Wayand, lying towards the northern end of the state of Kerala, is known for the wild life sanctuary and was recently in politics for the rights violation of tribals there. The beautiful place is also known for the temple Tirunelli nestled amidst three hills. The deity worshipped here is Lord Krishna, but the place gained popularity for the Papanasini river (rather a stream flowing beside the temple). We were on our way to Tirunelli that holiday. The nearest city to Wayanad is Kozhikode or Calicut, where you can arrange for a stay, if you are not in a hurry. As we reached Calicut by noon, we decided to proceed to Wayanad. Make sure you fill your petrol in Kozhikode itself and please don’t forget the food. We were on the way to Wayanad on the inter-state highway to Bangalore. Soon the hill-ranges started appearing in the horizon. The landscape, thankfully, started getting rural. You have to climb the Tamarassery Pass en-route Kalpetta, the next town. It is advised you cross the mountain pass before dark. Somewhere in the middle, there lies the Pukode Lake, an ideal place to spend an afternoon. Don’t expect any place to have food, but there is scope for some shopping. There is a shop selling tribal artifacts and wood artifacts as well as spices and plants in the resort. Moving on from there (There are other attractions on the route, though) we reached Kalpetta in the afternoon. We spend almost one hour searching for a lodging. Sadly it was the peak season (Holidays for Vishu and some other festival in Southern India). All hotels were booked full. We had the presence of mind to call up the best hotel in Manathavady, the next and last town, from a hotel in Kalpetta. Luckily, we found the last one available in there and we were on our way to Manathavady soon. Reached Manathavady late afternoon, and it was some slumber time till evening. The only attraction we found in Manathavady was the market where you get some good quality spices and some forest attractions. There may be more but we had little time. Next day morning by 7.30 we were on the way to Tirunelli. It is said before visiting Tirunelli you should visit Thrissilerry, a temple lying some 15 minutes from the Mananthavady town. This temple is a peaceful and serene place. Though the road leading to the temple is bumpy, you get to pass through bean fields and banana plantations. Picturesque for sure. The special attraction in Thrissilerry was one of the inner sanctums where sunlight streams in through an opening in the center of the roof and illuminates the interior and the idol. There is a pond in the temple, which is filled with water flowing down from a stream on the nearby hilltop. You climb a flight of stairs and you reach a place where Goddess Durga is seated amidst throngs of climbers and creepers. Don’t be surprised if you located a serpentine native there or a shrieking resident. We located some eggs, lying among some leaves near the steps. After spending a peaceful hour at Thrissilerry, we moved on to Tirunelli. It’s almost an hour drive from Thrissilerry and the road soon got jungle-like with the only sound in the background being the chirping of some unknown dweller. You can spot those monkey troops everywhere. Don’t get excited on seeing our cousins; always keep your windows closed. Slow down if you cant resist the tendency to give a treat. PLEASE DON’T LITTER. It’s said the roadway is a known wild-elephant trail. If you are luck or unlucky enough, you might spot a herd in the late hours. We spotted the signboard for the forest bungalow and we were near our destination. Signs of humanity started streaming in with some tribal residences and a marketplace with nearly five shops and a "tea-stall". From this junction, it’s only a close call to the temple. I found to my surprise that the temple locations were highly commercialized. There is a guest house run by the government near the temple. You need to book early if you plan a visit during the season. Further, there is a restaurant too near the temple and some knick-knack and utility shops. Cameras are not allowed inside the temple, but the trail along the Papanasini, where there is no restriction, is worth a shoot. The temple is built of rock boulders and there is a relic too----- an ancient rock pipeline carrying water to the temple from the hilltop nearby. Three hills and some orange plantations surround the temple. There stands a Nelli or Amla tree (the Indian Gooseberry) inside the temple. The legend of the temple is associated with this tree. There are a lot of offerings you can do for Lord Krishna in Tirunelli. We chose a garland and some donations for distributing food for the visitors. Hindus in Southern India believe that if you deposit the ashes of the late members of the family and perform the rites in Tirunelli, or in Papanasini to be precise, then you have done your best!!! Means, you don’t have to do it again year over year. Papanasini, as the name suggests, kills all the sins committed in your lifetime. Taking a dip in Papanasini cleanses your soul too. (Sadly we visited the place in the month of April, when it is the dry season and there was no water in the river. However, I could sprinkle some water from the stream on myself). We were lucky enough to spot a wild squirrel on the banks of the stream and visited a cave temple on the banks. Leaving Thirunelli with lot of spiritual and jungle memories, we headed to the nearby wildlife sanctuary of Tholpetty, which consists of Muthanga. We were on a casual visit and so not keen on a jungle safari. Yet, we were tempted to gather information on when we can have one. We were told that the Forest Dept. jeep was out of order and we will have to rely on our own vehicle. We decided not to take that risk and proceeded further. Half an hour after leaving Thirunelli and crossing the Tholpetty forest check post, we were in Karnataka, South Coorg exactly, popular for coffee and orange plantations. In a coffee plantation we saw a huge tree laden with mammoth honeycombs. We were, however, heading to the famous Nagerhole tiger reserve. Since, Nagerhole surfaced in our plans as a surprise, we didn’t know what to expect. The forest station in Nagerhole informed us that the reserve was closed for 20 days. They however, allowed us to proceed a further 20 kms into the reserve. The trail is dead still and there is the strict instruction not to stop anywhere and not to slow down and strictly no horns. I found some spotted deer crossing the road and that’s all. Soon the forest offices were in view and we could go no further. You can stop in this friendly place and we found some other visitors from Karnataka, who was keen to have the elephant-top jungle safari. However, the taxiwalahs never told them the reserve is closed. You can rest sometime in this place where the forest office provides, surprisingly, clean toilets and yes, you have water here. Let me warn you however of our cousins, who are very unruly here. After spending sometime with our jungle cousins here, we started on our return journey. We could have visited more places in wonderful Wayanad, but had little time. Nature never runs out of surprises and wonder in Wayanad.