The other side of Shabarimala
Mathew George
Pathanamthitta town in central Travancore is southern Kerala's gateway to the famous Sabarimala shrine. On the way from Pathanamthitta to sannidhanam by taking a deviation to the right at Plappally one can skirt around the abode of Lord Ayyappa through one of the most stunning forest trails of Kerala. The road takes you through the Nilackal church, Angamuzhy town, Moozhiar power generating station and the upstream reservoirs of Kakki, Anathodu, Pamba, Kullar, Meenar and Gavi. Till Moozhiar the road is motorable but beyond that it would be better to travel by vehicles of higher torque and traction with better ground clearance. Be informed that the journey through the forest takes about 6 hours and once you pass Angamuzhy town there are no shops or eateries till you get out at the other end at Vandiperiyar. Wild life sightings especially herds of elephants and bison are not uncommon enroute.
My niece had come down from the US on a family vacation after a long time. Their two little children were all excited about their parents' homeland, the rains, the greenery and above all the hordes of relatives. The girls wanted a holiday trip, far from civilization with no TV, newspaper, Internet and cell phone. And that's how we took this less traveled path. The tiresome journey through the rain ploughed road made my nephew, an armchair adventurer, rethink the mission. But after the gruelling yet thrilling journey through the lush green wilderness of the Sahyadris, we returned wholehearted longing for many more trips like that through the same route. The little girls later commented about the place as world's #1 holiday location.
Though we all belonged to the neighbouring district, the territory was so unfamiliar that our frame of reference turned inadequate, becoming outsiders in our own backyard. From Angamuzhi forest check post onwards one can feel the forest except for a few oncoming vehicles of KSEB reassuring human presence till you reach Moozhiar. Thereafter it is all large expanse of tropical wet evergreen forests on both sides with interspersing huge reservoirs. Before start of the journey we were fortunate to have a satisfying mid morning brunch at the IB at Moozhiar with plenty of stewed river fish.
These forests are on the other side of the famous pilgrim destination Sabarimala but the dense forests in between make them mutually inaccessible. On a clear day one can easily spot the temple with its golden mast and the 18 steps to the sanctum from quite a few locations on this jungle road. When millions of pilgrims throng the forest trail on the other side during December to January, the rain forests on this side offer a safe sanctuary to the wild life. The famous Ponnambalamedu where the makarajyothi brightens up the weary
spirit of the devotees is nearby this route.
The boat trip in the Kakki reservoir and the adjoining Anathodu baby dam allowed us to go deep into the forest through the waterways. We were all eyes and ears taking care not to miss the slightest movement in the woods but the animals remained elusive. To compensate there were breathtaking sights in store for us. Almost at the far end of the reservoir there was the silver cascade of a dazzling waterfall. The half submerged hills, black cormorants flying in formation over stumps of dead tree trunks, the dark clouds gathered over the far away hillocks and the cool drizzle lashing at our faces… all had a mesmerising effect on us.
We had our night halt at Kochu Pamba IB, right in the heart of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Situated atop the reservoir it offered a vantage view of the surrounding forest and the mighty high ranges. The most sensational part of our expedition was the night safari that gave us ample opportunities for wild life viewing. At one spot when we got out of the jeep looking for animals, quite unexpectedly a herd of gaurs crossed our path and stood on the other side staring at the intruders in their territory. We were so excited that we did not even attempt to lift the camera and shoot. Though we could spot sambar deer, giant squirrels, lion tailed macaque and the Nilgiri Tahr during the safari the big cat eluded us. We should not expect the predictability of urban life in the wild.
As the dusk stretched into the eerie silence of the night, we could feel the presence of wild life, an experience that is hard to forget. We had a good night's sleep with the cicadas singing the lullaby and woke up the next day to the tune of chirping birds. The girls left the week after for New Jersey with loads of 'jungle' stories for their friends back home
My niece had come down from the US on a family vacation after a long time. Their two little children were all excited about their parents' homeland, the rains, the greenery and above all the hordes of relatives. The girls wanted a holiday trip, far from civilization with no TV, newspaper, Internet and cell phone. And that's how we took this less traveled path. The tiresome journey through the rain ploughed road made my nephew, an armchair adventurer, rethink the mission. But after the gruelling yet thrilling journey through the lush green wilderness of the Sahyadris, we returned wholehearted longing for many more trips like that through the same route. The little girls later commented about the place as world's #1 holiday location.
Though we all belonged to the neighbouring district, the territory was so unfamiliar that our frame of reference turned inadequate, becoming outsiders in our own backyard. From Angamuzhi forest check post onwards one can feel the forest except for a few oncoming vehicles of KSEB reassuring human presence till you reach Moozhiar. Thereafter it is all large expanse of tropical wet evergreen forests on both sides with interspersing huge reservoirs. Before start of the journey we were fortunate to have a satisfying mid morning brunch at the IB at Moozhiar with plenty of stewed river fish.
These forests are on the other side of the famous pilgrim destination Sabarimala but the dense forests in between make them mutually inaccessible. On a clear day one can easily spot the temple with its golden mast and the 18 steps to the sanctum from quite a few locations on this jungle road. When millions of pilgrims throng the forest trail on the other side during December to January, the rain forests on this side offer a safe sanctuary to the wild life. The famous Ponnambalamedu where the makarajyothi brightens up the weary
spirit of the devotees is nearby this route.
The boat trip in the Kakki reservoir and the adjoining Anathodu baby dam allowed us to go deep into the forest through the waterways. We were all eyes and ears taking care not to miss the slightest movement in the woods but the animals remained elusive. To compensate there were breathtaking sights in store for us. Almost at the far end of the reservoir there was the silver cascade of a dazzling waterfall. The half submerged hills, black cormorants flying in formation over stumps of dead tree trunks, the dark clouds gathered over the far away hillocks and the cool drizzle lashing at our faces… all had a mesmerising effect on us.
We had our night halt at Kochu Pamba IB, right in the heart of Periyar Tiger Reserve. Situated atop the reservoir it offered a vantage view of the surrounding forest and the mighty high ranges. The most sensational part of our expedition was the night safari that gave us ample opportunities for wild life viewing. At one spot when we got out of the jeep looking for animals, quite unexpectedly a herd of gaurs crossed our path and stood on the other side staring at the intruders in their territory. We were so excited that we did not even attempt to lift the camera and shoot. Though we could spot sambar deer, giant squirrels, lion tailed macaque and the Nilgiri Tahr during the safari the big cat eluded us. We should not expect the predictability of urban life in the wild.
As the dusk stretched into the eerie silence of the night, we could feel the presence of wild life, an experience that is hard to forget. We had a good night's sleep with the cicadas singing the lullaby and woke up the next day to the tune of chirping birds. The girls left the week after for New Jersey with loads of 'jungle' stories for their friends back home
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