Mananthavady

Mananthavady is a town, a grama panchayath and taluk in the Wayanad district of Kerala, India. The town is located on the banks of Mananthavady Puzha, a tributary of the Kabini River. Mananthavady has been referred to as "Hosenkadi" in a dictum scribbled under a copper artifact found at the Ananthanathaswamy Temple at Varadoor. The dominant view on the etymology is that the word is derived from "Mane Eytha Vady (The place where an arrow was shot at the deer)". This view is strengthened by the existence of a place called Ambukuthy, literally the location where the arrow pierced, on the outskirts of the town.

This area was once ruled by the Pazhassi dynasty and the tomb of Pazhassi Raja is an important heritage site located in the heart of the town. Manathavady was a major army camp for the British during their campaign against Pazhassi. One can still see the vestiges of the colonial period - canteen, club, barracks, rest house, cemetery - around Mananthavady. This is also the headquarters of the Adivasi Gothra Mahasabha. The District Hospital in Mananthavady is the only major treatment facility for the service of the tribal communities and other less privileged sections of Wayanad. It is the third biggest town in Wayanad District, after Sulthan Bathery and Kalpetta.

Mananthavady is located 35 km north-east of the district headquarters Kalpetta, 80 km east of Thalassery and 110 km north-east of Kozhikode. Thalassery-Bavali Road is the major road passing through Mananthavady, which is well connected with both Mysore and Kodagu. Mananthavady is well connected with Mysore(110 km away), via Kartikulam, Bavali and H D Kote, through Nagarhole National Park. This road is parallel to Kabini River and closed during the night time to protect wild animals. Another road goes to Gonikoppal(60 km away) in Kodagu, via Kartikulam, Tholpetty forest, Kutta and Ponnampet.

Toutist attractions
The Kerala Lalithakala Akademi Art Gallery is located on the Mysore Road. The Gallery regularly hosts exhibitions of various Indian artists and organizes cultural events.

Boys town (15 km north of Mananthavady): Herbal garden, nature care centre, sericulture unit, perma-culture centre etc., established by the Wayanad Social Service Society and Gene Park (the Indo-Danish project for promoting herbal gardening) are situated here.

Brahmasthana Temple & Mata Amritanandamayi Math are 1.5 km away from the Town.

Chandanathode is the only pine forest in Wayand.

Kuruvadweep (17 km east of Mananthavady ) is 950-acre (3.8 km2) protected river delta system.

Latin Church is situated at the heart of the town. It is a reminder of the towns colonial past.

Mananthavady Park is situated on the banks of the Mananthavady puzha (1 km from the Panchayath Bus Stand). The park is also known for its bat colony. The attempts by the authorities to get rid of the bats lead to protests by environmental activists.

Paalamandhapam Devi Temple & Malakkari Temple Koolivayal is 12 km from Mananthavady & 6 km from Panamaram town.

Pallikkal Juma Masjid (Kalyanathum Pallikkal) is one of the oldest mosques in kerala situated in the heart of pallikkal angadi.

Payingattery Agraharam (payingattery Gramam) is one of the oldest agraharams in Wayanad (2 km of mananthavady).

Pazhassi kudeeram (Tomb of Pazhassi Raja), who fought the British to his death is here.

Periya is a village about 25 km from Mananthavady town on Thalasserry road.

Thirunelli Temple is a famous pilgrim centre 36 km from Mananthavady.

Thrissilery Siva Temple is one of the famous shrines in Wayanad situated in Thrissilery. There is a Jala Durga temple in the same complex.

Tholpetty Wild Life Sanctuary is 24 km on the way to Coorg.

Valliyoorkkavu Temple (3 km from the town) is dedicated to Mother Goddess and is worshipped in three principal forms of Vana Durga, Bhadrakali and Jala Durga. It is the most important place of worship for the tribal communities. The annual 15 day festival is in March/April and is the most grand of all festivals in the district. Slave trade used to take place here during the festival. It is still the largest congregation of all tribals of Wayanad.

Established in 1973, the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary is contiguous to the protected area network of Nagarhole and Bandipur of Karnataka on the northeast and Mudumalai of Tamil Nadu on the southeast. Rich in bio-diversity, the sanctuary is an integral part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, which has been established with the specific objective of conserving the biological heritage of the region. The sanctuary is very rich in flora and fauna.

Muthireri kavu is a temple associated with Kottiyoor Vysakha Mahotsavam . The temple is situated in small village Muthireri,about 8 km distance in Mananthavady.