STORIES by HEARITAGE

Anyone who travels to Wayanad begins with the same ritual: the ascent through the legendary Thamarassery Churam. Nine hairpin bends lift you steadily from the coastal plains of Kozhikode into the cool, green embrace of the Western Ghats. As you climb higher, the air changes to crisp, clean, scented with earth and rain. Then the landscape changes as mist rolling over valleys, tall trees leaning into the sky, and waterfalls whispering beside the road start to emerge. You can’t help but marvel at the craftsmanship of those who carved this path.

A century later, the ghat road still stands exactly as envisioned strong, graceful, and inseparable from the mountains it hugs. This road is more than a route; it is a testament to human ambition meeting nature with respect.As you reach Lakkidi, the highest gateway to Wayanad, the world suddenly feels suspended in clouds. The wind is cooler, the silence gentler, the forest thicker. It is here, beside the road, that you notice something unusual: a massive banyan tree wrapped in an iron chain. Travelers pause, stare, and wonder. Locals offer a quiet nod of respect. Because this tree holds the memory of a man who unknowingly shaped Wayanad’s future.

In the 17th century, long before the smooth ghat road existed, transporting spices from the hills to the coast was a task of endless difficulty as these were steep terrains, unmarked paths, and dense forests known only to the tribes who lived within them. The way was through the forests which were not paved and the goods to reach the market in Kozhikode had to be transported along the Nilambur woods whish was a long route with the help of tribals who lived in these lands. Among these tribes was the wise and skillful Karinthandan, chief of the Paniya community. He knew the mountains the way a mother knows her child by instinct, by memory, by heart.
When British engineers attempted to chart a road through the mountains of Wayanad or Malanad as it was known then, they failed miserably. The vegetation was too dense, the terrain too unpredictable. But one engineer noticed a tribal man walking effortlessly behind a herd of goats, taking a natural route that seemed almost designed by the mountain itself. The next day, he followed him. For hours they climbed through winding paths shaped over generations by goats and tribesmen. Finally, at the summit, the engineer discovered the perfect route, the same route one travels today. The man’s gave the British a road that would change Wayanad forever. But the story turns dark. Fearing that his discovery would be attributed to the tribal chief rather than himself, the engineer shot Karinthandan silencing the very man who guided him. It was a betrayal as brutal as the mountains were gentle.

After his death, the engineers who worked on building the roads would constantly fall, injure themselves, lose their balance or sometimes just collapse. Even travelers reported eerie disturbances along the newly constructed road by way of mysterious shadows, sudden cries, unseen forces pulling at travelers during the night. Locals believed Karinthandan’s spirit, filled with sorrow and injustice, wandered restlessly along the mountain. To bring peace, a powerful oracle was summoned by the locals & through ancient rituals, the spirit was finally bound to the banyan tree at Lakkidi, the same tree you see growing today with the iron chain embedded into its bark, as if the tree itself carries the weight of his story. It is beleived by Karinthandan tribe that the chains have kept getting bigger and a shrine is built next to the tree to worship the man who unknowingly was betrayed. Today a large statue of this elusive man is placed near the tree and visitors can stop to just remember his service. 

The story has many myths & legends as they were never documented but it is a fact that the tree exists & so does the miracle of the chain. Karinthandan was considered a martyr for selflessly giving up his life for the good of the world. Karinthandan & his tribe would always be remembered for providing all who believe in a simple way of life & innocence.