A foggy highway at Kulamavu, Idukki
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A foggy highway at Kulamavu, Idukki
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A view of Siruvani Hills, Palakkad
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Kanthanpara Water Falls at Kalpetta, Wayanad
I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings.
Thekkady in Kerala State, India's largest wildlife sanctuary is a dream destination for any tourist visiting India. The 120-year-old 'Surki' dam built across Periyar, Poorna in Vedic parlance, is a major tourist attraction. This sanctuary is spread over an area of 777 Sq.kms, surrounded by an artificial lake over an area of 25 Sq.Kms. Kerala’s major tiger reserve, Thekkady, with its bountiful treasures of tropical flora and fauna is the ultimate reservoir of many endangered species and a rich tribal culture. Thekkady is a pleasant heaven on earth for those who love nature in its wild manifestations. Located in the Idukki district of Kerala, Thekkady is a perfect retreat for anyone who loves adventure, fun, wildlife and nature. Nestled between the ever-green and semi-evergreen forests of Western Ghats, Thekkady has much to offer to the tourists who visit this place. In this wildlife sanctuary, you can sight Asian elephants, bison, sambar deer, boars, tigers, leopards, wild squirrels, lion tailed monkeys etc.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Thekkady is the perfect example of nature's bounty with great scenic beauty and rich biodiversity. In this astounding location of Kerala, the Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary are considered as the most protected areas for elephants and tigers. One of the most renowned national parks in South India, the Periyar National Park is set high at the Western Ghat ranges. The protected area is widespread along the area of 925 sqkm (357 sq mi). The rest of 350 sq km (140 sq mi) of the core zone was declared as the Periyar National Park in the year 1982.
The park is adorned with a picturesque lake at the heart of the sanctuary which is an artificial 100 years old lake which was formed by construction of Mullaperiyar Dam in 12th century. With the creation of this lake, the landscape and the features of the valley changed drastically. Thekkady is basically known for its wild elephants and thickly established Western Ghats forests. Many of the valleys of Periyar contain tropical evergreen forest with extremely thick tree cover which sun-rays cannot penetrate. These trees are fully grown at the amazing heights of up to 130-140 feet. Some of the areas in the park contain marshy grasslands near the edges of the lake and other water bodies. Spread out across the park are also patches of semi-evergreen forest used as important cover by many of the animal species.
The terrain of Periyar ripples with lofty peaks of over 1700 meters bordering the north and east. Towards the west, it merges into an extensive table-land of Mount Plateau with an average elevation of 1200 meters. From the edge of this plateau, the land falls steeply to the thickly forested tracts of Sabarimala hills in the Pamba River basin.
Ferry boats are arranged by the Kerala Tourism Development. One can enjoy the wildlife and the surrounding nature while having a ride through the river. The sight of a herd of elephants is an unforgettable experience. It will take around two hours to complete one boat ride. At the end of the ride you will be able to see the walls of Mullaperiyar Dam.
Thekkady offers a very peaceful atmosphere. The chill climate of Thekkady refreshes the mind and body. The forest areas around Thekkady are declared strictly off limits for public by the Forest Department as part of efforts to protect nature. The lush greenery of Thekkady ought to pull its tourists for some reasons. It is eminent for boating and bamboo rafting activities. Thekkady’ s Periyar National Park offers a pleasant walk. The elephant treks and wildlife safari would thrill every wild-life lover .The sanctuary is rich with vegetation, flora, and fauna and one can have a close watch on wild-life. This land can be best explored from October to February to witness its unending chains of hills.
Places of Interest
Kumily, the nearest town is 4 kilometers away. You can plan a serene walk through this town which is also a place where one can shop for handicrafts, spices and clothes. For lovers of fine arts also, Thekkady offers much.
Kadathanadan Kalari and Navarasa Kathakali center in Thekkady (9am-9pm-all days-online booking available) is a small venue with stadium seating featuring traditional Indian martial arts performances. Kadathanadan Kalari & Navarasa Kalari Centre is a popular cultural centre famous for performing Kalaripayattu- martial arts representing Kerala's unique culture. There is a 1 hour show in the evening from 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. The price starts from 200 INR per hour. Basically originated in south India, the ancient martial art- Kalaripayattu, is souvenir to the present sophisticated world. As per the myths, this is a 3000 year old art form. Prior ticket booking is mandatory. Kathakali is the classical dance of Kerala and is translated as “story play” in Malayalam. It is used to tell stories from the Indian epics and interestingly, this dance style is a blend of different fine arts like literature, music, painting, acting and dance. It is not simply a dance-drama but an act of devotion featuring the universal struggle between good and evil. The art is trained in an enclosure called ‘Kalari’, which is 21 feet by 42 feet. The entrance faces the east. In the south-west corner is a seven-tiered platform called the "poothara", which houses the guardian deity of the Kalari. Kadathanadan Kalari Centre & Navarasa Kathakali in Thekkady is one of the places in Kerala where you can watch Kathakali an hour-long demonstrations of the exciting Keralan martial art of Kalarippayattu are staged here every evening. Tickets are available from the box office throughout the day. Even though the theatre only has bare essentials, the show is breathtaking. The music and the lighting into the arena are designed for impact. The narration is thrilling. The best part is the end where you are invited to go down into the arena to be able to hold the weapons and shields and get some great pictures.
Murikkady, another tourist spot, about 5 km from Thekkady is an ideal place for visitors who hope to see spices plantations. Washed in fresh, spice-scented air, Murikkady provides a panoramic view of cardamom, coffee and pepper plantations,and guests can feel the fragrance of spices cultivated in this region during their tour to Murikkady. A day out with friends or family to this beautiful site enriched with healthy environment and flow of fresh aromatic air makes this place a heaven on earth. The lingering smell of spices in the air is enticing enough to lure people into its cradle. The Murikkady view point is a favourite of para gliders, especially because it is a perfect vantage point for take-off. It does help that the enthralling views are unparalleled in beauty. The trek to Murikkady view point is also famous among adventure enthusiasts because the trekking expedition is viewed as being incomparable in beauty and majesty. A visit to the local spice market can spice up your life with the natural grown wonders which have always put Kerala at a vantage point in trade maps.Equally popular are its small tea-shops across the plantations that serve royal filter coffee and the spiced tea. Apart from the excellent view of the lush plantations, Murikkady also gives an authentic sense of what Thekkady looked like before it became a part of the itinerary for many travelers to Kerala. The roadside tea shops selling hot tapioca is an experience one should never miss. A chat with the locals adds a tinge of local flavor to your trip. You can often see plantation workers making their way in the morning, with large polybag coats and baskets for collecting the produce. We advise you to avail the expertise of an experienced travel planner to ensure that you are in safe hands and would reduce the risk of inconveniences later on in your trip.
Ramakkalmedu an enchanting retreat with cool, green hills and fresh mountain air is another scenic spot . The place gets its name from the impressions of the feet found on the rock surface here, which is believed to be of Rama, the incarnation of Lord Vishnu, as told in the Indian epic Ramayana. Located in Idukki district of Kerala, Ramakkalmedu is about 40 km from Thekkady, which is one of the popular wildlife destinations in Kerala. Ramakkalmedu is noted for its hills and also for the panoramic and picturesque views of villages in the neighboring state of Tamil Nadu, which is towards the eastern side of the Western Ghats. A noticeably tall, pillar-like rocky structure, about 300 m high and facing east is another attraction here. It is one of the windiest places in Asia and being so, one can also find here a wind farm generating electricity, which is an undertaking of the Government of Kerala.Other attractions in-and-around Ramakkalmedu include places like Frog Rock, Turtle Rock and the highest twin-statue in Kerala called Kuravan and Kurathi. These are one of the attractions famous among the tourists - even the Hollywood actor Leonardo Di Caprio, was enchanted with Ramakkalmedu. Another attraction is a 300 m high pillar like structure facing towards east direction from where guests can enjoy the scenic view of this charming village.. The best thing about this place is that tourists can reach there by foot or in their own vehicles, which can be parked without any trouble.
Yet another scenic spot, Chellarkovil is ideally located in the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border in the Anakkara Panchayath. Considered to be one of the best tourism spots in the Idukki district, Chellarkovil attracts tourists from all over the world. Chellarkovil is famous for its greenish mountains, cascading waterfalls and picturesque beauty. When you reach Chellarkovil, you will feel like this is the place that you were longing to visit for a long time. Chellarkovil is located 15 km north to Thekkady and Kumily.The beautiful village stands unique with its eco-tourism project. There are a number of community based eco-tourism projects initiated in this place. The eco-tourism project was launched in the year 2008 with the help of the Chellarkovil Eco-Tourism Community Centre with minimum funding from the state eco-tourism and forest department. The villagers here initiated the project. The ecotourism activities are envisaged to center about at Chellarkovil Ecotourism Community center. The accessories cover an amount of huts, an admirable watch tower, aisle ways, herbarium of alleviative plants, a day-tripper advantage center and an eco shop. The ecotourism center is open till 6 PM, There is an entry fee and a separate ticket for the watch tower known as 'God's own balcony'. The view from here is great, the most beautiful being sunrise and sunset. The income generated through this project is used for afforestation, environment protection and other environment related projects. There is a beautiful waterfall here which is fantastic during the monsoon season. Another specialty of the waterfall is that, the fall originates from Kerala but touches the land at Tamil Nadu irrigating the vegetables and growing plains of Tamil Nadu.
Vandanmedu 25 kms from Thekkady is visited by those who seek the rare and high grade cardamom cultivated and sold here, resulting in the world's largest auction centre for cardamom. Located in Idukki district, the entire region has a bustling commercial air about it, further helped by the aroma of vintage spices. Walk through any of the plantations here and the allure of the exotic spices will make you unable to leave.
Mangaladevi Temple at Thekkady is not just a place for pilgrimage tourism, but a place where you can find the wildness of the forest and the enchanting beauty of nature. Deep inside the forest of Periyar Tiger Reserve, you will find this 1000 years old ancient temple, where, Kannaki, a legendary Tamil woman, betrayed all her grudge and transformed herself to be a divine lady (Mangaladevi) showering blessings upon the people on earth. Hidden in the dense forest of Periyar Tiger Reserve, between Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the The temple is located 7 km away from Pazhiyankudi in Theni district and 15 km from Thekkady in Idukki district. The temple is famous for its Pandyan architecture. The boundary walls and the steps leading to the temple are made up of huge stones. The location of the temple on the top of the hill itself proves the effort taken to complete the structure there. Apart from Mangala Devi you can also sight some other idols there. Entering the complex you can see the idol of Karuppuswamy. On the left side there is Lord Shiva and you can sight a sanctorum for Ganapathy too. You can also find an underground passage from this temple. Numerous stories revolve around this passage. According to the local people, the passage leads to the Madurai town and some say that the passage will take you to the Pandya Kingdom. Like the other temples in Kerala, Mangaladevi temple is not open all the year round. The devotees can only worship the Devi during the time of Chitrapournami festival which falls in the month of April/May. This festival which occurs on a full moon day is jointly organized by the Kerala and Tamil Nadu governments. The priests from both the states come to perform rituals during the festival. As the temple is in the edge of ruins, the panchaloham idol used for the festival is bought from Kambam.
Pattumala means silky mountain or ‘hill draped in silk’ is yet another fascinating place where silk worms were grown by the Europeans. This silken hill in Peermade in exhilarating Idukki, has charms like no other. The lofty peaks, the little streams and the green expanse of the tea plantations give the hills an ethereal beauty. An early morning walk through all this breath-taking loveliness might make you want to come here again and again. There is a delightful flower garden nearby. Pattumala is also home to one of the biggest names in the tea production sector – Harrisons Malayalam.This Estate originally belonged to a private foreign company.The total area is 232 hectares.In early stages, Pattumalay estate had mulberry trees and silk was extracted from their cocoons and dispatched to distant markets. Hence the estate came to be known as Pattumalay. As the years went by, the mulberry trees were replaced by the more lucrative tea gardens. In 1935 Malayalam Plantations Ltd. took over the estate operations. The development of Pattumalay Estate began in 1943 by Mr. BM Mar, the British manager of Pattumalay Estate. In1984 the company was renamed as Harrisons Malayalam Ltd. Then the company became the part of RPG Group in 1989. Now it has become one of the high-yielding tea estates of Central Travancore, producing rich orthodox tea. The estate also owns Central Travancore’s only orthodox tea factory which has a capacity of 15000 kg per day.
Pandikuzhi is another enchanting destination for nature lovers which is just 5 km away from Kumily . It’s a heaven for those travelers, who love to be with nature , the green environment. Varieties of flora and fauna, the chilling streams are some of the specialties of Pandikuzhi, which is ideally placed between Chellarkovil and Tamil Nadu Border. If you are an adventure lover, or a person crazy with camera and photography, then don't delay your trip to Pandikuzhi. While you are there, don't ever miss the cascading waterfalls of Pandikuzhi. The waterfall, splashing from 1200 feet height, is a sight, which you can never miss. Imagine the waters sprinkling upon you, the roaring sound of the water splashes and the cool climate around.
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Trivia
The exotic location of Dil Se movie song ‘Jiya Jale’ has marked an impression in the minds of many due to its sensuous dance performance, Lata Mangeshkar’s charismatic voice and music legend A.R Rehman’s contribution and the weathered backdrop just added icing to the cake. The song filmed on Shahrukh Khan and Preity Zinta was shot at Thekkady, Idukki. Thekkady is famous for adventures Bamboo rafting and wildlife, much of it is seen in the song.
Enjoy Thekkady by choosing out of many specialized created itineries.
This is one of the most interesting activities to do in Thekkady. Tribal Heritage Walks in Thekkady introduces the tourists to the local culture & tradition of the place. Travelers trek through the tribal village. One key attraction in the entire programme is the Tribal Heritage Museum where you can find ancient relics about traditional agricultural practices, marriage rituals, culture, ceremonies etc.
A 3-hour walk, with over 4-5 km covered through Periyar. Visuals of butterflies and a plethora of avian species highlight this walk, with a green canopy covering everything your eyes see. This invigorating trek is definitely a must for anyone who is a nature lover.
Make a trip to Mangaladevi temple. The journey to the temple is an interesting and daring experience. You can reach the temple only with the help of a jeep. The 12 km long way to the temple is covered with dense forests and grasslands. You will also get a chance to experience the delightful sights of Nilgiri Tahr and other varieties of flora and fauna.
It is one of the most exciting programmes in Thekkady, Periyar tiger reserve. It is a splendid eco-friendly, entertainment program for nature-lovers who visit Thekkady. Bamboo rafting is a full day program from morning 8AM to 5PM. Each team comprising ten tourists will be accompanied by an armed forest guard and four guides. Most of these guides belong to the tribal communities.
Tourists will be taken through the thick forests on trek followed by bamboo rafting to the catchments area of the Periyar Tiger Reserve. The travelers will be provided breakfast .Tea, snacks and packed lunch will also be served en route. Those who want to spend some more time in the jungle can opt for a stay at the Jungle Inn - a one-bedroom accommodation made of bamboo.
When in Periyar Tiger Reserve, you would not want to miss out the adventurous night patrol. It is a thrilling experience to be a part of the patrol groups. Each slot has 5 visitors and an armed forest guard accompanies each group. In this program, you go for a walk at night inside the Tiger Reserve. Being a part of the nocturnal jungle life will be an amazing experience.
Pattumalai Tea factory is open to visitors on all days & tourists are allowed to see & learn the various aspects of tea making. The main attraction is that they are still using the traditional equipment & machinery and following the ancient process to make tea dust. The factory was established during the British era. The staff will explain to us the various aspects of tea making.
The trekking could be at any time between 7 pm. and 4 am and could be taken by persons having proper physical and mental fitness to trek through the wilderness in the night. The maximum duration for a slot is 3 hours and the maximum capacity of one slot is limited to 8 visitors (to move in two separate teams). They will be accompanied by two protection watchers and one armed forest guard.
Spend half a day floating and fishing in the calm water of Periyar river walled with the thick green valley on both sides. A fishing trip in the Periyar River which is the spine of Periyar Tiger reserve will be nothing less than exciting. Try your luck in the wild but calm Periyar River with the native fishing equipment & techniques. An local fisherman will guide you along.
Complete with spice plantations, tea gardens, a wildlife sanctuary & a thriving indigenous tribe population, Thekkady is a traveler’s delight. A walk thru the various plantations such as cardamom & tea will leave you refreshed.
Float on reservoir waters on quaint bamboo rafts as you spot Malabar Hornbills gliding through the treetops. The reserve houses indigenous tribes who still feed off the produce of this forest, maintaining a symbiotic relationship. Erstwhile sandalwood smugglers and poachers have now turned protectors and guides of the jungle, and tales of their lives make for interesting night stories by the campfire.
An elephant ride at Periyar spice and Ayurveda garden is funny and wonderful experience. Periyar tourism center where the ride happens is developed to provide better future for disabled elephants. In the safari, tourists will be seated on top of an elephant and are taken in to the spice plantations to get a better view of the valleys and mountains surrounding the park.
Elephant Junction at Thekkady is a place where elephants are trained. Tourists can experience a close interaction with elephants & get to know how wonderful these animals are. It is entertaining to watch elephants in a playful mood, taking water into their trunks & splashing it on the tourists atop them. Tourists can even help the mahouts to bathe the elephants if it takes their fancy.
Enjoy the serene village and see how the natives live in close tandem enjoying all the bounties of nature lavishly. It is a beautiful experience to explore intimacy of humans with Mother Nature. A bare foot walk through the rugged terrains of Idukki is with which one can endure the pulse of Mother Nature.
Pedaling through the misty hills and the salubrious plantation areas is in fact one of the best things you can do in Thekkady. Cycling through the scenic meadows, narrow trails throughout the plantations and captivating slopes has its own fun and thrill quotient. Cycling allows you to pedal across valleys and plains that are free from all the havocs of city-life and are equally soothing.
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