Sunday, April 26, 2009

Wayanad Chain Tree

Wayanad is a district in the state of Kerala. It is one of the newer districts, formed in 1980.
Navigate to the official web of the state of Kerala, and you can then go the Wayanad district's web site. Lots of stats on the district are available there.

So what about the chain tree?
Well.. As you would guess, there is a tree. As you would expect. There is a chain. And the chain is tied to the tree. Hence the name "chain tree."
So far so clear.
But why is it called the "Chain Tree"?

The legend goes something like this. Sometime in the 19th century, an English engineer wanted to find a way through to Wayanad through the dense forests. A local tribal helped him. The tribal was promptly killed by the Englishman as a reward. The Englishman wanted to take credit for the discovery you see.

So what happened next? The legend goes that the spirit of the murdered tribal started haunting travelers. Which didn't please the travelers one bit. On top of the wild animals and the difficulty of the path, to have to contend with other-worldly dangers could prove to be too much.
So a priest was called in.
Who tied the murdered adivasi's spirit to a tree with a chain.
Aha! There you go. The pieces start to fall together, don't they now?

So where is the tree?
Surprisingly, a couple of kilometers after Vythri, by the National Highway 212. Yes. You simply stop by the road, and there is the tree.

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