Mountain Pass of Kolli Hills and Arappaleeswarar Temple

Having our lunch at Senthamangalam, a town on the foothills of Kolli Hills and about 12 km from where the Ghat road with 70 hairpin bends begins! Among the mountain passes in south India, Kolli Hills has the highest number of hairpin bends. Though it perhaps sounds adventure and exciting and although it was, there’s nothing to fear about alike it resound dangerous – infamously called as the mountains of death, the travel for certain distance on this road is quite zigzag. An experienced driver could give a pleasure ride… and the road is good enough and wasn’t traffic alike other mountain passes could feel secure.

We climbed the mountains in the afternoon and the landscapes on the way till the foothills, from the town, were covered by farmlands, where paddy, sugarcane, palm coconut and areca are cultivated in large scale. I am thinking for a separate post on this to look more in detail. So, the almost ride on this mountain range were zigzag through evergreen forest until the first village atop the hill, Cholakkadu, emerge with a telescope house and farmers market. It was a beautiful ride with pristine beauty at every curve and except few sharp hairpin bends, where heavy vehicles are forced to take reverse as it is not possible to turn it one radius, it was pleasant indeed.

One of the sharp hairpin bends

An evergreen and pristine mountainscape

As I know Kolli Hills is famous for the herbal and medicinal plants with great potent, I kept breathe in deep the fresh air winding across the Ghat and believed it heals my respiratory which perhaps polluted to traffic environment in cities. Though I was disappointed somehow expose to the transformation of the mountain tops into farmlands, the calmness and leftover spaces of evergreen slopes keep me regain. We had booked rooms in the Panchayath Union cottage at Semmedu, the headquarters of Kolli Hils, but the rooms weren’t nice enough and that time we heard about the youth hostel near Arappalleeswarar Temple, in Kovilur.

Herbal forest at Kolli Hills

The youth hostel is about 11 km from Semmedu and we decided to check the place to know will it suitable for us, informing them to come back if we aren’t content. The road to the hostel takes us through some lovely farmlands and a mini falls, though the accommodation wasn’t that greater there, but the environment where it was built wanted me to stay over there. And it was slightly drizzling when we reached there, which add more pleasant to the moment and silent ambiance. The hostel is on the road to the Arappalleeswarar Temple, with a backyard facing mountains and valley apart holding a beautiful garden landscape within.

Arappalleeswarar Temple (click all pics for enlarge)

Being nearest to Arappalleeswarar Temple, it was our first spot to check out. No, I haven’t gone inside the temple and not only it has steps but I wasn’t interested then. The temple was the main attraction to the Kolli Hills only next to the Aagaya Gangai waterfalls, which closely exists to the temple and only people who are healthy and ability to climb down/up 1500 steps are permitted inside. Like I told in my previous post, the Arapalesswarar Temple was built by the mountaineer ruler and skilled archer Valvil Ori in the 1^st or 2^nd century CE during his regime. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and it also houses his entire family – Goddess Shakthi, Lord Vinayaa and Muruga. 

Indian Pond Heron @ the edge of the Lake

At the end of the neatly paved trail at Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, which we visited last week, I find an Indian Pond Heron stalk prey at the edge of the lake. The bird very common in India, usually forage alone and can be missed easily just the way stalk prey in the pictures below.

The Indian pond heron or paddy bird is a small heron, widely distributed across India and its bordering countries and in the Persian Gulf, it is found in Iran, Oman and UAE.   Appear stocky with a short neck; the breeding plumage (which is in the images) has dark brown patches on white unlike non-breeding birds that have white plumage streaked in olive and brown.

doesn't it look beautiful with the reflection in water?

Measuring 40 to 45 cm in length and weighing about 230 to 275 grams, and wingspan to 75 to 90 cm, the bird has a greenish bill with black tip and yellow eyes. The prominent feature of the bird was it transforms its appearance when take off with flashing bright white wings in contrast to their dull body colors.

a non-breeding plumage is also present in  the pic above

Apt to their name, they inhabit around ponds and pools mostly, apart marshes, rivers, streams, paddy fields… the birds feeds on fishes, frogs, crustaceans, insects and small reptiles, usually from the edge of the pond. 

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Floral Bowl

The bowl maybe small – in brass

Filled with red rose petals

And a hub white rose.      
                           

Like chef garnish a dinner

Mom’s simple floral order

Adorn our tea table. 

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Shot from a road travel

My visit to Kolli Hills happened to be from Palani rather directly from Chennai as we were on a course of roundabout visiting the temple town following Thanjavur. We started from Palani after having the breakfast and reached Kolli hills by late afternoon via Dharapuram and Karur. The roads to the destination were partially a state and national highways – the NH 7, and during that course I shot some photos that made this post.

Above is a beautiful emblem I noticed at an intersection before entering the Dharapuram town. The emblem resembles a burning lamp to me and at other perspective I find fingers holding a ring with fire inside. (click photos for enlargement)

Men traveling on a mini tempo or locally known as china yanai (the Tata Ace) on  NH 7 (check the photo below to know where it was shot) and being morning hours, I guess they were supposed to carried to their workplace.

Sign boards indicating the distance of the destinations ahead and aside.

View of a hillock come hill temple of lord Muruga captured from an over bridge on the same highways.

At last come’s trucks of two with load of tractors and the number plate of the truck marks MH, which I guess is transported to Maharashtra – an Indian state.

A visit to Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary

I visited the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary, about 80km from Chennai, on Friday. And this was the first outing with my grandmother after grandfather passed away in December. I have been to Vedanthangal more than couple of times but only this time I find (or went on seeing) a huge arrival of birds, and most of them were Painted Stork and Little Cormorants followed by moderate numbers of Grey pelican, Back-headed ibis, Little and Great egrets and Spoonbill.

A scenic  view across the bird sanctuary,  shot by my brother from the  watch tower

Vedanthangal is the oldest lake bird sanctuary in the country and the steps to develop it into a bird sanctuary has started as early as 1798 when the British government realized the ornithological importance of the region. The small lakes dotted this area acts as feeding grounds for the birds, so it was attracted by variety of birds. Vedanthangal, meaning hamlet of the hunter, got its name from the act of hunting of birds by the local landlord in the early 18^th century.

Painted Storks on a withered bamboo shrub

Though the Vedanthangal Lake was declared as bird sanctuary in 1972, it has a unique history where the local populace provide protection to the sanctuary for centuries. The locals realized that the birds dropping falling into the lake create an effect (liquid guano), and when the water is used to irrigate crop fields it yield greatly and saves the fertilizers cost.  And due this the locals protect the sanctuary and thus it attracts around 40,000 birds every season, with an area of only 30 ha.

Proving that, the other side of the lake (pic above) was flourished in a golden/green meadow of paddy field! While being fascinated by the birds that decorate the number of trees stood inside the lake, the vast paddy fields on the opposite confront its scenic beauty upon growing sunset was stunning. The paddy fields with little/great egrets foraging is always a beautiful sight and one could not miss such views during a visit to Vedanthangal.

Painted storks, juveniles, standing on their nests

We had been to Vedanthangal in the evening unlike my previous visits in afternoon; I was amazed at the number of birds. But when the evening started to immerse, as sun continue to keep down its effect, many flock of birds resume to the lake after foraging in surrounding lakes. When we arrived the noise of birds weren’t louder unlike it gets darker and it seems it’s the nesting season for Painted Storks, as we saw many juvenile birds of same standing all-over the nests.

A  group of spot-billed pelicans, little cormorants and  egrets occupies the trees

Birds migrate to Vedanthangal mostly in winter season (between October-March), but this time due to the torrential rains in December there’s enough water in the lake for the birds to extend their stay. Right now, it is estimated to be about 15,000 birds at the sanctuary. Apart the plenty of painted storks, little cormorants and grey pelicans, I tried to observe variety of birds but was amused to find spoonbills, openbills, a grebes and night heron, only at home when checking the photos!

The watch tower that used to have a telescope, but it seems to be miss this time. The neat pavement along  the lake.

Although we brought a binocular, it was little painful to watch through the pair of lenses but I loved the close view somehow. Vedanthangal has a pretty neat and flat pavement along the lake bank allowed me covering the entire stretch in my wheelchair. There are couple of watch towers and view points along the footpath to observe birds and I find more interesting shooting birds this time.  At the end of day, we were left with a magnificent sunset with flock of birds flew in foreground.

I took number of photos and it’s impossible to post all at a time… so decided to make many posts out of it and more details on birds. 

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