Lakkidi
Lakkidi is 5-km away from Vythiri and 17-km from Kalpetta and positioned at 2296 ft above sea level. Rightly, it is the gateway of Wayanad. Photo-crazy people consider it a life-time chance to snap different shots. The camera will come out from the hide and focus surely at the serpentine flow of the road shaped out from Thamarassery Ghat. Hordes of monkies are a usual sight here. The word, harassment, is not there in their dictionary. So say the locals. When moved towards Vythiri, a big, chain bound, ficus tree on left side impatiently solicits attention of passers-by. The chain bound on the tree has an interesting and pathetic tale to reveal. Karinthandan, a tribal youth, was guiding a British engineer through the cumbersome terrains into Wayanad on a discovery mission. Having already discovered many thrilling spots and things en-route, the engineer decided to finish the guide and claim to have discovered many things himself. He carried out his intent. The soul of the innocent guide began haunting the travellers. A priest, at last, chained the evil sprit of the soul to the tree. Any way, whether the story is manufactured or real, the tree is bound by a chain.
