Mannavanur – beautiful landscape

Mannavanur is a beautiful landscape, situated at a distance about 35km from kodaikanal, is surrounded by grasslands. I heard about this place for very long time and got the opportunity only now after missing couple of times in past. The Mannavanur Lake is the heart of the place, which could be sighted as soon we enter the huge landscape route. It’s a wonderful view of grass mounds across the valley and water as its center of attraction and surrounded by hills, and little blue sky gives way to picturesque shots. Mannavanur is also a village, mainly depends on terrace farming and agriculture alike Poombarai and holds a sheep research center. And mannavanur is also called as Bison valley.

On the way we could see a group of sheep grazing at distance and wished I could be there, but as we moved further the sight disappears and we came across the village and farm lands, particularly an oval shape field looked like a playground stadium, where rows of steps lead to ground. Various vegetables are cultivated here including broccoli, French and butter beans, and the village also provides home made dish to those approach them, even rabbit meat is cooked if requested. There is no particularly place to attract tourist, but if someone is interested like us can go up to the lake leisurely through meadow path, coming across grazing sheeps and rabbit form.

I had a wonderful time wandering at meadow, getting near sheeps and stream that flows from lake, to the vegetable fields nearby. The mounds of green and chill climate never want me to leave the place, but few members of my family left in hunger drive us to vehicle and the gateway to lake doesn’t seem welcoming in debris and miry. But lake area seems untouched and undisturbed, which is a source of drinking water to the people live less than 100 meters elevation. We moved further away from the place and after the lunch I climbed some distance on wheels along the road lead to kavunji, another village in this region.

I found it was quite silent except the vibration of spraying medicine at fields and the compound of green brown terrace just caught up the eyes. The clouds gathered around the place turned the moment into perhaps rain and so we left before evening. On our way back we stopped somewhere in between pine forest and looked for a falls we found in past, but we’re at wrong indication and even warned by the one who guide us, few of them get down and stick with leeches and unless reaching room none could find it was sucking blood. I was bored to get down into cottage, so we went to the lake bank and spent sometime watching the reflections of light and went around the lake in car which was 6-7km in length.