I’m off to Wayanad this weekend. You can expect some photographs and reviews about the place in the coming week.

Here is a small writeup about the place to let you know upfront about what and where Wayanad is!

Wayanad , in the north-east of Kerala, India, was formed on November 1, 1980 as the 12th district, carved out of Kozhikode District and Kannur District. Though the word Wayanad is believed by some to have originated from Vayal (paddy) and Naad (land), ‘Land of Paddy Fields’, some scholars disagree. The region was known as Mayakshetra (Maya’s land) in the earliest records. Mayakshetra evolved into Mayanad and finally to Wayanad. There are many indigenous tribals in this area. It is set high on the majestic Western Ghats with altitudes ranging from 700 to 2100 m.

The Wayanad district has a lot of tourist attractions ranging from caves, water falls, lakes, wild life, etc.

I wrote about Yahoo! Maps India a few days back, and I got the driving directions from Bangalore to Wayanad using the site. Click on the image to get complete details.

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Spain has a some good tourist attractions that one must visit. A couple of them are mentioned in this article:

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Are you staying in Bangalore and want a quick one-day gateway from the city? Visit Nandi Hills.

Nandi Hills, 65 Kms from Bangalore and 1,478 meters above sea level is Bangalore’s own hill station. It was Tipu Sultan’s summer retreat and Tipu’s fort walls still stand as testimony to history. A flight of 1,175 steps lead from the base of the hills to the top. A popular hill resort of the Bangaloreans.

A great deal of information along with a lovely collection of photographs is available at the Wikipedia site for Nandi Hills.

The tourist attractions at this place are:

• Tipu’s Drop the place from where Tipu Sultan made his prisoners fall.
• Tipu’s Summer Residence a beautiful palace on top of this hill. This palace is closed to the general public
• Temples: There are temples dedicated to Sri Bhoga Narasimha, Sri Ugra Narasimha and Sri Yoga Narasimha.
• Rivers: The rivers Pennar, Palar and Arkavati originate from these hills. Most of the sources have dried up.
• Brahmashram: It is said that Sage Ramakrishna Paramhamsa meditated here. Its a cool cave
• Muddenahalli: The home town of Sri M.Visveswaraya, the architect of modern Karnataka. Muddenahalli is just a few kilometers from Nandi Hills. The house of this genius is now a museum.

The photograph above is a view of Nandi Hills from Nandi town at the base.