Wayanad Profile

DISTRICT PROFILE
BASIC INFORMATION
Area:	2132 km ²
Population (2001 census) :	780,619
Density of Population:	369 people/km²
No. of Taluks :	3 (Mananthavady, Sulthan Bathery, Vythiri)
No. of State Legislative Assembly Constituencies:	3 (North Wayanad, Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta)
Lok Sabha Constituencies:	North Wayanad Assembly Seat is in Kannur Lok Sabha Seat, the other two in Kozhikode.
District Headquarters:	Kalpetta (Municipality, population: 29,602 in 2001 census)
Other Important Towns:	Sulthan Bathery, Mananthavady.
TOPOGRAPHY
Wayanad lies between north latitude 110 27' and 150 58' and east 750 47' and 700 27'. It is bounded on the east by Nilgigris and Mysore districts of Tamilnadu and Karnataka respectively, on the north by Coorg district of Karnataka, on the south by Malappuram and on the west by Kozhikode and Kannur.
GEOGRAPHICAL DETAILS
Wayanad district stands on the southern top of the Deccan plateau and its chief glory is the majestic Western ghats with lofty ridges interspersed with dense forest, tangled jungles and deep valleys, the terrain is rugged.
HISTORY
In ancient times the land was ruled by the Vedar Rajas. Later Wayanad came under the rule of Pazhassi Raja of Kottayam Royal Dynasty. The modern history of the district is associated with the events that took place during the Mysorean invasion and the long spell of the British rule stretching over a period of about two centuries. There was fierce encounter between the British and Pazhassi Rajah. When the state of Kerala came into being in 1956, Wayanad was a part of Cannannore district; later in 1957 south Wayanad was added to Kozhikode district and north Wayanad remained with Cannannore district. By amalgamating the north Wayanad and south Wayanad, the present Wayanad district came into being on the 1st November 1980 comprising of three taluks; Vythiry, Mananthavady and Sulthan Bathery.
PEOPLE
One important characteristic feature of this district is the large adivasi population, consisting mainly of Paniyas, Kurumas, Adiyars, Kurichyas, Ooralis, Kadans,Kattunaikkans are the different aboriginal tribes of Wayanad. The Kurichyar is the most developed among them. They are small land owners, whereas the members of other tribes are mostly labourers. Wayanad district stands first in the case of adivasi population (about 36%) among other districts in the state. Wayanad has a large settler population. There are people from almost all parts of Kerala who migrated to this fertile land for building up their lives. Wayanad has a small jain community consisting of Gowders who came from Karnataka. They have built beautiful temples all over the district. Almost all sections of Christianity are well represented. One fourth population of Wayanad is constituted by Christians. Muslims constitute another one fourth population and rest of the population belongs to Hindus. Their hard work and sacrifice helped them to prosper. On the other hand, the last few decades have seen the complete marginalisation of the indigeneous people.