"Methai Veedu" or "Maadi Veedu" is a Tamil term used in village sides of Tamil Nadu to call houses with terraces, and these are a few such houses I shot at Palamathi hills near Vellore.
Palamathi is a small hilly area located to the southeast of Vellore city, and a beautiful winding road leads from there to a renowned temple known as Balamathi Murugan temple.
Kodaikanal upland villages bore a lot of grasslands and sholas around them, providing a great feeding ground for cattle. So, sheep rearing is a natural habit; and to enhance the custom, the Central Government has established a sheep farm in a village called Mannavanur to produce wool from the sheep.
Recently, I watched a video on youtube on the real purpose of the wool produced here: Sheep farm set up after India's defeat in the war with China in 1962. The main reason for the loss in the war was the cold that prevailed at the India-China border. Indian soldiers couldn't bear the cold because of the lack of woolen cloths available at that time, and keeping that in mind, the government brought the sheep farm on the 1340 acres of rolling grasslands at an altitude of 2000 meters MSL.
I visited a part of the grasslands during one of my trips to Kodaikanal in 2009 - that time, I came close with a herd of sheep from the farm. A little boy was driving those sheep, and they were simultaneously grazing the ground (heads-down like new brides) and kept moving that way.
I captured the sheep (in the picture above) in 2019 on the roadside near Poombarai. One of the scenic villages of Kodaikanal, on the way to Mannavanur. A rope and bell tied to the neck of the sheep show it belongs to a villager, and the sheep was munching on cabbage leaves from a sack left beside.
The sheep was cute and dirt as well and smelled not good. Its fur was a tangle, perhaps because of that, because it smelled, or due to the munching of cabbage. Anyway, it cooperated with shots.
The sheep in the farm produce wool once a year, and every year in March, the sheep goes through fur removal after growing enough of the same. After removing, the fur transports as a raw material to a place (I forget) where the fur collected from elsewhere goes into the process of making woolen blankets for soldiers defending the country against cold.
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| The view of the sheep farm and sheep enclosures |
Each sheep produces 1 to 3 kg of fur each year, but in the process, they are halved. The Sheep farm (Southern Regional Research Centre) in Mannavanur is a regional center of the Central Sheep & Wool Research Institute, a premier Institution of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi. (source wiki)
The first bird I shot from my first time stay at my uncle's woodhouse in Thandikudi, near Kodaikanal, was the Crested serpent eagle. The bird of prey came very close, perching a tree in the backyard of the woodhouse, and I shot the bird from the balcony that overlooks the coffee plantation and wild vegetation.
I already stayed at Thandikudi twice then and have seen the serpent eagle in one of my trips, but that was the first time I encountered at the close, and the bird was looking for prey - perhaps a little bird that was flying around. The bird flew later with a great swish-swash of its widespread wings.
My uncle constructed the woodhouse and cottage in late 2015 in the coffee estate he bought lately then, and we have been visiting the property (Smokey Haven) since 2016 until pandemic blocked any course of travel. Glad I hold many photos from the trips to the property to unfold any time to travel back in memories and thus a moment shared with an eagle.
The Crested serpent eagle is a medium-sized bird of prey found in forested habitats across tropical Asia. Like its broad wings (with which it flies over the forest canopy), the bird's range is widespread across Asia, with variations within itself; some treat several of its subspecies as separate species. The bird with long feathers on the back of the head (apart from having a look of a large head) give them a maned and crested appearance, and hence feeding on snakes often, gave them their name and are placed along with the snake eagles in the subfamily Circaetinae. (source wiki)
Foxes and Jackals have become an endangered species in our Indian subcontinent, and I remember seeing a Jackal (in wilder) only once in the Kodiakkarai scrub forest, aka Point Calimere. I have been to many wild forests, but nowhere I could see a Fox or Jackal. It seems the foxes have almost lost their habitation, and who could be responsible for that other than us, the human beings?
Man hunted foxes/jackals for their skin and flesh - believing to have medical values is used in traditional medicine is one of the reasons for the foxes to disappear from the forest. And those who hunt foxes are called Narikuravar (fox tribe) in southern India, and they sell things made of fox body parts, esp. they make necklaces with fox tooth hanging.
But they stopped hunting fox/jackals after the Indian Wildlife Conservation Act (1972 as amended to 2005) forbids the hunting of all wildlife; they were prohibited entry into the forests; thus took alternatives such as selling beaded ornaments to survive. But beyond that, habitat loss is the main reason for the fox/jackal to become endangered. The conversion of grassland habitat to agriculture, industry, and increasingly bio-fuel plantations have drastically affected its population.
There is an attitude of comparing fox/jackal trickery and ingenuity with people among us, who are very sharp, specific, and self-centered. There's a famous story of The Fox and Crow told in various versions (and ours was "granny's vada"); to praise the trickiness of fox, but the moral of the story was to never deceive anyone cunningly for our benefit and don't believe everyone's word.
There is also a superstition in India that waking up on a fox face or hearing a jackal howl means good things will happen. And there are much folklore, mythology, and literature relevant to the jackal's cunningness and religious beliefs. So whatever it is, preserving a dying species is everyone's duty, and those living around the forest need to be more responsible, emphasizing the same.
The golden jackal I shared here was shot at Amirthi Zoological Park, near Vellore. The Park has a nice set of dens, that too a colorful one - paintings of trees resembling the walls of the kindergarten - covered by a partial dome-like cage. When we visited, a lone jackal was roaming outside the dens - there are two separate dens, what I guess was there must be at least a pair of jackals - right now, only one is available.
The Golden Jackal, believed to be a social animal that lives either as pairs or packs like wolves, is native to Southeast Europe to Southeast Asia. Comparatively, a small size wolf, "the jackal possesses shorter legs and a shorter tail, a more elongated torso, a less-prominent forehead, and a narrower and more pointed muzzle. The golden jackal's coat can vary in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter."
"The genetic studies indicate the golden jackal expanded from India around 20,000 years ago, towards the end of the last ice age. Golden jackals' habitat in valleys and beside rivers and their tributaries, canals, lakes, and seashores feed on foods ranging from fruit and insects to small ungulates." (courtesy wiki)
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| Sun setting behind palmyra trees of ECR |
We moved further on the road, and while coming into a clear view, the sun went below the horizon, leaving some lovely hues across the sky. As I was sitting in the front passenger seat, I could only capture through the windshield, and when driving over the bypass road, I got a broad view of the twilight sky.
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| A panoramic view of the road and sunset. |
I want to visit my aunt's home sometime and gladly took this opportunity, though I didn't get into her home as we had a short time as we arrived there in the evening. But surprisingly, aunt decided to accompany us on our drive to Mamallapuram, and that way she could spend time with us. Later we dropped her off at a bus stop on the way home, and she immediately got on her bus and reached home on time.
It was nice to come out after a long time, and I could see many changes around me, and some remain the same as before. I could see houses and buildings in bright colors and many developments in road construction and flyovers, easing the traffic. I shared above is one of an apartment painted in different colors in the neighborhood of West Tambaram. I also got a series of sunset shots from the ECR to share in a future post.
A colorful school frontage...
on Periyakulam-Theni highway. The cropped image was a little shaky as it shot from a moving car.
Colorful street shots from the temple town Thirukazhukundram.
Either the shoes or bags are sold, I'm sure masks will do good business for them. Do you see the colorful masks hang out on stick before all?
It was 3.30 when we end our lunch from the tree
shades opposite Oussudu Lake. Being new to the place, we had to check many
hotels along the way quite annoyed and came to a mindset of having whatever's
available to eat. And only then my cousin called his friend, and he directed us
to the restaurants' area.
My google maps showed a restaurant named Irfan,
and what could I think further other than going directly over there when there
is a restaurant in the name of the popular food Youtuber/vlogger Irfan. The
biriyani, as well as the other non-veg items we bought, were delicious. And its
taste was a testament to the fame of the name Irfan.
The lake covers an area of about 800 hectares, and it was equally divided by the states of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. Oussudu is the largest lake in Puducherry and a migratory park for birds, and during winters, the overseas birds visit the lake and build nests on trees.
Due to the generous northeast monsoon, the lake
was up to its brim and waveringly. People have happily drowned their legs in
the water while sitting on the stairs, a bunch onboard returning from a ride on
the lake. I couldn't spend much time at the lake despite the afternoon breeze
and shadows were inviting; I left to explore a beach before head back home.
The excavator is built west facing and comes on
the highway's right side when driving from Chennai and a few hundred meters
from Trichy SRM Medical College. I learned that the excavator (structure) and
the entire building belong to the MIHM Heavy machinery driving school. A place
that seemed to train people in handling heavy machines.
The images here were shot in 2016 when
returning from Kodaikanal via Trichy.
Colorful bicycles for the ride...
There's nothing like riding a bicycle, the best part of the activity around the beautiful lake of Kodaikanal. Though I never enjoyed such a moment, I sensed it from my many visits. Regardless of age, everyone enjoys their ride.
Furthermore, in this regard, check my former post on Kodaikanal lake and travel.
Captured this cute little blossom
from the wilderness mixed with fear and excitement! It seems like a kind of wild daisy flower was bloomed a lot alongside the headwaters of
the Bhavani River in Nilgiris, and these flowers were tiny and less than an
inch in size bloomed in white as well.
The headwater of the Bhavani
River is one of the wildest places I have visited (in 2011) and, it still excites me to
think back. There was no one at the place when we visited as 7, not because it
was a weekday or off-seasoned, but it's a restricted place and needs permission
from the forest department. It's not an easy task unless a few years ago,
before the forest department make revenue by turning it into an ecotourism
spot.
Once entered, we are cut off from
the outside world, though it was 10 years before - even now too; if trapped, we
would be left to a standstill until the forest officers come to rescue. Photography
was prohibited inside the forest, but we had no option, and it's impossible to
resist taking photos as what we see was pristine in its beauty to the senses. Despite
the warning, the officer in charge tested our truthfulness by enquiring we have
a camera; later encouraged us that going inside the forest without a camera is
worthless and said it's ok to carry a camera and make sure to keep it out of
their officials' sight.
I never shared any photos shot
from my visit to this place, not that it was prohibited but to protect nature
in my personal interest. Today many photos are upload from this place, and
perhaps to say after it was open to the tourist in the name of ecotourism. This part of the western catchment area
contributes a tremendous amount of water - for hydroelectric, irrigation, and
drinking, which needs to be preserved from any action against its ecosystem.
There are a few more lists of
places I visited that I have no idea of sharing in the future too. But I wish I
could write my experience here and there.
Leaving the idiots, who still
believe covid is a myth, how come the most being senseless to the pandemic rule
of social distancing and masking? But glad to see a development in wearing
masks after strict enforcement. And I'm sorry to say, how well did we educate
and what kind of awareness we got to behave like deaf and blinds. I'm not to
humiliate them, but I write what I thought was that the people who lack some
senses are far better than the well-being!
I saw a girl kid in the news
bumped on a lady cop for fining her and her father for not wearing the mask in
the car, and she was adamant, despite her father's comfort, she told she didn't
infect and why should we pay. I don't know should I admire her boldness or
worry about her short-tempered attitude at this age of less than 10.
In Cuddalore, district people rush to a hospital to take the covid test, but they don't care about the social distancing or give a thought, what if they aren't infected, the way they throng could stick with the spikes of the corona. I think our days are supposed to be tough ahead, and despite the terrific covid, a lockdown to implement could be a difficult phase to manage on a certain level. On the other hand, the vaccination has picked up speed, and many have volunteered to be vaccinated, which is the only chance we have to survive, and whoever is eligible for the vaccine should not miss the chance.
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| Beautiful streaks of clouds from a mountain visit a few years back, and it's been two years since I visit the mountains, as well as taking long trips that mostly head to mountains of western ghats. Thank covid for stealing a couple of years from my travel diary. |
It was a refreshing sight of yellow; though it wasn't a large landscape of yellow, I never got to see a marigold field of this much. And it was a great divertissement from the regular and boring sights of the highways and there's also a patch of mixed colors of an orange and yellow and yet un-bloomed bed of dark orange or red marigold.
It seems it was the dam water that made flourish the marigold. Though the marigold bloomed on both sides of the road, the view towards the backwater (2nd pic above) is scenic, and the blue sky and the sunny day made it glowing. Aside from that, a kind of white wildflowers bloomed in the barren lands, but still, I doubt whether they are wildflowers or a kind of cultivated flowers.
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| Field of white wildflower |
The field of flowers stretched only for a few km on the east bank of the reservoir, and it seems only the land around the dam is fertile, unlike its dry northern part where we drove along before drawing away to Puducherry. This reminds me of the rose fields I saw around Nagalapuram, at the border of Andhra and Tamil Nadu, had Pichatur Dam as its source.
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| The bed of red marigold ready to bloom |
The country cow breed is slowly disappearing from the earth, though the awareness to preserve our country species are rising it wasn't much satisfactory. The milk from country cows is unique in taste and has great benefits to health than the imported jersey cows, which is rears for the large quantity of milk production. But I could see a rise in the use of dairy products from country cows lately in Youtube channels, whose domination is high in the current situation or revolution of the Internet brings hope the future will take further into action.
The revolution of tractors and modern
technology drastically turned down the need for cattle but still, the country
cows are reared for milk and dairy products.
Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS
I have crossed the Veedur Dam
several times when going beyond Villupuram on the GST road or NH 45 (or NH 138
according to Google maps), and I could only see a piece of the bank of the
4.5km long dam. I mostly took this national highway for long trips, as it is a prime road led to the southern districts of Tamil Nadu, and thus I never had
time to stop to look at the dam as we need to cover long distances in travel.
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| The entrance arch to the dam |
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| The 3 Tainter gates |
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| The view of the dam park and car parking |
The total height of the concrete dam
is 32 feet, and the earth dam is 37 feet; and among the 4.8 km long earth dam,
only 430 feet is a concrete dam. Besides the 9 spillway shutters, there are 3
Tainter gates - a type of radial arm floodgates used in dams and canal locks to
control water flow - which is something I find new. The dam has two little
parks, one at the entrance of the road, beside the archway, and another close
to the dam provides some nice shadows to the visitors and play area for kids.
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| Driving down to downstream area through the shadowy park area |
