Vaithalmala, Mountain summit in Taliparamba, India.
Vaithalmala is a mountain summit in the Western Ghats that rises to 1,372 meters, featuring dense forests transitioning to open grasslands across its slopes. The peak itself offers sweeping views over the surrounding valleys and distant forest-covered ridges.
For many generations, this summit served as a natural boundary between Kerala and Karnataka states, shaping settlement patterns on both sides. The location's role as a dividing line influenced how communities developed on either slope.
Local communities shape the grasslands through their daily practices, creating patterns in the vegetation that visitors encounter on the slopes. Walking here, you notice how people have always lived with this mountain rather than just passed through it.
The most direct approach is through Pottanplavu, which offers regular transport connections from the nearest towns. From Kannur, buses reach Taliparamba and continue to the Kudiyanmala base, where most trekking begins.
An observation tower at the summit gives views reaching across half of Kannur district, revealing distant Kodagu forests and the Paithal valley below. This structure lets visitors see the landscape in ways they would miss from the slopes alone.
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