Travel to Palani II

After sometime in room, we leave to Palani Murugan Temple by early evening guided by a guy name Raja, who works in the temple arranged by our caretaker in Palani, who booked our rooms. Actually I wasn’t interested to visit the Temple and it was dad’s wish to visit Palani for long time and want to take me to Hill temple which I once climbed on my bare foot. The parents who listen to Raja believed to take me to Hill temple in winch along wheels and I just nod to go with their decision as no option and also got ticket and wait to board the winch.

After sometime the winch climbed down and at first sight itself I felt it’s impossible to board the winch, which stands in a slanting platform and position and has small doorway to enter. Somehow my grandfather managed to climb inside and I quite denied taking the risk and refusing parents request, l stayed back leaving them to go ahead and confine in care of cousin Logesh and friend in driver Jagan as company.

The winch roped away in despite anxious parents whose thought where on me and gladly with the assist of cousin and Jagan I shifted to Scorpio (SUV car) from wheelchair and was ready for our trail which was our actually plan to check the places around Palani in meantime parents temple visit. With no idea where to go and mom taking away the camera to hill temple, we come around the hill and checked with a person who directed us to a dam in 12kms at the foothills of Kodaikanal on the Western Ghats.

I was interested to take this route to Kodaikanal which I haven’t done so far and it was very cool as we nearing the foothills and it was a small dam built partially on the nature made rocks called Varadhamanadhi Dam. The dam is told to flow anytime and since the gate was closed we couldn’t drive inside the dam, but the dam was almost visible from the gate and could hear the stream flowing aside.

We stayed sometime there and the weather was very pleasant and cold since evening, we decided to drive some more on this stretch till foothill and was excited when come across the warning boards of elephant crossing in this area. The road to foothill was so chill and dense by coconut and mango groves on either side is fenced by electric wires to protect from wild animals and the more eager Jagan stopped a man and asked where we could see elephants. The man’s answer was funny and in fade told ‘that he didn’t see elephants for last 10 days and they were shifted to another area’ and he’s very sad about it to say unsteadily.

It was awesome feel to see the cloud capped hills so close and the coldness in air cause refreshing and kept me inhaling the fresh air deep into the lungs and experiencing the cold wind and moisture while return back. On way back dad called to arrive soon as their vision has been completed and waiting for us, the darkness has already surrounded and when I told mom about the dam and weather, she was surprise to say that they were seeing that dam from hilltop and captured the views which are sure to have us somewhere there hidden!

My parents had already planned for an Amman temple in Palani and it was festival time in that temple and was tented around and the time we checked, the idol was brought in an elephant as a procession. The elephant belong to the Palani Murugan Temple was tied by Nettipattam – a elephant ornament tied to its forehead – cause a glorious look and been moving along couldn’t get a good frame out of shaking pictures.

Unwilling to go to room, we went around the Palani hill again for parents who haven’t gone and went to the newly build children’s park on the outside of the town and behind the hillock. As it was closing time we parked the car outside the park and had our tea beside the cool breeze blowing off while the rope cars exchange view and the twinkling lights on the hillock was a wonderful sight! Again after our dinner in Nalapakam, we head to room and tried slumber in a strange comfort.