Thandigudi : Beauty at its peak

Swirling mist, winding paths and lush vegetation... the hills are a trekker's paradise, says SOMA BASU

PHOTOS: SOMA BASU

SERENE AND SCENIC Deserted home of a tribal.

On learning that Thandigudi is also known as "Aadha Kodai" (half Kodaikanal!), I set out on this RLT with mixed feelings. Forty-five km from Kodaikanal, on the road to Dindigul, is this revenue village that has an old- world charm at an elevation of 1,500 metres. But I could hardly believe the package of surprises that lay in store for me atop the hill.

First, the journey. As I took the Dindigul Road from Madurai and on to Batlagundu and the Chittaravu forest check-post, the heat and dust gave way to cool verdure. The tranquillity of the drive that wound up 23 hairpin bends on the Thandigudi ghat road was shattered by a convoy of cars. Allowing them to overtake, I followed the cavalcade at my pace only to find them parked next to the State Horticulture Farm and the Forest Department guest house, roughly six km short of Thandigudi.

Casual queries revealed an elephant, apparently ailing, had died in the morning bringing the Assistant Conservator of Forests, the Forest Ranger, Forest Guard and other staff to the spot. With the public banned from entering the area, I decided against wasting my time here and proceeded to my RLT destination.

Thandigudi, surrounded by the green Palani hills, looked like many other mini hill stations that have been written about in this column, including Sirumalai, Pachalur and Yercaud. Besides coffee and cardamom plantations, the landscape is filled with vanilla, pepper, hill banana, citron and medicinal plants. Carnations and other varieties of flowers added a dash of colour to the greenery. I chose to explore the place on foot.

Enveloped in small shola forests, Thandigudi used to have many trekking routes. But now, they are all damaged by prolonged wet spells and the wild growth of flora. Wild boar, barking deer, bison and sambar are occasionally spotted here and in the surrounding evergreen forests. But the department no longer allows trekkers into the forest. Only its staff goes on an occasional recce.

I stuck to the tarred road and followed a sign post which said Watch Tower, Pannaikadu. For city slickers it is a refreshing change to trek in the hills.

Visual treat

The winding road leading to the hilltop.

The backdrop formed by rolling green hills with a dreamy mist swirling up kept me busy with my camera. To reach the watch tower, I had to take a small detour on a slippery muddy track into the forest. The only wildlife I managed to spot was a pair of tiger lizards. But before I could photograph them, they disappeared into the bushes.

Work on the watch tower is yet to be completed. But a labourer at the site assured me it was safe to climb up and enjoy the view.

And it was captivating indeed. The lush vegetation was a visual treat and the long, winding road cutting through the hills was picturesque. In the valley below, the Maruthanathi, a squarish water body, reflected the silver rays of the sun as they tried to penetrate the grey clouds. A dewy haze filled the area that seemed painted blue. The worker pointed to a peak called the "periya malai", perhaps because it looks the tallest and to a cluster of rocks called "ponnu mapillai rock". Taking a closer look at the rock I realised it looked like a bride and groom, surrounded by friends!

As I prepared to return, the worker told me to check out the echoing rock and the dolmen cave. I skipped the first, but took a dekko at the now deserted ancient home of a tribal.

Walking down, I passed by the Central Coffee Research Station, the Indian Cardamom Research Institute and the Regional Spice Board Research Station.

Thandigudi may have been dubbed `Aadha Kodai' but the beauty and serenity here cannot quite be experienced in the more famous Kodaikanal.

How to get there

Thandigudi can also be reached by Palani-Oddanchatram check-post. It is 56 km from Dindigul, 45 km from Kodaikanal, 88 km from Palani, 97 km from Madurai and 126 km from Thekkady.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2006/10/16/stories/2006101600290300.htm

Kookal : Stunning sholas

Kookal: a scenic conjunction of verdant hills, wooden slopes and water, writes SOMA BASU

AS I set out on this week's RLT, I wasn't sure whether I would make it to my destination. It turned out to be an assignment where, but for my attire, I donned the role of a forester. With paraphernalia such as ropes, hooks, torch and sticks, not to mention the usual pen and notebook, I sat inside the jeep cruising at a painfully slow 20 km an hour on something that hardly resembled a road.

The vehicle forced its way through endless puddles of water and manoeuvred around fallen trees as the tyres jerked in and out of potholes. Heavy rain and thick fog made things only worse. As if this was not enough, the stench of an animal kill added strength to the rumours that a female panther was on the prowl. I cursed myself for choosing Kookal in the Poombarai forest range of Kodaikanal division, particularly during the rainy season.

But then assurances about beautiful, unheard and unexplored places emerge only after terrifying travel. And this is perhaps what sends the team on difficult RLTs. But I hadn't bargained for this when setting out for Kookal (also spelt Kukkal); after all, it is on the route to one of the State's most popular tourist destinations, Kodaikanal.

The zero visibility 46-km journey from the hill station, thanks to a thick blanket of mist, seemed to take ages. To break the silence, my companions — the (real) forester Mr. Hanifa and the scientist Dr. Kandhavel — exchanged information about the Kookal sholas.

Disappearing wildlife

Apparently, the sholas are shrinking and the wildlife population reportedly disappearing due to the monoculture of imported pine, eucalyptus and wattle. Along with the encroaching trees, the ground ferns are also eating into the grasslands, affecting both the flora and the fauna of the area which holds four types of ecosystems — swamp, grassland, freshwater and shola.

However, this Southern Montane Wet Temperate Forest has some unique features too. An 800-year-old tree with an enormous girth, and which bears fruit, said to be useful for patients suffering from diabetes and high blood pressure, is found here. Now under the care of the Forest Department, it is all fenced up. Very rare single fern trees, jamun and rudraksha trees, 26 species of cinnamon and the shenbagam flower tree constitute the plant biodiversity. The Kookal sholas are also famous for its 165 species of butterflies, and a number of relatively uncommon birds such as the wood pigeon, Nilgiri pipit, 15 types of dabchicks besides the commonly sighted bison, Indian gaur, mouse and barking deer.

Great camping site

Suddenly, we reached a scenic conjunction of verdant hills, wooded slopes and water. The Kookal lake runs through the middle of the sholas and boasts a healthy otter population. The surrounding grasslands indeed make a wonderful camping site for adventurous holidayers.

There are two trekking routes. One, a 13-km stretch to the Kudiraiyar Dam with pleasing waterfalls and deciduous forests. The other is an eight-km route to the Kookal natural rock cave formations on a hill top. These caves are made up of different types of metamorphic rocks called charconite and granulite and believed to be home to the descendants of the leaf-clad Paliyan tribes. Till the mid-Eighties, 30-odd families resided on the hill top, where a small temple is located. This stretch is, however, leech-infested and best avoided during the monsoon. I was forced to give up after a kilometre.

In brighter, drier months, Kookal would be a trekker's delight. Day picnickers too can have a good time in this peaceful locale. Permission of the Forest Department, good boots, camera and binoculars are a must if you plan to include Kookal in the itinerary during one of the trips to Kodaikanal.

Courtesy: http://www.hindu.com/mp/2004/10/02/stories/2004100200590100.htm