The Chain Tree And The Myth Behind It

A Ficus tree bounded by a long chain is known as Chain Tree and a popular place in Wayanad district of Kerala. This tree is an official tree of Thailand and grows up to 98 ft in a natural condition. This incredible tree has silky leaves and branches that swing. The fruit grown on this tree is the favourite fruit of many birds. The existence of this tree is based on a story. Changala Maram or Chain Tree is a major attraction for travellers who pass through the Calicut- Wayanad route.

The myth of the tree is associated with the tribal chief Karinthandan, who lived between 1700-1750 AD. During the British colonial era, Wayanad didn’t have any developed roads. Wayanad was blessed with dense forests and hills only the tribes knew the paths through these forests. Karinthandan belonged to the Paniya tribe; he was the chief of that tribal community.

He knew every path in the forest. So when the British Viceroy announced a reward for to those who find a way from Thamarassery to Wayanad to through the forest, a British engineer took the help of Karinthandan to find the route. The native tribesmen who lived in the forests knew the mountainous terrain well, and one of their youths Karinthandan showed the British engineer the shortest route to reach Wayanad. But after learning the route and eager to take credit for the discovery, the British engineer killed the youth, so says the legend. The spirit of the dead youth used to haunt the place, waylaying travellers and terrifying them to death, especially unwary foreigners who happened to pass along.

After making the road the British started to exploit the resources of Wayanad. But the road became haunted, and a lot of accidents happened on the road, and the people believed that all of this is because of Karinthandan’s ghost. So the people called a priest to find a solution to this problem. After a lot of effort, the priest was able to chain the ghost to a Ficus tree, which is now known as the Changala Maram or Chain Tree. The tree is now grown to 25 feet in height. A small temple built near the tree and started to worship Karinthandan.

Wayanad always gives us some lasting memories with these types of stories and myths. If you are a nature lover then you will surely love Wayanad.

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