Wayanad district in Kerala, which had already been called “nature’s heaven” because of its forests, wildlife, and spice plantations, is now home to Kerala’s first tribal heritage village – En Ooru in Kunnathidavaka village of Vythiri taluk.
It has become a preferred destination for tourists because of its picturesqueness after being opened to the public this June. Since then, tens of thousands of people have visited this beautiful place, adding a boost to Kerala tourism.
En Ooru covers 25 acres of land on a slope of a hillock in the village of Pookode in Wayanad district, beautifully crafted into a tribal village with tribal huts with roofs covered with hay, a tribal medicinal centre, 16 stalls selling souvenirs, spices, and handicrafts made by tribal artisans and many such facilities. One of the main attractions in “En Uru” or “En Ooru” is the camel hump mountain complex covering 2 acres. The place is extremely mesmerising during sunsets.
The project was done to set up a permanent platform where the tribal people can showcase their heritage and knowledge. It is also aimed to improve their livelihood options.
A tribal market, a centre with 10 prototype tribal huts, rain shelter, toilet block, landscape works, art and crafts workshop, shop to introduce tribal medicines to tourists, heritage pathway and children’s park have been set up.
There is also an open-air amphitheatre that can accommodate upto 300 people and the village is planning to start tribal art form performances after the monsoon along with a tribal food fest and an art fest.
There is also a cafeteria with tribal cooks. Kudumbashree’s ‘Gothrashree’ Tribal Cafeteria, serves ethnic cuisines like Vanasundari Special Chicken, Puzhukku (dish made of boiled / steamed root vegetables flavored with seasoned coconut paste), Kumbalappam (steamed cone cake) etc. In the first ten days, the Gothrashree entrepreneurs have earned an income of Rs 2.5 lakh. There are 12 people working in the cafeteria.
The franchise has three other enterprises in the heritage village, an Agricultural nursery, a Medicinal nursery, and a Food processing unit.
This project, proposed by former Wayanad sub-collector N. Prasanth a few years ago, is a collaboration between Kerala Tourism and the Scheduled Tribe Development Department, at a total cost of ₹10 crore.
This project has even received praise from Anand Mahindra, Chairman of Mahindra Group, who tweeted “This is just beautiful. Kudos to @KeralaTourism for this concept. The pristine architectural design of the village is stunning. Showcases how ‘simplicity’ can be stunning.”
The responsibility of running and maintaining the En Ooru heritage village will be on the En Ooru Charitable Society with the District sub-collector as its chairman. The society also has 13 tribal leaders from Vythiri and Pozhuthana panchayats as its members.
Some other attractions around the village are Pookode lake, Lakkidi view point, Honey Museum Beecraft, etc.
To reach the village, you can take the Calicut-Mysore Road, where you can see a gate that mentions Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode, Wayanad. You have to go inside the Veterinary college area, where you can see the signboard pointing to the heritage village. To get around, there are local bus and taxi services between Kalpetta and Pookode.
The entry fee into the village is ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children. Taking a camera would cost you another ₹50. There are shuttle jeep services available for ₹20 per head. The best time to visit would be between September to May.
This has been a tribute to the tribal communities of Kerala while giving them opportunities for livelihood, and to share their culture and heritage with the world. It has also had a huge impact on local tourism.
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