Edakkal Caves

Edakkal is not a cave in the ordinary sense but a fissure in the rock roofed over by a boulder that fell across it, and its walls carry petroglyphs cut at different periods, with the earliest generally placed several thousand years back and later additions including symbols that have been compared to Indus valley signs, though that reading is contested. Human figures with headdresses, animals, wheels and geometric marks cover the surfaces. Reaching them requires a climb of about a kilometre up Ambukuthi hill, steep in places, with the last section on steel stairs. Visitor numbers are capped to limit damage.

What you actually see

• The petroglyphs - figures, animals and symbols cut into the fissure walls.
• The roofing boulder - the fallen rock that makes the shelter.
• The climb - about a kilometre up the hill with steel stairs at the end.
• The Wayanad view - the plateau spread below from the entrance.

When to go

October to May; the monsoon makes the climb slippery and the site sometimes closes. Numbers are capped daily and the site closes on Mondays. Mornings avoid heat and queues.

Honest expectations

The climb is steep and hot, and the last section involves narrow stairs with queues. Photography inside is restricted. Some carvings are faint and hard to make out.

Nearby

Sultan Bathery lies east; Chembra peak is west.