through Bandipur national forest.

Pookode Lake

Pookode Lake is a fresh water lake with boating facility. It is very popular with tourists coming with children. The lake is 8.5 hectares big and the maximum depth of the water is 6.5 meters.

Gallery

File:Madiyoor Mahavishnu Temple, Kalpetta.jpg, Madiyoor Mahavishnu Temple File:Marthomma School, Chundale.jpg, Marthomma School, Chundale File:Lakkidi School.jpg, Lakkidi School

Climate

Landslides at Vythiri taluk in 2024

Landslides occurred near the villages of Punjirimattom, Mundakkai, Chooralmala, and Vellarimala in July 2024 due to heavy rains that triggered the collapse of hillsides. The landslides marked one of the deadliest natural disasters in Kerala's history, with reports of at least 400 deaths.

References

Notes

{{Kerala Villages in Wayanad district Hill stations in Kerala Populated places in the Western Ghats Geography of Wayanad district