In my
explorations all these years, I've myself noticed remains of establishments
deep inside thick woods, like dolmens in interior Palani hills, Mural work on
rocky walls of caves inside Marayur sandal reserve, ruins inside Shenduruni
wild life sanctuary etc. The jungle shrine of Aaluvamkudi would have been one
such. The discovery is credited to a poacher of earlier century, who was up a
tree, near a pond, deep in the woods, waiting for game.
He is said to be
objected by a celestial voice, as he was about to open a fire, following which
he inspected the premises and found the ruins of this shrine. It was later
renovated and now controlled visit is permitted by the Forest department.
And this is that pond |
The sector
falls under the Vadasserikkara range of Pathanamthitta district and not- that-
bad- a track, leads up to Gurunathan Mannu, about 30 km from Vadasserikkara.
There is a forest station here and normally entry is restricted beyond the station.
The track from Gurunathanmannu to Aluvaamkudi is about 6km and is to be done on
foot or on a Four Wheel drive vehicle and the mud track would be treacherous,
in rainy season. We reached Vadasserikkara Forest IB, by dusk and the staff in
charge, arranged a Jeep, for the next day’s venture. It rained all night and we
knew it was not going to be smooth.
The
Jeep was at our doorstep by 5.30 AM and we set out in no time. It was a
pleasant morning and there was no sign of a shower, until we reached
Gurunathanmannu. Mr.Chandran, a forest watcher, who was assigned to accompany
us, joined from Gurunathanmannu and as we entered the woods, it started
drizzling.
Track up to Aaluvaamkudi was a smooth one, for our vehicle and it took about half an hour, to reach the shrine. The structure, though a new one, was amazingly beautiful and stood perfectly in match, with the pristine surroundings.
It was located amidst a tiny patch of grassland, with the serene
pool, in our early story, close to it, on the other side of the track. There wasn't a trench or even fencing around, to guard the shrine from pachyderms,
whose presence in the sector was evident, from the premises. May be the Lord –
the idol is Mahadevar – knows how to take care of him.
Track up to Aaluvaamkudi was a smooth one, for our vehicle and it took about half an hour, to reach the shrine. The structure, though a new one, was amazingly beautiful and stood perfectly in match, with the pristine surroundings.
Locate : http://wikimapia.org/#lat=9.2680076&lon=77.0061024&z=18&l=0&m=b |
It was also learned that
the temple is accessible from Konni via Thekkuthode, by means of a jungle path
which connects Thekkuthode and Aluvankudi. Large stone blocks, probably the
ruins of the original structure, were found scattered in the premises, which
had carvings on it. Hope, a study on it shall throw some light on the history
and age of the era.
The shower acquired might by then and we left the shrine, for a deeper destination – Paakkalar. It’s a jungle rivulet, originating up in the Ghats and eventually joining river Pampa, near Vadasserikkara. The flow under goes some interesting twists and plunges, nearly the midway, and that was our aim. It was about 8 km, further deep into the woods, and the wet track really posed problems to our vehicle, though our chauffeur could manage it pretty well.
Thus skidding and jerking, got to the flow, in about another hour. Couldn't resist drinking direct; such was the clarity.
Followed the flow, on foot, Chandran leading, clearing the growth, and making way, not only for us, but to the sucking folk too, to have their day’s bite.
The beauty of the
sector was unexplainable, with the rivulet piercing the greenery, turning milky
at plunges, struggling and surviving the loving hugs of the rocky bed, and our bleeding
legs could gain no concern.
And to our surprise, all of a sudden, the rivulet disappeared into the depth of a gorge. It was as if the flow vanished into nowhere.
Couldn't venture much, to measure the depth, as the rocky terrain was too much slippery.
Locate : http://wikimapia.org/#lat=9.2382306&lon=77.0229038&z=17&l=0&m=b |
And to our surprise, all of a sudden, the rivulet disappeared into the depth of a gorge. It was as if the flow vanished into nowhere.
Couldn't venture much, to measure the depth, as the rocky terrain was too much slippery.
While trekking
back to the vehicle, went through my snaps, and the scroll ended with the
parting shot of the rivulet. At least here, I know its still there, though at a
depth…..