If it weren't for Fred Fawcett, the enterprising Superintendent of Police of Malabar, Edakkal would have remained cloaked in the thick foliage of the Ambukuthy mountain range. During a hunting trip to Wayanad in 1890 he unearthed a Neolithic stone axe from a coffee estate, which led to his startling discovery of an ancient rock-shelter 4,000 ft up the mountain, replete with cave drawings. They feature prehistoric New Stone Age petroglyphs (pictograms or pictorial writings), in the Pali and Brahmini scripts. There are also line drawings belonging to the Neolithic Age, dating back to 4,000-1,700 BC.
A further 1,000-ft climb (1 hour) takes you to the top of Ambukuthymala. Edakkal is a 1-km trudge on the trekking trail from the parking lot (30 minutes) through a hillside peppered with coffee. There?s also a jeep trail up to the Edakkal Hermitage Resort. The steep climb from there is made easy by a couple of steel ladders. You need good footwear and the trek is avoidable during the rainy season.
Entry fee Adults Rs 5, children Rs 3 Timings 9.30 am-1 pm, 2-4.30 pm
Edakkal Hermitage (Tel: 04936-221860; Tariff: Rs 2,950) is a picturesque resort at the base of the Edakkal trail. On clear days, you can see Chembra, the highest peak in Wayanad looming in the distance. A thatched sit-out serves as the dining area but the big surprise is the dining cave for intimate candle-lit dinners.