"A mud haven - India's only 'earth' resort and possibly the largest of its kind in Asia"
22 February 2010
"Best for being one with the earth"
May 2010
"India's best eco-resorts"
13 December 2010
Wayanad
Wayanad is a district in Northern Kerala that Nature has blessed abundantly. Located at the southern tip of the Deccan Plateau, Wayanad forms part of the Nilgiri Biosphere with lofty mountains interspersed with dense forest, tangled jungles and deep valleys. Though Wayanad was slow to find its place on the tourism map, today it is the fastest emerging tourist destination in Kerala. Lured by its unsullied beauty and serenity, tourists have started pouring into Wayanad, especially from the neighboring states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Several resorts have come up in the district during the last few years. One of the latest to come up is Banasura Hill Resort, a unique eco-hotel and nature resort that lays great emphasis on Nature conservation.
The name Wayanad is derived from Wayalnadu, which literally means the land of paddy fields. Wayanad is situated at an elevation of 2100 to 7000 feet above sea level and encompasses an area of about 2132 square kilometers, of which 78787 hectares is under forest cover. The district has a total population of approximately 850,000, and at 17 per cent, the largest concentration of tribal population in the state. The district headquarters is at Kalpetta. Other important towns include Sulthan Bathery and Mananthavady. Wayanad district is one of the biggest foreign exchange earners, thanks to its cash crops of pepper, cardamom, coffee, tea and other spices and condiments.
Chembra Peak (2100 m), Banasura peak (2073 m), and Brahmagiri (1608 m) are some of the important mountains in the district. The Kabini River formed by the confluence of the Panamaram, Mananthavady, and Kalindy rivulets, is one of the three east flowing rivers of Kerala, and is an important tributary of the Kaveri River. The Banasura Sagar Dam is built on one of tributaries of the Kabini River. It is the biggest earthen dam in India, and the second biggest in Asia.
Wayanad's climate can be divided into four seasons - cold weather (December to February), hot weather (March to May), South West monsoon (June to September) and North East monsoon (October to November). In the hot season, temperatures go up to a maximum of 35°C while in the cold season it can go down to 10°C. The district receives an annual average rainfall of 3000 mm, most of which comes from the Southwest Monsoon.
Only 3.79% of Wayanad is urbanized. Agriculture is the main stay of the economy. Coffee, tea, cocoa, pepper, plantains and vanilla are the main crops. Besides these cash crops, the most important crop in the district is rice.
Highlights
- Asia's largest 'Earth' Resort
- Nestled on a 35 acre eco-friendly farm
- Set at 3500 feet amidst gushing waterfalls
- Adjacent to forests with exotic flora and fauna
- Neighboring an ethnic tribal hamlet
- The 'Greenest' destination in the Nilgiris Biosphere
Stunning Earth Structures of the World
The Djenne Mosque in Mali is the world's largest mud structure. It was built in 1907, and is today a proud UNESCO World Heritage site. The prayer hall of the mosque measures 26 by 50 meters (85 ft x 165 ft), and is large enough to accommodate 3000 people. The mud covered wooden roof is supported by ninety massive rectangular pillars. The walls vary in thickness between sixteen and twenty-four inches.
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Saint Francis of Assisi Church is a small mission in Ranchos de Taos, New Mexico. Work on the church was started in 1772 by Spanish priests of the Franciscan Order and completed in 1815. It is considered by many to be the most beautiful edifice in the State of New Mexico, and is an outstanding example of adobe architecture.
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Marrakesh is the third largest city in Morocco after Casablanca and Rabat, and lies near the foothills of the snow capped Atlas Mountains. Like many North African cities, Marrakesh is divided into two distinct parts: the Medina, comprising the historical walled city, and the modern district called Gueliz.
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The ancient Citadel of Bam located in the Kerman Province of Iran, dates back to the Parthian Empire (248 BC-224 AD). With an area of 180,000 square meters, the Citadel of Bam was the largest earth structure in the world.
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Ur was a city in ancient Sumer (now Iraq). Ziggurats are massive pyramid-like structures that have stepped levels leading to a temple at the top. They were built in the ancient Mesopotamian valley and the western Iranian plateau.
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Chan Chan (pronounced 'jang jang'), is located close to the Pacific coast about 5km east Trujillo in Peru. Chan Chan was a 6sqkm earthen city built in 850 AD by the Chimor, a late intermediate period civilization which grew out of the remnants of the Moche civilization.
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The Citadel of Rayen is a historical site situated on the foothills of the Hezar Mountains to the south-west of the city of Rayen. It is considered to be the biggest earthen structure of the Kerman province of Iran, and dates back to the pre-Islamic Sassanid era (224 AD-651 AD).
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Chogha Zanbil was a palace and temple complex of the ancient Elamite city of Dur Untashi in Khuzestan province of Iran. Its construction was started by king Untash-Napirisha in 1250 BC. At the center of the complex is a great ziggurat dedicated to the bull-god Insusinak. It is the best preserved example of such structures in the world today. In 1979 Chogha Zanbil became the first Iranian site to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The base of the ziggurat is 344 feet long on each side. The structure has a total height of 80 feet. Its ornate facade was once covered in glazed blue and green terra-cotta, and its interior was decorated in glass and ivory mosaics.
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Ait Benhaddou is a 'fortified city', built on the banks of the Ouarzazate River along the former caravan route between the Sahara and the city of Marrakesh in present-day Morocco. Ait Benhaddou has some beautiful examples of Kasbah architecture.
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Shibam is an ancient town in Yemen that was built in the 2nd century AD. What is distinctive about Shibam is the fact that its houses are all made out of mud bricks, and about 500 of them are tower houses that rise 5 to 16 stories high, with each floor having one or two apartments.
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