Beetle Play

My cousin picked up this green beetle from the woods (during our vacation at the woodhouse near Kodai) and I was scared when he put it on my wheelchair board. But he told me it was lifeless so did I breathe, because I am always scared of insects and that not mean I hate insects but I like watching and shooting from a distance. He knows I like to shoot interesting subjects and as I had camera on hand I immediately took a snap on the beetle to only see a little vibrate in its legs but before we realize it was alive, it took off to fly! We were surprised and he told it was on the ground, with all mud sticking on it made certain it was dead   and was like that until I took snap.  I could still recollect the vibrate it creates before taking off.

I leave with another wild insect I captured from the same vacation and I have idea about the species and it was lying on the dining table out at the woodhouse balcony.

Linking this post with SATURDAY CRITTERS

Beginning of the season – Wind

Up in the air
heart got lifted
to a state of ecstatic,
as beginning of the season
wind blows and blows me out
before it turned hot.

Elevation of sunrays
and tail of summer trail
blew down hot waves
blowing up the cool breeze
back to the sea
as land winds took charge.

Heart yearns
for the eventide
to bring back cool breeze
but it only turned muggy
despite formation of clouds
weather turns quiet unanswered.

Ps. Picture captured around the same time last year at Kurangani Hills! The wind was so heavy there and it was the location where forest fire killed 23 trekkers in March. The poem deals with Aadi, a Tamil month which means “beginning” of a season of wind.

RGB Monday

Dazzling fruits and vegetables stall at Kodaikanal

The roadside stall sells lot of fruits and vegetables harvested from around the mountains of Kodaikanal. For the new visitors: Kodaikanal is a popular hill station in south India (more than MSL 2000 high) and one of the most visited mountains by me. And during a visit to same in the monsoon of 2016, I captured these photos while we stopped for purchasing fruits and homemade chocolates. The rains halt for some time then and it was about 7pm I took these photos from mobile and I was really amazed at the outcome of the photos splashed in different shades and colors, since the fruits exposed to the led bulbs.

And moreover the mist, gloominess and wetness of rain give a refreshing feel as I look into the dazzling fruits and vegetables from our parked car. I know very few of the names of the fruits sold at the shop like plums (called as ooty apple), pears and passion, and along with fruits they also sell mountain honey, homemade chocolates and eucalyptus oils. But more than fruits, vegetables like carrot, cabbage, potatoes and mountain garlic are cultivated around the mountains villages of Kodaikanal.  

#RGB Monday stand's for my self made meme on Red Green Blue colors.

Palamathi Hills and Balamurugan Temple

As part of my visit to Vellore district in February, I explored Palamathi Hills, a beautiful mountain range that close to the Vellore City or to say about 10 km from the same. Located southeast of the Vellore city, the hills is an extension of the Eastern Ghats includes Palamathi Reserve Forest and Otteri Lake, makes it a thriving hotspot for various birds and flora. I visited the hills through the back road, which I would recommend anyone driving from Chennai who like to enjoy village scenario and it was a short route too by going into Arcot town and taking the Arcot main road to Kavanur and then to Palamathi Hills.

View on a part of Palamathi Hills

The hills have a beautiful and scenic environment and I would highly recommend it visited during winter or monsoon to feel cool and find it quite greenish. Palamathi is a developing tourist destination with Balamurugan Temple, atop the hill, could be the prime destination to attract tourist. The yellow coated Murugan Temple, also known as Kuzhandai Velayudhabani swamy Temple could be an attention seeker for anyone visiting the hills and the hillock temple and tower is visible from the distance if you climb from the Vellore city. The temple has a beautiful arch at the foothill leading a driveway and a stairs parallel to the parking lot.

It was 12pm when we visited the temple and it has around 150 steps to climb from the foot hall to the temple and before we discover the off road that adjoin the hillock, mom and grandma went atop on foot and it was them to find out the mud road and we took the SUV close to the temple tower. The temple provides free lunch for the visited devotes and except me and cousin, others end their lunch there. Parents told the temple was well maintained and has couple of peacocks fenced in a cage inside the temple – form where one get to hold natural views all around.

The forest view along the off road that take us above the hillock and you could see goats feeding from a bucket kept by the temple people.

The temple perched on the cliff, shot while climbing down the hill towards Vellore city

Palamathi isn’t very high hills and should be around MSL 300-400 and has wonderful breeze throughout the year but should feel cool in morning and evenings unless monsoon/winter hits. I actually wanted to visit this place much earlier as post monsoon or midwinter to experience cool weather but it wasn't bad in early Feb. The best part of the scenic hills is the road winding down to the Vellore city and the hairpin bends are picturesque to shoot along the way or from the hilltop. But the temple has closed the windows overlooking that view, perhaps it located at unsafe spot, so we missed getting the scene but I managed to get some while drove through the Ghats.

Scenic view around the hairpin bends

Palamathi is a village panchayat and majority of the people living here are migrants from other places of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra and so they do not have a tribal status. The people cultivate paddy, groundnut and ragi above the mountains and sells at the city market. The Otteri Lake at the foothill is a manmade lake in the British era to supply water to Vellore city. I took many photos on the hills and I would share more in the future posts.

RGB Monday

GEMS Shooting

Cadbury Gems is chocolate flavor, rich and chocolate buttons.What makes Gems different is the way the chocolate has been designed as colorful candy.