Nenmeni : Enjoy the breeze and birdsong

Trek to a reservoir, visit a temple and do some bird-watching, says SOMA BASU

PHOTOS: SOMA BASU

QUIET FLOWS THE RIVER People crossing the shallow waters of the Vaipparu

When they saw the disappointment on my face, the two young lads I met at Kullur Sandhai suggested that I visit Nenmeni. Not that Kullur Sandhai was a bad choice, but it was not quite as picturesque as an RLT is meant to be.

So I extended my drive by 45 minutes through Virudhunagar District to my new destination - Nenmeni.

A new dam under construction on the River Vaipparu, which also has a PWD irrigation tank, attracts birds in the winter months. Barely a km from the Nenmeni dam site, stands a temple in Irukkankudi, almost floating at the confluence of two rivers - the Arjuna and the Vaipparu.

Nine km east of Sattur, it is not difficult to find your way to the banks of the Vaipparu. The road is narrow and bumpy, but the green paddy fields alongside are a soothing sight.

Later, I learnt that Nenmeni is actually a corruption of the Tamil word `Nelmani' meaning `paddy yield'. I left behind rows of kuccha-pucca houses in the villages en route and drove on till the road became a long, narrow track culminating in a dead end.

There was construction work ahead, and the detour I took was a muddy, path on which vehicles of all sizes tried to squeeze through. I picked my way out of the muddle and finally reached the dam site. I was surprised to find the area dry, despite torrential rain elsewhere in the State.

The Vaipparu flowed quietly, but did not brim with water. The dam, though a modern construction in grey stone, resembled a castle. The grey dam, blue sky, the greenery around and the silver water below made an interesting contrast.

Avian visitors

The dam under construction.

The irrigation tank on one side, I learnt got filled by December and attracted a fairly large number of avian visitors. Many seasonal and migratory birds apparently made this place a stop-over. However, I did not get to see any.

So I decided to visit the 200-year-old Mariamman Temple. I walked along the bund for a kilometre.

The surrounding area was as flat as a pancake, with the hills far away in the horizon. A few coconut trees swayed in the foreground, standing tall amid other species.

As I neared the temple, I spotted the confluence of two separate streams - the Arjuna and the Vaipparu. The water flowed languidly, almost grey-brown in colour.

What was actually a waterway seemed like a busy thoroughfare with people and even vehicles going across it. There are two such shallow areas - one, almost half a km away from the temple site where two and four-wheelers cross and, the other, right in front of the temple, mostly used by pilgrims.

Two-century-old temple

My first glimpse of the shrine was disappointing for there was too much litter strewn around, some of it even floating in the water. I waded through knee-deep water to reach the temple gate. The sun-soaked exterior of this two-century-old temple gave way to a cool interior.

Legend has it that a young girl who was gathering cow dung, happened to place her basket on the ground, but later found that she could not remove it.

She had a vision that a temple should be built on the spot. The temple priests claim they have inherited the temple and all other rituals and customs from their forefathers.

Temple not really being on my agenda, I wondered what made Nenmeni an appropriate RLT destination.

Undoubtedly, the reservoir and the birds. The best time to visit is between December and February.

For the religiously inclined, the Irukkankudi Mariamman Temple is a bonus.

But there's more to Nenmeni and Irukkankudi than the dam and the temple.

The walk from the dam to the temple is fun for trekkers. It's more enjoyable in wet weather because it's cooler and the whole place comes alive with birdsong.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/11/25/stories/2006112500020300.htm