On the very first day of our stay in Wayanad, our host suggested us to trek to Edakkal Caves. 'Trekking' word did the magic and we decided to go there next day only. This Photo Journey shares some of the photographs and information around the trek & caves.
We requested Sunil (our host at Treasure Trove) to arrange an auto for the day. We left in the morning after breakfast and Edakkal is 15 kilometers from Meenangadi, the place where we were staying.
We drove through some beautiful landscapes and amazing sights. The mountain in above photograph looked beautiful and was shot from moving auto only. Later we realized that Edakkal caves offer another great view of the mountain from the hill top.
We took some breaks on the way and soon we came a cross a diversion which lead us to 4 kilometers climb in auto, till the parking of Edakkal Caves. There is a small market at the base, where all vehicles need to be parked and then the trek starts for Edakkal Caves.
The trek is concrete, but quite steep. Initially we were in hurry but realized that we should go slow. We enjoyed trekking to Edakkal caves and took some breaks on the way.
After walking for 30 minutes we reached a counter where we had to buy entry tickets for the caves. Ticket costed 20 Rs per person and 30 Rs for camera. Please do read message in above photograph. One needs to deposit 20 rs if you want to take water bottle beyond this point. They paste a sticker on the bottle and you can get back the money when you come back. This model really works in Kerala and they have implemented it in most of the tourist destinations in Kerala.
These stickers are pasted on the bottles. People bring back their empty bottles to the counter and get back the deposited money.
These stairs start from the ticket counter till main caves of Edakkal.
There are various shops on the way to have some snacks or buy stuff for home. Lot of Kerala products are sold in these shops - tea, coffee, spices, coconut products, herbal soaps etc.
There are good number of stairs from ticket counter till caves. The main cave is on the top of this hill and one needs to trek through other smaller caves. There are folks around this hill who ensure smooth movement of crowd. This is quite a crowded place and discipline is important. Mostly people walk in queue and ensure that things happen smoothly.
This is the entry to first cave at Edakkal. Above photograph is clicked from the cave. It was good to see a disciplined movement of folks and of-course credit goes to the local administration for appropriate arrangements in terms of marking & people to help.
Now the trek continued through caves and few more steep climbs till we hit the final cave. Steel stairs are installed inside these caves. Edakkal caves lie at around 1200 metres above sea level on Ambukutty Mala, beside an ancient trade route connecting the high mountains of Mysore to the ports of the Malabar coast .
Kids expressions in above photograph shows the level of next climb :). Yes, it was getting steeper. Next few climbs exposed everyone to some of the beautiful sights of Wayanad.
Finally we hit the main cave which has varied designs carved on all the rocks. Edakkal Caves are two natural caves which are approximately 24 kilometers from Kalpetta in the Wayanad district of Kerala. This lies around India Western Ghats.
Inside the caves are pictorial writings. These signs are believed to date to at least 6000 BC, from theNeolithic man, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region. The Stone Age carvings of Edakkal are rare and are the only known examples from south India.
Check out wikipedia to know more about Edakkal caves.
These are the stairs to come down on the back journey from Edakkal caves to the base. It was a nice experience to be there at Edakkal caves and enjoyed some of the amazing views from the top of this hill. It's a proper tourist spot so it's always crowded.
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