Wayanad

district of Kerala, India

Wayanad district is the 12th District in the state of Kerala in India.[1] Mananthavady, Sulthanbathery, and Vythiri Taluks are all in Wayanad.[1] The name Wayanad comes from Vayal Nadu and it means the land of paddy fields. It is a high, flat land between 700 meters and 2100 meters above sea level. It is in northeaster Kerala, in the Western Ghat mountains. Wayandad is one of the biggest foreign exchange earners in Kerala because it makes money-earning crops like pepper, cardamom, coffee, tea, and other spices.[1]

Wayanad district
വയനാട് ജില്ല
District
Wayanad scenery on NH 212 Kozhikode-Kollegal
Wayanad scenery on NH 212 Kozhikode-Kollegal
Wayanad district is located in Kerala
Wayanad district
Wayanad district
Coordinates: 11°36′18″N 76°04′59″E / 11.605°N 76.083°E / 11.605; 76.083
CountryIndia
StateKerala
HeadquartersKalpetta
Government
 • Member of ParliamentM I Shanavas
 • District CollectorKeshavendra Kumar IAS
 • District Panchayat PresidentN.K. Rasheed
Area
 • Total2,131 km2 (823 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total816,558
 • Density380/km2 (990/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-KL-
Vehicle registrationKL-12, KL-72, KL-73
Websitewayanad.com

History change

In ancient times the Vedar Rajas ruled Wayanad.[2] Later the Pazhassi Raja of the Kottayam Royal Dynasty ruled. Then there was a Mysorean invasion. Later, the British took over India, which lasted for 200 years. The British fought the Pazhassi Rajah. When the state of Kerala started in 1956, Wayanad was part of the Cannannore district. In 1957, south Wayanad was added to Kozhikode district and north Wayanad stayed with Cannannore district.[3] The district was formed on 1 November 1980 as the 12th district in Kerala by carving out areas from Kozhikode and Kannur districts.

People change

According to the 2011 census Wayanad district had a population of 816,558.[4] Many Adivasi people live in Wayanad.[3] Many settlers also live in Wayanad. People came to Wayanad from almost all the other parts of Kerala because the farmland is good. Wayanad has a small Jain community made of Gowders who came from Karnataka. They built temples all over the district. There are also many different kinds of Christians living in Wayanad. One fourth of the population of Wayanad is Christian. Another fourth of the population is Muslims, and the rest of the people are Hindus. The entire Wayanad region fell under the Kannada speaking area as per the linguistic survey and history of Colonel Wilks.[5]

References change

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 About District. wayanad.gov.in. Retrieved Jaunary 1, 2022.
  2. Wayanad history. www.kerala.me. Retrieved Jaunary 1, 2022.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Ground report: Why hundreds of Adivasi students are denied higher education in Wayanad.... www.onmanorama.com. Retrieved Janaury 1, 2022.
  4. District Census 2011. www.census2011.co.in. Retrieved Jaunary 1, 2022.
  5. Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 9, p. 301. DSAL. p. 301.