The tale of Bahubali

This is the continuation of the post “To the Jain temples.”

We have not yet reached Sri Chandranatha Basadi Temple. Time is left only to visit it. By the timewe have seen it, it will be dusk. Hari turned the car.

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On the way, met Ramesh Babu’s brother in law. His house is very near. He insisted not to leave without having a tea from his home. Why skip a tea, offered with love in the evening tea time, while roaming through the Wayanad forests and coffee plantations?



After tea, started to the Chandra Basadi temple, which is after two plots. To the right of the temple a house could be seen. The tiled roof building, to the left of the temple, probably would be office or so. There was no sign of habitation in that. As we get down from car, a man who wore a woollen cap came out of the house in the right. He may be more than 60 yrs in age. When came closer he could recognise Ramesh Babu and greeted him. He is Ajith Sage, who is the priest of the temple. His Malayalam accent is distinct with the slang of Kannada. It seems special, understanding something in a new language, after learning it from basics.



In front of the temple, a naked statue of an approximate height of 15 feet is placed on a slightly raised platform. It has climbers have crawled up through the hands and legs. The statue seems to be pictured as placed on a snake mound and hence a few snakes are also engraved on the legs of statue. Even though I had seen the image in several pictures and instances I did not know the name of the idol. Have to accept, my ignorance in Jainism! Anyhow Ajith sage resolved my ignorance. Opening the small gate infront of the statue, he invited to the front of the statue, and started telling about Jainism.



It is the sculpture of Bahubeli, who is the first man who attained salvation (‘ Mokhagami’) according to Jain belief. Ajith sage took me to the depth of new information. I was too ignorant about Jainism that I never heard of ‘Theerthankara’ or ‘ Mokshagami’ before. My knowledge on it was limited to the information from history books that Jainism has two cults “Digambara” and “Swetambhara”.

Vrishabhatheerthankara, son of the king Nabhi, had two wives, namely Yashaswathy and Sunanda. Yashaswathy had 100 sons including Bharathan where as Sunanda devi had a son called Bahubali and a daughter, Soundari.

Vrishabharajan had ruled the country ideally, suggesting his people mainly 6 ways for livelihood such as .... agriculture, trade, cow rearing, sculpturing etc and helping on it. When children reached adulthood, took initiative for their marriage and other auspicious activities related to their life. Later on he had a realisation that that all his prosperity and position was indebted to the previous virtues and they would not be eternal. The eldest son Bharathan was given Ayodhya and Poudanapuram to Bahubali. Soon he chose the path of asceticism, giving the ruling responsibility of his kingdom among children.

Bharatha then started invasion of the rest of the countries, which lasted many years. Most of the ally kings surrendered their power without much resistance. Out of respect for him, some kings offered their daughters as bride for Bharata. Without any bloodshed or conflicts Bharata had conquered most of the places and returned back to his capital. However, then he realized none of his brothers had surrendered their power. Not only that, every one of his brothers except Bahubali had opted for ascetic life. This caused Bharata immense grief. Even then, he has decided to have a war with exceptionally sized and arrogant Bahubali thinking, it is inevitable to complete his conquest.

Despite the fact that he had a smaller army, Bahubali came to the war ground to fight, with an attitude to proudly face the outcome, either if it is a lose or win. However, realizing the fact that in the war many of the innocent soldiers are going to lose their life, the ministers of both, Bharata and Bahubali requested emperor Bharata to stop the war involving bloodshed. Instead they suggested dharamyudha without any life loss. King Bharata and Bahubali agreed to the suggestion and decided to choose the winner through three different war startegics, sightware, water war and wrestling.

Bahubali, who has got better physique than Bharathan, won all the three warfare, but he was feeling deep sorrow that he had to fight with his brother. Due to the guilt feel he decided to become austere. Bahubali’s decision distressed Bharatan. However, his attempts were in vain as Bahubali’s decision was not changed.

But wherever Bahubali travelled, he heard it was Baharata’s kingdom. Hearing it, his ego was hurt again. Finally Bahubali reached the termite mound of a snake. To the question, whose country was that, snake answered it was snake’s country. Gaining permission from the snake, Bahubali started tapsya (deep meditation with vows), standing in the termite mound. It lasted long and even climbers have started to grow over Bahubali’s body. However, Emperor Bharata was thoughtful about the state of Bahubali that even after long years, he did not achieve salvation from worldly cycles of death and rebirth (moksha) and could not adorn the throne of wisdom (Sarvajnapeedam).

Bharathan went to father Vrishaba sage and told about it. Vrishaba replied Baharata “In Bahubali’s mind an inferiority complex still exists that he is standing in the land of his elder brother. If you go immediately and solve his problem with ego, he will adorn the throne of wisdom”. According to the opinion of Vrishaba swami Bharatan went to Bahubali and told “The blessed ascetic, give forgiveness. You are not my younger brother now, but a great austere and I am an emperor. But, I do not have peace of mind. What could cause thoughts and grief for you, who had abstained everything? If you have got any such doubts, I pray to devoid it. You would remember, here Emperor Bharata is not bowing before his younger brother, but before a soul blessed than him in embellishing goodness from past, wouldn’t you?” The doubts of Bahubali were clarified with these words and he gained throne of wisdom, attaining peace and world fame. Later, Bahubali sage attained salvation through meditation, in front Vrishaba sage.

In memory of Bahubali, Emperor Bharata constructed a statue of Bahubali sage in Poudanapuram, gave information to people about his righteousness and spread fame of Bahubali. Bahubali is known as the first person to achieve salvation (Mokshagami).
Along with narrating the story, Ajith sage showed the statue of Bahubali, which may cost lakhs and allowed even to touch it. The statue was made in single stone in Rajastan and was transported from there by means of road. While Ramesh Babu was praying before the ‘Mokshagami’, I was standing without knowing how to bow the deity, bemused in the enthralling historic story.

I got a understanding that the other name of Indian country, Bharath, was from the name of the king Bharathan, the son of King Vrishaba, which sounded new piece of information to me. I have to accept that I had an intense urge to know the real history behind the name as, till then I was thinking the name came from the name of Bharathan who is son of Dushyanthan.

Steping down from Bahubali, entered into the main temple which is on the right side. The temple which is taken care with regular worship does not seem to be very old. Inside, there is more than one deity that is not familiar. When Ramesh Babu started praying by folding his hands infront of the deity, after placing the flowers and coconut on the inner sanctum step , which he brought along, my mind also engaged in prayer.


Ajith sage showed some of the snake idols in the temple, explaining its differences from snake idol in Hindu temples and allowed to take photographs until I was pleased. In snake idols of Jain temples along with the snake, there will be engravings of the god. When we finished a circumambulation and came out the temple, Ajith sage invited to have a tea from his house. Sitting on the veranda, sipping the tea, we saw the album of photos taken when statue of Bahubali was installed (Prathishta karmam). Most of the Jains in Wayand are present in the pages of the album.


Slowly the talks were deviated to the agriculture in Wayanad and problems associated with it such as scarcity in the availability of labourers for cultivation and harvesting. It has started getting dark. Hari and I have to reach Manathavady, after dropping Ramesh babu back at his residence in Puthiyadam. Left, thanking Ajith sage.

Got a few books, which includes Jainism, Jain temples and the book released on the installation of Bhubali statue, ‘Bahubali charitram’(The history of Bahubali), from the house of Ramesh Babu. They helped to provide more information about Jainism.

No, not enough! Umpteen things are remaining to understand. There are a lot more Jain temples, in Wayanad and other places of Kerala. Have to go everywhere, have to understand everything. I decided it in my mind, while the return after leaving Babu, back in his home.

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This journey may lead to Idakal cave, Kallil temple, Thiruchiral hills.......etc.

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Translated from my Malayalam travel blog 'Chila Yaathrakal' by Miss Anu.

The Sahib and the house boat

It’s been more than a while since ‘House Boat tourism’ has become a huge hit in Kerala. Though a houseboat trip has been on the agenda for a long time, owing to multiple reasons it never happened. Finally, in July 2002 we arranged a pleasure trip on a houseboat through a local travel agent based in Alapuzha.


We started from home in the afternoon. We were to stay in a house by the banks of the Vembanad lake in Muhamma. A house … you may suspect, the house belonged to one of my friends or relatives. But no, this house belonged to an Austrian ‘Sahib’(sahib is a colloquial reference to a fair skinned male foreigner; in kerala sahib is pronounced to sound like ‘sayip’) !

What?? An Austrian - having a house in Muhamma? Don’t be astonished. Yes, it is true.

The ‘sahib’ is close to 55 years of age. But he has one problem. His body is paralyzed downwards completely except for his head. Though this is the case, the sahib does most of everything that a normal person of his age would do. The one major dependency he has is that he needs help to be positioned and navigated on a wheel chair. The house and property is designed in such a way that the wheelchair can be comfortably operated both inside and outside. There are no steps anywhere, even at the doors. On wheeling down the verandah slopes to the dancing backwaters nearby, you can see a structure consisting of an iron post to which a pulley and rope is attached. Using this arrangement, the sahib along with his wheelchair immerses in the water up to the level of his neck and ‘swims’!

Forget all this; there is much more remarkable information about the sahib. He continues to be employed even in this condition. And that too, it is not a run of the mill kind of commoner job. He is a responsible sitting judge in Austria!! At first I found it difficult to believe this. How is it that with this immovable body and its immense limitations, he is able to manage the affairs of the court and pass judgments?

He prepares all his judgments using a computer. Someone has to switch on the computer for him. After that a head band is tied to his forehead resembling that worn by the cine-actor, Balachandra Menon. When a key board appears on the screen, the sahib starts to move his head. When a beam of light emanating from the head band hits the alphabets on the keyboard, a pull down menu comprising of words start to appear on the screen in the combination of the selected alphabets. Moving his head, the sahib chooses the words he requires. Very easy, isn’t it?

Oops, apologies....I haven’t still told you the name of the sahib, right? His name is ‘Wolf Gang’. Isn’t it a rather impressive name?

It was a young man from the neighborhood who was assisting Wolf Gang till very recently. Sometime back, Sahib married a local Malayali lady aged around 40 years and from then on, the young man’s work has reduced to only housekeeping and security.

It was a charming little house with a tiled roof; having two bedrooms, verandah and other facilities. The interior décor has been done using only Kerala style handicrafts. Huge ‘nannangadi’s, utensils made of ‘churakka’ used by toddy tappers etc are some of the items which we can see displayed inside the rooms. On the green lawns extending right till the lake, we can see a multi-layered lamp made of black granite stone right in the middle of the property. On certain special days, all the layers are filled with oil and the lamp is lit!

During the winters in Europe, Wolf Gang heads to Kerala. His paralyzed body is unable to withstand the harsh winters. During the period he is not here in Kerala and when the tourism season sets in, the 2 bedrooms are rented out as home-stay facility to visitors through some tour operators. So that explains how I was able to arrange our stay there as well.

Whatever it be, there is no better example I have seen than Wolf Gang to prove that nothing is impossible if you set your mind on it.

The young assistant of Sahib prepared dinner for us. He had collected the order from us previously during the afternoon itself.

The next day in the morning, a houseboat came and parked in the jetty right in front of the house. We spend the whole day on the houseboat gliding on the waters, sightseeing on the Vembanad lake and the canals of Alapuzha. Considering that it may not be of any particular interest, we decided to skip a stop at Pathiramanal. It was definitely more worthwhile and interesting to be able to directly see and experience the beautiful sights of life passing us by on either sides of the canals and the finishing point of the famous Kerala boat race.

There were 3 crew members aboard the boat. In the afternoon, the boatmen stopped at a nearby island to buy fresh fish and they fried the fish and served it with rice for us in the afternoon. Secretly they also managed to procure some beer!! The usual practice is to catch fish from the boat itself using a fishing rod. However, that day no fish had bitten the bait and hence the purchase!


Sometime in between, the waves became rough owing to two motorized ferry boats passing very close to us, almost capsizing our boat. I have to admit we did panic a little.

At night, we slept on the boat itself after anchoring right in the middle of the lake. We slept peacefully listening to the humming music of the frenzied mosquitoes circling outside the mosquito net spread over our bed. In the middle of the night, our one and a half year old daughter woke up with a jolt from her sleep and started to cry seeing the unfamiliar surroundings. After some time, she went back to sleep feeling tired.

The next morning, we drew up the anchor and set off on our return journey to Wolf Gangs residence. By lunch time we headed back to Ernakulam.

We departed experiencing a rare fulfillment of having seen and known so much more than merely having had a delightful houseboat journey.
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Translated from my Malayalam blog ' Chila Yaathrakal ' by geetham. To read the Malayalam version, click here.

The Ramassery Idli

A journey to eat Idlies !!! That too... on getting up at 4 in the morning for it. Amusing, isn’t it?

This trip was inspired by an article published in the Sunday supplement of a leading local newspaper.The feature was about a small village called Ramassery in Palaghat district of Kerala, famed for a unique type of Idli named after it. The article described how the idlies were prepared using a special type of oven, custom made earthen vessels and natural firewood. That was more than enough to tempt me. Thanks to the write-up, despite not being so much of an Idli freak, my mouth watered. I pledged to gorge on it someday. But I was never able to manage enough time to make an exclusive trip only for this purpose.

A few years went by. In 2004, my better half got a job transfer to Bangalore. We stayed there for over two years. Being an oil field employee, those days I had a schedule which allowed me one month vacation after every 2 months of work. Hence it was a routine then to make a trip to Ernakulam along with my wife and six year old daughter during my vacations. Those trips were usually by car. I really enjoyed those long drives which lasted over 10 hours. It was on one of those Bangalore- Ernakulam journeys, that I saw a sign board in a passing shot on the Palaghat highway which rang some bells inside my head.

‘Ramasserry ‘

On the left side, there was a small road going inside approximately 5 km before the road turning to Pollachi. It must have been past 2’o clock in the afternoon. We were always in a hurry to reach home once we passed the Walayar check post. Besides, it wasn’t the best time of the day to eat idlis. So I made a plan then itself. During the return journey, my breakfast will be the Ramassery Idli.

On our return journey from Ernakulam, we usually take a breakfast halt at the Indian Coffee House located on the Trissur-Palghat stretch. This time, we started our journey at 4:30 in the wee hours of the morning. No harm in starting a little early considering that we were heading to an unfamiliar place!

Before eight we reached the major turning to Ramassery. From there, we followed a scenic village road. After proceeding about 2 kms, we started to have doubts if we had lost our way?

To make sure we were on the right track, we stopped and asked a ‘mundu’ clad villager passing by,

“Is this the way to Ramassery?”

Prompt came the answer

“Is it to eat the Idlies??? Just go straight ahead and take a turn to the right!”

I couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed. People have understood that we were on a quest this early in the morning only to eat Idlis!!!

Anyway, on the brighter side, at least now we could be sure that we were on the right track and that the idlis were indeed famous in this part of the world. When we turned to the right, we could see teasing smiles on the rustic faces of the womenfolk who were gathered around the Panchayat tap to collect water. Everyone has understood our motive!! It seemed obvious to them that a Karnataka registration car in their locality at that time of the day could only mean that the passengers have come lured by the magic of the idlies.

Questions started to gather in our minds. Have we become a mockery in front of these simple villagers? Is it better that we beat a retreat?

But NO…... How can we simply return like that? Let’s see how far things go… no matter what; we will eat the Ramasserry Idlies today!

We travelled another 1 km before we parked the car outside the wall of a temple on the left hand side. On the opposite side, we saw a local tea shop..it was a typical Kerala style Tea stall which we would tend to jestingly refer to as Bhagawati Vilasam Tea shop !

We entered the tea shop and placed an order for idlies. They informed us that it will take some time if we wanted to have fresh idlies. To make two idlies it would take half an hour.

While we were waiting for the idlies to arrive on the table, I made a casual entry into the kitchen. I could see that the cooking was in full swing on four or five special stoves made of stone. The idlies appeared differently shaped. They were flat like an ‘appam’ and larger in circumference than a normal idli.

On befriending the waiter, I gathered some more information regarding the famous Idlies. You also get to buy these idlies in some hotels and eating places located on the highway. But all of it is prepared and distributed only from this shop. This explains the hectic activities inside that small kitchen. The idlies were prepared throughout the day.

Naturally, a question may form in our minds. Will the idlies not spoil in the course of the day if all of it is not consumed? But the answer is an emphatic NO; these idlies will last up to one week without any change in taste and without getting spoilt.

I was then reminded of what I had read earlier in the newspapers. A prestigious hotel group had once attempted to recreate the magic of the ramassery idlies at their modern hotel and thus earn some glory and money. They hired a lady who worked as a cook in the Ramassery tea shop and tried to prepare the idlies in their five star kitchen. But their efforts went waste. It was a moment of realization that Ramassery Idli’s cannot be prepared on a gas stove and in high end steel utensils.

We relished the idlies which were distinct in their form and taste. On an experimental basis, we also bought a special chutney powder along with some packed Idlies to take along. We took them to Bangalore and consumed the Idlies within three days. We can vouch that the idlies did not lose their freshness or taste. Somehow we were hesitant to stretch the idlies beyond that.

On our way to join back onto the highway, we could still feel sneering glances of the villagers which were targeted at the gluttonous idli-eaters. But we did not feel any shame or embarrassment this time.

Instead we felt a sense of accomplishment as though we had succeeded in achieving something great in life.
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Translated from my Malayalam blog ' Chila Yaathrakal ' by Geetham. To read the Malayalam version, click here.

Thirunelli

Thirunelli, known as Southern Kasi, is 30 km from Mananthawadi in Wayanad district, Kerala. Its main attraction is the famous temple of Lord Vishnu. I am a person who likes to have my temple and prayers in my own mind. Nevertheless, if time permits, I visit the Thirunelli temple during all my trips to Mananthawadi. The natural beauty of the locality is what draws me to this place. Besides, I enjoy driving through the forest roads shaded by huge trees and bamboo clusters. Mighty elephants take charge of these roads in the night.

It’s not difficult to find your way to Thirunelli. A little ahead of Kattikulam is the road to Thettu. Take a left from there, and the winding road takes you to Thirunelli. Very close to the parking lot is a big building, which is the Panchathirtham guest house.

On my first trip to Thirunelli, this guest house was not there. It was opened in 2002 to facilitate pilgrims from far-off places. The guesthouse is like a landmark in the sense that one can get off the bus on seeing this building. There are no other big concrete buildings in the 30-km journey from Mananthawadi to Thirunelli, and, hence, it’s hard to miss it.

From the frontage of Panchathirtham, I could see the hills and a part of the temple. Alongside, a bunch of clouds wander as if they lost the way. Or did they come to visit the temple, too?

A flight of rock-cut steps leads to the temple. Remove your footwear and climb the steps to reach the rear of the temple.

The space around the temple is paved with neatly cut, long sheets of stone. Walk on these tiles and reach the front of the temple. Resplendent with ancient temple architecture, this beautiful shrine magnifies the splendour of the hills.

Legends galore
Legend has it that the idol was consecrated by Lord Brahma. Lord Vishnu in his four-armed form is the deity in Thirunelli.

Vadakkan Aithyahamala (The legends from North) refers about Thirunelli as follows:

Lord Brahma had a long-standing wish to conduct a ‘yaga’ (a holy sacrifice) on the earth.
His search for a holy and outstandingly beautiful place suitable for the yaga brought him to Brahmagiri. For a while, the Lord rested at this place brimming with extraordinary purity and heavenly beauty. He noticed a small hill and a lush Indian gooseberry tree on top of it. On reaching there, he was surprised to find Lord Mahavishnu in his magnificent form in the place of the gooseberry tree. However, Lord Vishnu vanished all of a sudden. This abrupt disappearance disappointed Lord Brahma. At the same holy spot where he saw Lord Vishnu, he consecrated Lord Vishnu’s idol with his own hands. This unusual incident brought surprise to all the three worlds in the universe. Praising this event, musicians from heaven sang, dancers performed, and the gods showered flowers.

Thirunelli is flanked by four hills, namely Brahmagiri, Udayagiri, Narinirangimala, and Karimala. The place is believed to have visited by Parasurama, Srirama, and Srikrishna - three other incarnations of Lord Vishnu.

Whatever the legends are, I feel bad when I see the board ‘Entry restricted for non-Hindus’ in Thirunelli also, like many other temples including Guruvayur. While the Temple Entry Proclamation was for lower caste Hindus, a similar proclamation is yet to come for the entire humankind.

The local hearsay mentions that the Thirunelli temple was built by a Coorg king and that before the construction was completed, Thirunelli, which was part of Coorg, became a part of Wayanad. This veracity of this is not yet confirmed. The beautiful, but incomplete-looking stone pillars around the temple are believed to be destroyed during Tipu Sultan’s warfare, though there are arguments against this as well. The chances of these pillars getting destroyed during war can’t be dismissed because history states that there had been war between Pazhazi Raja and Mysore army.

On the rocks
Water required for the offerings at the temple comes from the forest. The stone pillars that support the stone channels of water form an interesting visual.

A long time ago, the Lord of Kolathunadu along with his wife came to visit Thirunelli temple. As it had rained the previous day, the courtyard was full of slush, which stained the Lady’s feet. When she requested water to wash her feet, the servants gave very little water. The Lady wondered if there was no water in the temple’s well. The servants replied that the temple had no well, and since the nearby streams were being used by people for taking bath, the water from the streams was not suitable for the temple’s consumption. Hence, water had to be brought from a distant stream at Brahmagiri.

The lady, an ardent devotee of Lord Vishnu, got the above-mentioned structure constructed for easy availability of adequate water for the temple. The stone pillars and channels were built by expert stone masons, under the supervision of her brother and a specialist in Vastu architecture Vayikkara Valya Nambyathiri.

Wash away the sins
The steps on the north-west side of the temple leads to a sacred pool called Panchathirthakulam. Lord Srirama’s footprints are believed to have been imprinted here. The footprints shown below might be representing this belief.

The legend is that Lord Rama, on his way to Coorg from Lanka after winning the war, performed special rituals for his deceased father Dasaratha at Thirunelli. It’s believed that since then devotees started performing rituals for their ancestors, at Thirunelli.

The pathway ahead of Panchathirthakulam takes you to the Papanashini river. Papanashini translates to ‘the destroyer of sin’. People from far-off places visit Papanashini to perform yearly rituals for their forefathers and immerse the burial ash. They make this long journey in the belief that a dip in this river will relieve them of their sins. Though the river overflows in monsoon, I have never seen enough water to take a dip during summer.

According to another legend, Garuda passed Thirunelli, when he was taking the pot of nectar (Amruthakumbham) to free his mother from a curse. He circled over Thirunelli thrice to pay respect to his master Lord Vishnu, whose idol consecration was taking place at that time. A drop of elixir fell from the pot to Papanashini and thus it got the divine power to purify sins.

Yet another legend is about Parasurama, who could not get absolved of the sin of killing his mother Renuka as demanded by his father Jamadagni, even after washing his blood-stained hands in various holy waters. In the end, he came to Thirunelli, and the blood stains disappeared completely after a wash in Papanashini. Papanashini got its name from this incident, and its powers became famous.

Our ex-prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s ashes also were scattered in Papanashini. Thirunelli became famous in North India after this, and the number of tourists from North India has increased over the years.

I like to visit Thirunelli on a less crowded day, see the places, pray at the temple, and wash my hands and feet in Papanashini.

Beyond Thirunelli
If you are absolved of your sins, you can carry on your journey to other beautiful places in Wayanad. ‘Pakshipathalam’ is not very far from here. But, it’s not possible to go there by a vehicle. You need to go walking through the forest. In other words, you need to ‘trek’. Pakshipathalam is a perfect place for birders. The trek is extremely difficult during monsoons. Leeches are the main hurdle. I intend to visit Pakshipathalam after the rains. Anyone who likes to join me is welcome.
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Photo courtesy: Ajay Joy and Hari Mananthawadi

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Translated from my Malayalam travel blog 'Chila Yaathrakal' by Mrs.Bindhu Unni (http://www.travelwithacouple.com/).

To the Jain temples.....

Wayanad- I may have to accept that I never felt the similar liking to any other district in Kerala, which I had felt for it. My every trip to Wayand is exciting, usually with visit to new places, fresh views or even a new piece of information from the places I had already visited. I ever used to carry any such sort of novel experience from Wayanad, when returns to Ernakulam. As there are so many places still left to be seen in Wayanad, I am sure, I have to climb up Thamarassery churam (mountain pass) many times.

I would describe my last trip to Wayanad, as something remarkable, probably would even compare it as something significant as, Columbus discovered America!

During the trips through Wayand, I had often noticed the road signs to Jain temples. However, then I used to be in the middle of a long journey to Bangalore or Ernakulam and due to the same reason, never had an opportunity to visit them. They had always kindled the curiosity,like how Jain temples could be here. I used to reassure myself that I would visit them once, when time in hand.

In this visit to Wayanad, I may miss the natural scenary due to heavy rain, atleast I could use up the time with temple visit, couldn’t I? Discussed the wish with my friend from Manathavady, Hari,who always used to accompany me in the Wayanad trips. Before I even finish saying it, Hari agreed to it. Ramesh Babu, Hari’s friend (now mine too) is a Jain. The answer to my doubt, if there are any Jains still living in Wayanad or atleast in Kerala, Ramesh Babu explained with statistics, which was a revelation for me.

Over 1400 Jains are living in Wayanad itself. The famous people like Virendrakumar M.P, is just a few of them. I was hearing all those facts open-mouthed. Am I the ‘frog in the well’? It is a realization that I don’t know much about Kerala state, despite that I had been living here, what a shame.

A strong feel developed that it will not be appropriate to postpone the trip to Jain Temples. At least effort should be made to understand about Jainism and Jain temples in Wayanad, should visit a few of them. Hari promised to make all the arrangements for it.
The Jain temple tour has started from the temple next to Vimal Jyothi working women’s hostel in Sultan Bathery, as I had to go to Bathery from Ernakulam.

It is believed that the Jain temple was built in 13th century and now protected by ‘Archaeological survey of India’. It is said that, Sultan Bathery had 12 Jain streets in Kidanganad, which could be still evidenced in the village documents! The streets were called ‘Hannardubidi Basadi’. It is painful to realize that in Sultan Bathery, which was home for many Jains in the past, there is no more any Jain family left.

The Mysore invasion during the end of 18th century, fight between British and Pazhassi raja, the growth of shaivaism and vaishnavism etc were all said to be the reasons for the decline of Jain population, which resulted in the lose of protectors for the Jain temples. Later on, many Jain temples were transformed. Jain temple in Ernakulam district, devi temple at Thirucharanamalai in the place called Chitharal, Kanyakumari district etc are a few examples for the transformed Jain temples.

Even if the temple is in the protection of ‘Archaeological Survey of India’, the temple which is 800 years old could not be considered as properly taken care of. The measures taken would be just sufficient to make sure the building is not left to fell apart, and a guard was appointed.

The attempt to get more information than written in the notice board, from the guard, Soman Nair, had turned out to be a boomerang to me. He was in the frustration of a transfer order to Mattancherry Palace. When he came to know that I am an Ernakulam native, he had more questions to ask me, than I could probably ask him. A shower of questions like what is the distance from Mattancherry to Ernakulam station?, Does the buses are frequently available? How long it would take in bus? Somehow, I managed to convince Soman Nair that Ernakulam is a ‘smart city’. Entered inside the temple and enjoyed the sculptures in Vijayanagara style. Walking through the stone paved circumambulatory passage once or twice, took several photos.

In 18th Century, when Tippu Sultan invaded Malabar, this temple named ‘Kidanganad Basadi’ was used to store the armament and the town got the name Sultan’s Battery, which later transformed to Sulthan Bathery.

While the journey from Bathery to Manathavady, I just tuned away to Pulppally. Had heard there was a temple for Seetha-Lava-Kusha, felt to visit it too. Went there, just roamed around the temple premises, bowed infront of the closed door of deity. It was already 4 o clock when I had returned to Manathavady road. As it was raining heavily and was late than anticipated to reach Manathavady, visiting the rest of Jain temples was postponed to next day.

Next day I was fondly invited to the house of Ramesh Babu, at Puthiyadam, for lunch. I enjoyed the gourmet vegetarian lunch with many dishes which I never had tasted before. The taste of the Mysore style lunch still lingers to tongue, which had a variety of dishes such as pappadams,made from ripe and unripe jack fruit, one or two different pickles,two types of kondattams ( dried vegetable crisp).Ramesh Babus’s mother and wife gave me a parcel of some of the kondattams and jack fruit pappadams when I left, as they had ready my mind.

The important Jain temples in Wayanad are
1. Hodangadi Basadi (Manathavadi)
2. Puthiyadam Adeeshwara Swamy temple (Manathavady)
3. Sri Parshwanatha Swamy temple (Anchukunnu)
4. Parshwanatha temple(Palukunnu)
5. Sri Chandranatha Basadi (Puthangadi)
6. Varadur Sri Anathaswamy te,ple (Panamaram Meenangadi Road)
7. Hanarudibidi Basadi (Sulthan Bathery)
8. Santhu natha Basadi(Venniyodu)
9. Puthur Vayalile Uma-Maheshwara rock temple (It is now a hindu temple)
10. Sri Ananthanatha Swamy Basadi (Kalpatta)
11. Chandranathagiri (Kalpatta-Myladipara)
12. Kuthirakkodu temple (Thirunelli)
13. Echirakkolli temple-Bavali (it is now a Vishnu temple)
14. Swamykallu-Jessy Estate (it is now a Vishnu temple)
15. Edakkal Cave temple
Most of these temples are now Hindu temples. Many do not have any worship or even care. The common features in the temples such as Hoysala (Hoysala kings were Jains) script engravings, the age of temples, the structure of the idols, peculiarities in the hood of the snake idols, style of sculptures, are characteristic evidences to support the argument that all of them are Jain temples.

In 12th century, while the reign of predominant Hoysala kings in Karnataka, Wayanad was a part of it. Many historians such as Sri O.K Johny had observed in their studies that many of the Jain temples in the Hoysala rule were transformed to Vishnu temple after Bitideva, a Hoysala king had converted to Vaishnavism .

When we three came out after lunch, rain was drizzling. As it would be a vain attempt to wait for rain to stop, we ignored rain and started the journey as planned. The first destiny was Sri Chandranatha Basadi temple at Puthangady. It was at a distance of 10km from Puthiyadam.

Hari stopped the vehicle when it was about to reach Puthangadi, infront of an abandoned temple, inside coffee plantation. Clearing the bushes and climbers, we walked inside.

Beautifully engraved walls and pillars of the temple were almost near to devastation. Through the fissures in the rock roof, water was dripping in. Inside it was deep darkness and silence. The temple is not in the above list. But without doubt, could say that is a Jain temple. This would be Puthangadi Janardana temple, which was mentioned in some texts.

Lighting match stick, Ramesh Babu went inside, followed by Hari and myself, to observe the sculptures in the wall and roofs and the idols inside. The only visible things were cobweb and the temple was almost at the edge of falling apart. However it seems that renovation of the temple would not be very strenuous.

In the light which comes through the cracks in the roof, we saw some gods and goddess, who were peacefully hidden inside. After taking some pictures, we came out. While roaming around the temple we could find many more gods inside the bushes.

Felt an unexplainable anger to our rulers who left these temples which are the evidences of the heritage and beliefs to the face of destruction, instead of renovating and properly conserving them. Why God, none of them, Devasom board or Tourism board or Archeology department, does not feel to revive you? How you could tolerate such avoidance in your own country?

There is one more similar temple in Puthangadi. The signboard by Kerala tourism board, stating Jain temple, stands besides the road as a guide. The temple is a bit far from the road, inside a coffee plantation. When went near, it was evident that this temple also have the same odd fate of denial. Somebody had eaten a jackfruit there, leaving the waste just infront of the sanctum.

It was heartbreaking to see the bitter state of these temples. Even if rituals or recitals are not performed at least these ones have to be protected as cultural heritages? Ignoring all these, where we are heading to, in the race of the surviving struggles of life? One more add on question to the million unanswered questions!

Rain has become stronger. We haven’t reached Sri Chandranatha Basadi temple yet. Time would be enough only for going there. Probably darkness would spread by the time we finishes it. Hari turned the car.
(To be continued)
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I would not say it is a study about Jain temples. I have tried just to assimilate and include some information along with the sights I had seen. I never intended to hurt any one’s beliefs with this post.
Acknowledgment:-
Amritavarshini (Platinum Jubilee Smaranika 2008)- Ananthanadha temple Kalpatte, Sri O.K.Johny- historian,manager book development, Mathrbhoomi printing and publishing company, Sri V.V. Jinendraprasad, Sri.Rameshbabu, Sri.Hari, Kannur medicals, Mananthavadi.
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Translated from my Malayalam travel blog 'Chila Yaathrakal' by Miss Anu.

Pazhassi Raja’s Tomb

Wayanad trips were started since the college days. It was much like an excursion, whenever I travelled to the house of my dearest friend Sunil Thomas in Manathavadi, Still I do the same trips, with the same feel.

The incoming to Wayand itself, rejuvenates body as well as mind .The novel feel would be characteristic of the climate, which is not so hot. It seems Wayand would be having the lowest temperatures, among other districts of Kerala.

There is a place which I often visit in my Manathavadi trips, without fail. It is the Tomb of Pazhassi. It is situated in Mananthavadi town, near to government hospital and village office. It was near to the Pazhassi tomb, where I used to paint the town red in evenings, with some friends in Manathavadi.



Years ago, when I first saw tomb of Pazhassi, it didn’t had these boundary walls. It only had a big tree and a floor. The tree that was planted on the grave had grown lofty with its roots covering the grave. But the tree had fallen in due course of time. It seems if our government had shown a bit more concern for the place, it could have been better protected.

Pazhassi Raja, who also known as Brave Lion of Kerala (Veerakeralasimham) had his glorious death on November 30th 1805, at a place called Mavilamthodu, while he was vehemently combating with the marauding forces using guerilla warfare. (Pazhassi Raja fought with British forces, records say that before the conflicts with British, he had confrontations with Tippu Sultan of Mysore). Many other possibilities are also popularly acclaimed as the cause of his death, such as Pazhassi Raja committed suicide to not to get caught by British forces by swallowing diamond or so. Who knows the fact! However, historical records says that Pazhassi raja was homicided by gunshots of British troops.

A film about Pazhassi Raja has to be released recently. Renowned Malayli crew is behind the venture, screenplay by M.T Vasudevan Nair, directed by Hariharan and Mammooty plays the role of Pazhassi Raja. M.T would have done an exhaustive research for writing the script. Even if the film may have all the typical commercial ingredients, let’s hope we would gain more information about Pazhassi Raja through M.T.

There is a small museum near to the Tomb of Pazhassi. It has exhibits of historical remainders genre such as stone sculptures, remnants of burial pots, rocks, hero stones,weapons etc.





The neighbourhood of the Tomb of Pazhassi Raja is abounded with wind as it is an elevated spot. One of the branches of Kabani River would be in sight, if looked down.

Enjoying the refreshing breeze, anyone would long to spend some time at Tomb of Pazhassi. If got a history book in hand, you may not even realize how fast you had finished reading the whole foliates of it.

The sun painting the western horizon with red hue, Tomb of Pazhassi would bestow with this mesmerising sight also.

Still, much more to be explored in Wayanad. I am journeying...
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Figure 1: Kerala State Archaeology Department,Tomb of Pazhassi, Mananthavadi
The burial place of the hero of Kerala, brave Kerala Pazhassi Raja. Pazhassi raja was martyred in the Wayanad forest on 30th of November, in A.D.1805. The dead body was brought to Mananthavadi in the palanquin of Colonel Babar and buried here, with customary honours.

Figure 2: Grave marker: Brave, Kerala Pazhassi Raja, Rest in peace here
Death date: 1805 November 30
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Translated from my Malayalam travel blog 'Chila Yaathrakal' by Miss Anu.

Munnar - a letter

Dear Joji

Got your mail asking about the picnic spots in munnar. Do excuse me for the delay in replying. Just came back today from oilfield offshore…..

There are so many places in and around Munnar for roaming and sight seeing. Joji , you decide the places according to the number of days that you have. I am just writing out a few places that I know about.

If you are ready for a serious journey other than just a pleasure trip, there is a lot to tell about Munnar.

We started our trip from Ernakulam. After reaching Neryamangalam Bridge, we saw ‘Ranikallu’ on the left side of the road. In 1931 Rani Sethu Lakshmi bhai opened this road and this is inscribed on it. Ranikallu is now an indisposable part of munnar’s history. After that we began our ascend to Munnar. Road to munnar has comparatively very less hairpin bends…. This is because the road is built along the old path used by the elephants to come down to the planes.

On the way to Munnar, we enjoyed the beauty of Cheeyappara water falls, chinnakanal water falls and many other small waterfalls…

The beauty of these waterfalls is magnified in the monsoons……. It is a real treat to the eyes!! Do not forget to bring along an extra pair of clothes if you want to enjoy a shower.

The sites of Munnar are pretty scattered, though the drive from one place to another, through the Tea Estates is surely an added attraction !! Besides, these aimless drives through the Tea estates and Grass fields are itself very refreshing…..

Hey,on your way do not miss the sight of workers who collect the tender Tea leaves( Known as Kolunth ), ok?

The major attractions in Munnar include Top station, Mattupetti and Devikulam Lake…If you are interested in old churches, visit the CSI Church in Old Munnar…

This age old church is situated in a valley and the history of it is as disturbing as it is interesting…..The cemetery was built 17 years before the church came….

Mr.Hentry Mans Field Night was the first G.M of Kannan Devan Factory and his wife Mrs.Elenor Isabel was so addicted to the beauty of Munnar that she casually exclaimed -
“ Bury me in this Hill for my final sleep”……

By some sadistic twist of fate, Mrs. Elenor Isabel passed away within 3 days from cholera…. She was buried on the hill. Her Tomb is still there, Later the church came up after 17 years. Since then, the Cemetery has witnessed much more Burials of foreigners and locals…

I’ve been to the church many times, but is yet to lay my eyes on Mrs. Elanor’s tomb….. The culprit is not some old ghost from a far away history….but the very common leaches which breed freely in the area….. Now, all we see from the church, is a mass of concrete structures…….…Ironically, the beauty of the place which made poor Elanor utter those inauspicious words are almost fully lost to modernity……


Once when I visited the church, I was lucky enough to see a rare old Bible and an exquisite Piano…….


The interior of the church itself depicts its age. The names of many of the late Europeans , carved in metal plates ornament the church walls.

You can reach Mattupetti when you travel in Iduki Route from Munnar Town . Mattupetti is known widely for its Indo-Swiss Cattle Project. Earlier people were allowed in there .But now as far as I know, visitors are not permitted .Anyway, in my opinion try not to miss it… It will be great to enjoy a boat trip in Mattupetti Lake. Do try to experience the echo effect when you are in the lake area….Besides, Mattupetti is also an area of scenic beauty. We felt like relaxing on that grass meadows with the lake view, for all eternity!

Devikulam lake is also a good picnic spot. The water filled lake in the monsoon is a sight to behold !!

Next point is Top station and that is of 35 kilometers drive from Munnar. The top view from the hill is a real eye candy….Usually, tourists never misses the Top Station.
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If possible, include Kolukkumala with this trip. The Tea Estate in there is the highest one in the world. I strongly feel that once you reach till Munnar, then missing the sight of kolukkumala is a great loss. You can reach Sooryanelli from munnar via Chinnakanal route. From there it takes only 15 kilometers to reach Kolukkumala . Actually Kolukkumala belongs to the district of Bodinaykkannur in Tamilnadu, but there is no way to reach Kolukkumala from there by road.

Some of the other main places to see in Munnar are…--

Iravikulam National Park in 15 Km distance

Rajamala Forest Resort in 15 Km distance

Aanamudi Peak is at a distance of 50 kms . Aanamudi is the highest peak in Western Ghats in South India. An ideal place for those who are interested in Trekking.

Marayoor is an excellent place. It is situated at a distance of 40 kms from Munnar. On the way to Marayoor ,we can see Kanthalloor and Mannavan chola…The dense forest area of Mannavan Chola is of more than 42 Hectic kms and is situated at a height of 7800 meters …This area is noted for the presence of Elephants and Panthers !!

These are the main places in and around Munnar, as far as I know. Some of these places, I haven’t been to. Many places are still there to visit…My policy is to take time and enjoy one spot at a time.

Next bloom of ‘Neela Kurinji ‘ will take another 10 years ... ( Neela kurinji blooms once in every 12 years only). I have never been there in that season. Though I tried to be there in last session, couldn’t make it before the blooming season. It will be so crowded in Munnar at that time and I never prefer to roam around places when there is too much rush. The experience of some teachers who were in Munnar as part of a school trip was disheartening too. They had to be in Queue for hours and then got to see some trees which were already dried up.

I prefer to stay in Blue Mont Resort on my visits to Munnar .Blue Mont Resort is in Chinnakanal Route. Just 2.5 kilometers to Sooryanelli. Some of the major resorts like Mahindra, Sterling and Fort Munnar all are in the same route. Munnar Lake, a main attraction is in the same route. I am not aware of any alternate facilities like Home stay System or so in Munnar.

One good advantage of Blue Mont Resort is the cottage system. We can avail a cottage with 2 Bedrooms and a living room and is very convenient for families. Normal rooms are also available with affordable Tariff. All the other referred Resorts cost double than this. You can make a booking by dialing to 9447131710 after 5 pm. The best and the nearest view of the lake is possible from Blue Mont Resort.

Now the Temperature in Munnar is at 0 degree. It will be a great pleasure to make a trip To Munnar at this time…..enjoying the tickling fog….

Just ask me if you want to know anything more .Am only happy to help you out. Have a nice trip and try to write a travelogue afterwards.

With regards
-Niraksharan.
(Yesterday, Today, For ever)
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Translated from my Malayalam blog 'Chila Yaathrakal' by Jyothi.

Cave Dinner

“Pala puli thananthakaari vetukopanakacham nannu chaththi"

This inscription seen on a rock, is in ancient Tamil. It means a powerful man of Naga origin who killed so many tigers…may be that such a personality had lived in that mountain or cave.

This mountain is the famous “Ambukuthi mala “in vayanadu and this inscription is found in Idaykkal caves in Ambukuthi mala which is situated 1200 meters above sea leve. Idaykkal caves is enriched with many inscriptions like this. Meanings of some inscriptions are yet to be decoded.

I’ve been roaming in and around Vayanadu for a long time. But a visit to Idaykkal caves, one of the most important destinations in vayanad which could even be one of the most important historical sites of India….it just didn’t happen till now.

This visit was planned along with my colleague Thansheer, and we were much particular to enquire about the other possible spots near Idayakkal, to be included in our trip. From Mananthavadi, we reached Idaykkal through Sulthan batheri via Ambalavayal.

On our way, we saw that State Tourism Board had put up a sign board to help visitors reach ‘Phantom Rocks’ ... Couldn’t help from spending some time in those rocks, named after the famous ‘walker uncle’. All of us know that, now days, the rocks and rivers are slowly disappearing. I saw that a neighbouring rock has almost fully vanished. May be in future, the Phantom Rocks will also be having the same fate.

Ambukuthimala is not very far from Phantom Rocks. There are enough parking facilities at the base of the hill along with the shops and other tourist attractions. It’s a bit over 1 km to reach the hiking point. But jeep services are also available to people who are queasy about walking this distance.

Private vehicles are not allowed in here… and yes, we opted for walking to reach the caves. Once in a while passenger jeeps pass by us, to and fro…Cottages of ‘Idaykkal Hermitage’ - the one and only resort in Idaykkal, can be occasionally seen on either sides of the road. Though our dinner order had been placed in advance in the hermitage, we did dial to confirm our arrival. In this part of the world its better not to take any chances!

When we reached the base of the mountains, it was crowded with school, college students and other tourists. The whole thrill and leisurely enjoyment of a trip gets spoiled in such a crowd. Photography was also going to be a tricky issue!

If we can cover the long distance to idaykkal and hike a kilometer, a couple of extra people wouldn’t be a challenge and we started the journey into the heart of the idykkal legacy.

‘One at a time’ was the system there and people were passing patiently maintaining the queue…

Progress was slow as the queue moved forward by clinging to and scampering over the hard rocks. Iron ladders and bridges were there in some places to make it easier for the tourists.

Compared to the last days quest to conquer“Chembra Peek “reaching Idaykkal caves seemed to be not the hardest thing in the world. May be it appeared easy due to our sluggish pace and indefinite breaks in the hike…..thanks to the commoner crowd!

Our ascend came to an end as we reached an iron gate which was the entry to the cave. We moved slowly to the insides i.e. the base levels of Idaykkal cave. These areas contain features which re affirms the contemporary outlook in the reader’s mind of a cave; but towards the interior they become less cave-like. Not much roofing is there and so Sunlight comes in abundance.

In 1894 Fred Fawcett discovered Idaykkal Caves accidentally. He was the District Superintendent of Police in Malabar and realizing its historical importance Fawcett brought the Caves to international limelight. Now Idaykal Caves is under the protection of Archeological department.

Inside the Caves—well….it was crowded. But hey! No surprises there!! It is always like this in Idaykkal Caves. Doesn’t make a difference whether it is a Saturday or a Sunday or even a week day. Maybe a little more crowded on a holiday, that’s all.

How did the caves get this name?—In an earthquake that happened thousands of years ago ,a portion of the mountain was destroyed and a huge piece of rock got stuck up in between the two rocks on the top layer of the Caves. Thus comes the name ‘Idaykkal Caves ‘.(means - a rock in between)

That piece of rock is still there in the same position. As an effect of the earthquake, a horizontal gap is there on the side of the caves .Through the gap; we can have a view of ‘Aayiramkolli’ and ‘Kappakolli ‘villages in a long shot .Precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of visitors so that no one falls down through the gap there.

As mentioned earlier the crowd was little too much and was a bane for a detailed view of the cave. After a long wait, we were able to talk with the people from Archaeological Department and clarify the historical facts which we had previously heard…..

The history of Idaykkal caves is so vibrant and detailed that Researchers and Historians are still unable to fully unfold them. For me it was a real help that I had done my homework with the books of historians like O.K.Johny.

Most of the inscriptions are on the left side of the Caves. These entries are assumed to be inscribed in the period of New Stone Age(Neothlic - c4000BC to c1700BC). The period when humans started with pottery, metals, agriculture and animal rearing.

Many of the murals depict humans, animals, flowers and tools. Certain drawings are difficult to be distinguished as they were overdrawn by others.

Certain stone weapons has been found from Kuppamedu Estate near Sultanbathery in 1890 -1901.Tools like hammer and axe made of stone has been found from Idaykkal caves also. All these confirm the assumption that the pictures seen in the caves belong to New Stone Age. What so ever it is clear that the caves were occupied by more than a single tribe...

The oldest inscriptions in the caves are considered to be more than 8000 years old. Took their snaps when light permitted and we had a chat with the people of Archaeological department.

Even after extensive scientific studies about the caves, the myths and legends which are widespread still remain at large in the minds of the locals.

Caves made from the arrows of Lava & Kusa (sons of Lord Rama)…. The caves where Lord Rama attacked Soorpanakha. The Mountain cleavage caused by the arrows sent by Krishna. These are some of the stories told about the Caves. Besides these, certain local stories related to Idaykkal Bhagavathi , Nellakottu Bhagavathi are also being said about “ Ambukuthi mala “ and Idaykkal Caves..

Until recently rituals were being performed in the temple at the mountain top. (Historians state with proof that this was a Jain temple)

It was closing time by then but visitors were still trickling in. Ambukuthimala is about 500ms higher than the caves and if you want to reach the peak of the mountain, you need to crawl through another cleave of the rocks. This passage is so narrow that only one can barely pass at a time. Thansir, my friend was heavier than me and when I watched him trying to accommodate himself through the split, with a bag on his back ….an amusing doubt with a smile came to me…..What if the gap is permanently……

I could see a group of almost 20 youngsters who had managed to reach the other side of the cleave. They were relaxing now and decided not to climb further as it was riskier…

The next one was a big round rock ….Though an iron ladder and a rope were all there to help the climbers , it was not an easy task, with the camera and the Tripod..

The view of Vayanad was getting more and more vivid as we scaled to the peak. At that distance we could recognize the Phantom Rock and the mountain.

Sand was being scattered everywhere on the rock making it slippery and with the shoes it was even more difficult. A group of adventurous school students who were coming down warned us to not use the shoes for further ascent.

The other day we had climbed Chembra Peak which was higher than this…Now here it seemed to be wise to avoid a go with the crowd of youngsters. Considering our age, the camera that we had and our own life, we decided to put a full stop here to our hiking.

On our way back, we enjoyed certain local refreshments like ‘sarbath’ (a modified version of lime soda), salt pickled mango and gooseberry. These helped us to feel fresh after the tiring trip. As there was still time for dinner, we decided to visit the Heritage Museum at Ambalavayal.

We reached the Museum before dark and there too it was crowded with school students. But it is indeed a good thing that more and more people visit Vayanad to enjoy the sites.


Some of the attractions of the Museum are the trinket leftovers of ancient man – ‘Madambi Vilakku ‘ , ‘Veerakallukal ‘ and partially damaged stone statues etc etc … We also saw tools , weapons , Ornaments and Clay Utensils which were still used by tribals.


Moon was up by the time we where finished with the museum .Once again back to Idaykkal. We observed with a smile that local people were inquisitive when we started the drive and someone even cared to confirm that we were going to “ Hermitage Resort “.

A variety of facilities like different types of cottages, Restaurants, Tree Houses, Open air Theatres and conventional Ayurvedic treatments like Uzichil-Pizhichil are all available in Idaykkal Hermitage.

Mr.Raghu, manager of the Hermitage showed us the cottages. When I saw the Tree houses overlooking the valley, I decided to spend one or two days out there on my next visit. A Total skip from the stressful city life!!

Now it was dinnertime. This dinner can be called the ‘Highlight’ of Idaykkal trip. Resort has a natural cave of its own. A big rock forms the upper portion of this cave restaurant. And this rock roof manages itself on the support of sand and small rocks on the side. Just a small cave hole marks the entrance and exit door. Inside it is spacious enough to accommodate 3 - 4 tables. Still food is not served on more than one table at a time.

To let us enjoy that feel of a ‘ dinner at Caves ‘ the staff left us alone after the food was set on the table.

More than 50 Candle lights – Pin drop silence – Thansir and me in that Cave for almost an hour... The Best ever dinner in my Life!!!

I haven’t heard about such a cave dinner system, anywhere in the world. But it does exist in ‘God’s Own Country ‘– Our Little Kerala -- Places we have never been to, unseen sights, Historical caves, scenic beauty and so many unforgettable experiences…
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Translated from my Malayalam blog 'Chila Yaathrakal' by Jyothi