Wayanad - Edakkal Caves

Edakkal Caves is Kerala's most famous prehistoric site with prehistoric rock etchings found on the walls. Three sets of petroglyphs have been discovered with the earliest dating back over 5,000 years. Evidence shows that the Edakkal Caves had been inhabited at various periods in history.

Edakkal means "a stone in between" which describes the heavy boulder straddling a fissure in the rock that creates the cave. Light enters the cave through a gap at the corner of the roof where the boulder does not touch the facing wall.

In 1910, an amateur archeologist uncovered the caves. Ancient stone writings, cave drawings and wall inscriptions of human and animal figures with peculiar head dresses, forms and symbols are found inside Edakkal Caves. The surface of the rock walls on both sides is covered with these geometric lines.