Ulakkaiaruvi : A walk on the wild side

Ulakkaiaruvi: also a botany lesson, says SOMA BASU

THICK-SET FORESTS, rocky tracts, hidden pathways, an effusive waterfall, a three-km trek on an abandoned forest pathway. Ulakkaiaruvi is impossible to do alone. If it wasn't for the help of the Forest Department staff, this RLT wouldn't have seen the light of day.

Locals know the area but don't venture out much. But if you manage to find someone from the village or, better still, the Forest Department, the journey could become more than just a walk on the wild side — also an interesting lesson in botany.

Nestling in the deciduous Asambu forests in Kanyakumari district in the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats, Ulakkaiaruvi is about 30 minutes drive from Nagercoil. We walk our way up through a patchwork of lemon grass, under the shade of teak and rosewood and wild coconut and on a pathway along which keezhanelli and other medicinal plants abound, a live pharmacy with cures or palliatives for everything from jaundice and diabetes to chest pain.

I am shown a bilva tree. A medicinal plant whose oblong leaves form the stem too making a beautiful rangoli-like pattern. There's a mahabilva too, whose leaves are offered to Lord Siva. My companions, Sreevalsan and Ramdas, give me an interesting demonstration. They cut a branch of a tree called pullani ("vedanintholan" in Tamil meaning a hunter's friend). To my surprise, it oozes crystal clear water. We quickly fill our empty bottles and the replenishment is truly refreshing.

The area is an "active ecological habitat." More than 2,500 species of plants are estimated to grow here. The place, besides being a delight to botanists, is also an ornithologist's paradise with 150 types of listed birds found here. Plus: it is home to elephants, sambar, chital, Nilgiri tahr, langur, mouse deer and wild boar.

When we reached the base of the falls — which cascade from a height of 100 ft in a single long column of water resembling a pounder (and so the name olakkai) — my friends egg me on to climb up to the top.

The view from there is unforgettable. The shifting play of colour, the deep gurgle of water and a peppermint-like breeze contribute to the sylvan setting.

It is believed that the area may be declared a sanctuary. At the same time, the district administration has a project in the pipeline to make Ulakkaiaruvi more tourist friendly by laying paths, creating resting zones and perhaps introducing a winch to ferry people to the waterfall. But all this is still very much at the conceptual stage.

The way down is every bit as tough as the three-hour journey up and so this RLT is recommended only for the hardy.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/08/21/stories/2004082100290100.htm

Kumarakoil : Ups and downs

Kumarakoil Not a perfect RLT destination, but you could still enjoy some picturesque sights, says Soma Basu

Photo: Soma Basu

For a short trip Kumarakoil

When reading up on Kumarakoil, I am tempted to visit this ancient Murugan temple on a green hillock surrounded by green fields and a lake. And I set out. I am on the mountain road that winds its way through small villages, I turn right 15 km down on Nagercoil-Thiruvananthapuram main road and in less than 30 minutes from Nagercoil, I reach the Kumarakoil village. A narrow, dusty, potholed road — dotted with paddy fields though — brings me right in front of the temple. A distressing truth unfolds. No green hill to climb. Just a cluster of houses fill up the area. Garbage is dumped on one side of the temple and on the other, few small shops sell puja articles. I think of cancelling the RLT and retreating. But having come all the way, I trudge ahead. I look up at the 250 feet high hillock and the temple appears a speck of white. The heat burns me and the 80-odd steps leave me breathless. Finally, at the temple entrance I am elated. I look below and see paddy fields, coconut groves and banana plantations... undulating green cover. The silence inside the temple is intense. The cool interiors refresh me. A grey-haired priest, guessing I am a first-timer and an unlikely pilgrim, offers help. He enlightens me about the temple’s history and mythology. Near Padmanabhapuram, the erstwhile capital of Travancore, this temple is on the slopes of legendary Veli Malai (legend has it that Lord Murugan married Valli here). The place is also known as Manamalai or Kalyanamala. The Travancore kings had set aside large areas of land and paddy fields to support the temple. By the temple are Kanjipuras, where ascetics and pilgrims were once served food. These structures are dilapidated now, but on special days, pilgrims are still offered prasadam.

Gauging my disinterest in the temple history, the priest arranges for a boat ride in the lake, which is the temple tank. A happy finale I thought as I hopped into the small boat. Somewhere in the middle of the tank, few people are taking a dip. As I leave them behind to the twittering of the birds perched on tree tops on the other end of the lake, I realise, it is Kumarakoil’s history and surroundings that makes it an interesting place.

How to get there: Kumarakoil is 34 km f rom Kanyakumari, 15 km North West of Nagercoil and three km from Thuckalay. It is also close to the old Padmanabhapuram palace.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2007/07/16/stories/2007071651080200.htm