Lakkidi Gateway (Chain Tree)

During the British colonial era in the late 19th century, British military officers and civil engineers struggled to find a navigable road route through the steep, treacherous Western Ghats mountain range connecting the coastal port of Calicut (Kozhikode) with the high-altitude plateau of Wayanad. The dense rainforests, steep cliffs, and heavy monsoon rains rendered standard survey attempts futile, stalling trade, timber extraction, coffee transport, and troop movements between the coast and interior plantation estates across Malabar.

The British turned to Karinthandan, a courageous and knowledgeable chieftain of the indigenous Paniya tribe, who possessed intimate knowledge of secret animal tracks, hidden streams, and mountain passes across the Western Ghats range. Karinthandan successfully guided a British engineer named Mark Pringle through the thick jungle, revealing the hidden route that became the famous Thamarassery Ghat Road. However, once the survey was completed, the British engineer shot Karinthandan dead to ensure that he alone received royal credit, honors, pensions, and financial rewards from the British Crown for discovering the pass. Karinthandan is remembered today as Wayanad's first tribal martyr, honored annually by local indigenous communities during cultural memorial pilgrimages across the high plateau.

Following Karinthandan's treacherous murder, the mountain pass became plagued by severe paranormal phenomena. Travelers, horse-drawn carriages, and early British supply convoys traveling through Lakkidi reported seeing the furious, towering apparition of Karinthandan standing in the middle of the road. Unexplained road accidents, falling boulders, frightened draft animals, and sudden vehicle rollovers claimed numerous lives along the steep hairpin turns.

Fearing that the angry spirit would completely block passage through the Ghats, local residents summoned a renowned Hindu priest to perform exorcism rituals. The priest bound Karinthandan's restless soul to a young Ficus tree using a heavy iron chain. Local tradition holds that as the tree grew taller over the decades, the iron chain mysteriously grew along with it, remaining tightly wrapped around the trunk and upper branches to this day. Local villagers and long-distance truck drivers strictly believe that if the chain is ever removed or severed, Karinthandan's spirit will break free and resume causing fatal accidents along the winding mountain pass. Local Paniya tribal members still leave traditional offerings of betel leaves, oil lamps, coins, and wild flowers at the base of the chained tree before embarking on long journeys down the mountain road, keeping his heroic memory alive for future generations. Stories also tell of spectral chains rattling softly whenever colonial vehicles or official motorcades passed by in the early 20th century.

Truck drivers, bus operators, and nocturnal motorists negotiating the Thamarassery Ghat road frequently report eerie encounters near the Chain Tree at Lakkidi. The most common reports involve the sound of heavy metal chains rattling against tree bark on windless nights, accompanying sudden, unexplainable drops in temperature along the roadside.

Nocturnal travelers have described seeing a tall, dark shadow figure standing near the trunk or emerging onto the highway shoulder near the 9th hairpin curve, causing drivers to brake suddenly. Many long-distance drivers make a customary ritual stop at the shrine beside the tree to light a candle or pay quiet respects before attempting the steep descent, believing it guarantees safe passage through the dangerous mountain turns. Paranormal enthusiasts also report electronic glitches, such as dashcam video distortion and smartphone battery drains, when filming the chained trunk after twilight. Furthermore, nocturnal pedestrians report hearing disembodied whispers in the Paniya tribal dialect echoing from the tree canopy.

The site consists of a massive, ancient Ficus (Banyan/Peepal) tree situated on the shoulder of National Highway 766 near the Lakkidi Viewpoint. Heavy, weathered iron chains wrap around the main trunk and extend upward into the higher canopy branches.

Beside the tree stands a small open-air shrine and memorial stone dedicated to Karinthandan, adorned with flowers, incense burners, and traditional oil lamps maintained by local tribal welfare organizations. The surrounding area features steep forest slopes, mountain mist, and panoramic views of the winding Ghat road below. The site forms an iconic cultural stop for travelers crossing the Kerala-Karnataka border corridor.

The Chain Tree of Lakkidi is located directly along NH 766 in Vythiri taluk, approximately 58 kilometers from Kozhikode (Calicut) railway station and 16 kilometers from Kalpetta. The site is freely accessible 24 hours a day as a public roadside landmark.

Visitors can park safely in designated highway laybys near Lakkidi Viewpoint and walk to the tree on foot. Because the site sits on a busy mountain highway curve with heavy bus and truck traffic, visitors should exercise caution while crossing the road and photographing the tree. Information plaques explain the historical martyrdom of Karinthandan to visiting heritage travelers and tourists.

Lakkidi Gateway's haunted reputation stems from a historical act of colonial betrayal combined with a visually striking physical monument. The sight of a massive forest tree wrapped in heavy iron chains beside a dangerous, cliffside mountain pass — paired with decades of driver lore, ghost stories, and tribal memory — makes it one of Kerala's most famous, enduring, and atmospheric haunted sites.