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PERIYAR
ATTRACTIONS An azure blue lake. Blackened tree stumps protruding from the water like an army of ancient totems. The unearthly wail of the Osprey carrying across the waters. And an emerald green forest that disappears into the hills. Periyar, situated just 10 degrees above the equator, takes your breath away with images you are unlikely to witness anywhere else in India. More than 1,80,000 visitors travel to Periyar each year in search of an escape from increasingly crowded urban lives. Situated in the Cardamom Hill Ranges of Kerala's Idukki district, south of the Western Ghats, this fabulous tiger reserve sprawls across 777 sq km of bio-diverse forests out of which 350 sq kms are protected as core, or undisturbed wilderness. One of India's truly 'great escapes' the picturesque 26 sq km many-fingered lake, is a distinctive feature of the park. It was created by the British in1885 when they dammed the Periyar river, and is a passport to the nether regions of the forest. Although more that 40 tigers raom the forests, the chances of actually seeing one here are very low because the reclusive cat wisely prefers the quieter core sector. But there is probably no better place in India to watch the amazing family life of Elephas maximus, the Asiatic elephant. With plenty of food and water, these gentle giants have lived here for time immemorial. But the going isn't good anymore. Poachers have so persistently infiltrated the forest that they have picked off almost all the truly large tuskers, which accounts for the difficulty in sighting them today. Terrain The Kerala-Tamil Nadu interstate line from Kumily in the north, the Ranni and Kakki reserve forests and the forests in the Kottayam division define the boundary of Periyar. Located in the Western Ghats, geologically believed to be amongst the oldest mountains in the world, Periyar has an unique diversity both in terrain and vegetation. The reservoir, bounded by hills, is the central feature and is drained by the Periyar and Mullayar rivers. The Periyar river originates from deep within the evergreen core area, 50 kms south of the sanctuary headquarters at Thekkady. It meets the Mullayar at Mullakudy, from where the lake starts. The river then runs on for some 244 kms before emptying into the Arabian Sea. The black stumps of old hard wood trees some jutting out of the water and others submerged (it takes an expert boatman to avoid the stakes), are eerie reminders of a rainforest that was drowned because humans wanted abundant year-round supplies of water. The lake runs north to south for about 11kms, with numerous creeks running into it from the slopes. A combination of rolling and steep hills, patchy forests interspersed with grasslands and marshy flatlands have crafted a dynamic ecosystem that is the key to Periyar's amazing flora and fauna. History Col J Pennycuick designed the dam on this river in 1895, when submerging virgin forests was considered a small price to pay in order that fields in Tamil Nadu could be watered... The resulting lake was subsequently leased to the then Government of Madras for 999 years. So, ironically, while it is Kerala that lost its forests, the lien on the waters remains that of Tamil Nadu all the way through to 2885! In 1899, the Maharaja of Travancore taking stock of the damage done to Periyar, decided that protection was necessary. He declared the Nellikkampatty area protected, and it was finally declared a sanctuary in 1934, at his insistance. It was renotified as Periyar and enlarged to its present size in 1950. Periyar was declared Kerala's first and only Tiger Reserve in 1978. Several tribal communities lived and hunted in and around the sanctuary for centuries. But the reservoir changed the identity of both the forest and its human occupants. The Manans, a tribe, were relocated to Kumily in the 1950s, but it was badly handled and they were left deprived and destitute, with none of the land they had been promised. The Malampandaram tribals still inhabit the valley near the Ranni division forests, and the Uralis and the Malaiarayans, parts of the Vallakadava range. Some of them still cultivate land and collect forest produce surreptitiously, ever since orders were passed outlawing such activity. They now survive on fish, honey and the sale of wild cardamom to exploitative traders. Legand Dravidians occupied the forests long before the British made their presence felt in India. Their presiding deity was Ayappa, believed to be a young and vigorous forest god. Legend has it that Shiva, who lived in the high Himalayas, fell in love with a beautiful young girl with whom he made passionate love. She was married to a tribal chieftain who vowed revenge. After spending a thousand years in a meditative trance in an ice cave the chieftain gained incredible powers and armed with these he went forth to battle Shiva. Shiva saw the tribal chieftain approach in the form of a fearful demon and asked Shiva Lord Vishnu for help, who took the form of a tantalisingly beautiful woman and seduced the demon-chieftain, and then killed him. Unaware of Vishnu's ploy, Shiva, overcome by desire, also made love to the siren. Of this union a boy, Ayappa, was born who was gifted with the combined and awesome powers of Vishnu and Shiva. Shiva revealed the secrets of the universe to Ayappa to enable him to battle the forest demons and left him near a swift stream, where he was found by a tribal king who had no child of his own. As he grew older, Ayappa became a legend and killed many demons. His fame and his ability to perform miracles spread far and wide. Having fulfilled his destiny, Ayappa then entered the sanctum sanctorum of a tiny forest temple, where he kept company with only tigers and leopards. To date, followers of Ayappa swear they have seen him riding majestically through deep forest glades atop a tiger. As many as four million pilgrims pass through the Periyar Tiger Reserve to visit the Ayappa temple each year. They believe Ayappa protects them from tigers and that is why they do not see the animals along their route! |
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