Wayanad

Wayanad is the best place in Kerala for hill tourism. Most parts of the district are protected forest and the remaining area is lush green cultivation with a relatively thinner population. Urbanization has reached only 4% of the district. The altitude reaches up to 2,100 ft in some parts of Wayanad. Wayanad gets its name from Vayal Naadu, or "The land of the paddy fields". It shares much of its history with Karnataka, having been a possession of many of the dynasties that ruled that state, including the Kadambas, the Chalukyas and the Hoysalas. This history accounts for the existence of Jain temples in this region, though Jainism has a negligible presence in modern Kerala. In the 18th century, the region of Wayanad was at the centre of a tripartite conflict between Hyder Ali (and later his son Tipu Sultan), Pazhassi Raja, a ruler of the kingdom of Kottayam, and the British. Wayanad changed hands multiple times.