Kumittipathi : A peep into the past

For those who are game for some adventure, writes Anima Balakrishnan

WHERE LEGENDS UNFOLD The entrance to the Neolithic cave - Photo:K.Ananthan

It was not a great day to embark on your first RLT. The monsoon had unleashed itself on neighbouring Kerala and my RLT destination, Kumittipathi, is a mere four kilometres from the Kerala border.

Our guide, ARK Arun is a fossil expert. Kumittipathi, the fossil man vouches, is home to Neolithic paintings that are more than 5,000 years old. If you thought RLTs are about obscure places tucked aeons away from civilisation, this one is different. A mere 30 km from Coimbatore, the place haunts you with its deathly stillness but has an inherent capacity to surprise you.

As you drive down NH 47 towards Palakkad, clouds darken and the air gets heavier past the Western Ghats. As we steer off the main road, temperatures drop and the scenery dotted with over-grown palm trees takes over. A town appears before you from nowhere. It's Thirumalayanpalayam. Kumittipathi is just couple of kilometres away. A serpentine road takes you past tiny settlements and stone quarries, and legends unfold. Table-like stone structures, Sumai Thangikal, erected in memory of women who died during childbirth rest on the roadside. The road gets progressively slender and the ride bumpier.

Squeezing past bowing shrubs, the car climbs over a languorously spread rock and the outcrop housing the caves presents itself majestically. As the rain beats down hard, we leave our phones and watches behind and I take my first close look at the mammoth rock, which sits like a grey-brown slouching monster with a quaint sense of adventure.

Uphill task

We begin our climb and Nature decides to be a little unkind. The skies open up with all fury and with no coats or caps, the slippery climb gets a little tricky. We lumber behind the fossil man, treading over dicey, bald rock with great care. After a climb of nearly 30-foot, a huge oval mouth, around 20-foot wide opens in front of you. There it is, the granite formation in rock, pregnant with more than 3,000 million years of history and waiting to unfold its story. At the entrance are the Neolithic works, called the petrographs, of a peacock, a tree, an elephant and other geometric figures, assumed to be more than 5,000 years old. They fight for space with new-age artistic creations in chalk and paint. Walk into the ten-foot deep dark cave and pieces of broken glass and match-sticks carpet the slushy floor.

A petrograph.

Those game for a little adventure will find the climb to the temple at the top of the 300-foot outcrop interesting. Erratically arranged stone steps wind up and suddenly disappear from view. Arun assures us that the climb is not too tough and being in a mood for some adventure, I agree. But as you go half way up, the steps vanish and you are at the mercy of thinly carved footrests on the sloping, slimy rock.

You move ahead, one step at a time and tend to miss more than a breath. The rain lashing down your back doesn't make it any easier. After an eternity, you are at the very top, before the Baladandayudhapaani temple. Neatly margined paddy fields stretch across as far as you can see and the Ghats covered in mist unravel like a dark giant.

How to get there

Drive down the Palakkad highway, past Madukkarai till you reach the signboard for Nehru College on the left. Turn there and drive down the main road to reach Thirumalayanpalayam. Kumittipathi is two kilometres from there.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/08/13/stories/2005081301390300.htm

Vallam Caves : Secrets in stone

Vallam Caves: Strictly for time travellers, says PRINCE FREDERICK

WALKING AROUND Vallam Caves, I can almost hear the footsteps of my ancestors. The caves, which lie two kilometres east of Chinglepet town and are reached via a dusty winding pathway off TKM (Thirukazhukundram) Road, are carved out of giant rocks that sit atop an arid hill.

Those who worked for King Mahendravarman-I once used the twisting track that leads to them. The caves, which now are a place of worship, contain a Tamil inscription that sheds some light on this Pallava king. Dating between 610 and 675 AD, this is said to be among the oldest Tamil inscriptions.

There are three caves in all, all of them neatly scooped out from the rocks and watched over by fierce-looking dwarapalakas (guards); the main cave, which is bigger than the others, is decorated with well-proportioned stone columns, one of which contains the old inscription.

The history

Archaeologists M. Lockwood and Gift Siromoney did some pioneering work on the history of the caves, which they visited over three decades ago. They were particularly struck by some of the dwarapalakas in basso-relievo at the entrances, which had unusual and curiously shaped horns. Could they be based on representations of primitive tribes such as the Gonds and Nagas who wore horns? Are the horned dwarapalakas humanised forms of Nandis? Are the horns actually snakes that sit on Nagaraja's head?

Such questions are open-ended and continue to intrigue visitors to Vallam Caves. Many of them are students of archaeology and history who conduct their field studies here. Students from schools in and around Chingelpet are also brought here in order to make history come alive for them.

Although ringed by hills and located near an artificial pond, Vallam Caves is not a pretty spot. But the caves, which lie in a half-forgotten village, hold a charm for time-travellers interested in unscrambling the past.

How To Get There

Take a train to Chinglepet and walk the couple of kilometres that separate the railhead and the caves.

You may do the same after taking a bus from Koyambedu.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2005/01/29/stories/2005012901210100.htm

Additional Links: http://indhiya-suttrum-vaaliban.blogspot.com/2007/01/caves-inaround-chennai-2-vallam-caves.html