Munnar – The Land of Three Rivers

The main reason I took up my job as an Environment Planner is so that I could get to visit many areas thus I could mix business with pleasure. I have always been an avid lover of photography so I could visit the nicest environmental escapades and work as well pursue my passion. Thus when I got the offer of going to Ooty for a short period of three months, I was more than happy. My mother too was excited as she would get a chance to be with her closest buddy living in Coimbatore, Nagam. Thus the mother son duo each with a respective reason to be happy about, set forth to reach Ooty the Land of Hills. From Kolkata we decided to go to Coimbatore first and meet Mom’s buddy and then go to Ooty.

Munnar is a hill station in the Indian state of Kerala. We went by the Guwahati Ernakulum Superfast Express and reached Coimbatore. We were received by Nagam who was more than happy to see us and served us with hot sambhar, idles and coconut rice. After a happy reunion we proceeded to Potty the next morning and reached my guest house. I had a week to settle down before joining work. So I decided to take my mother around. The first place we went to see was Munnar.

This hill station is a beautiful place to visit and was earlier the summer resort for the British.  Ooty to Munnar is around 240km and takes around 7 hours to reach. We arranged for a private car and left for Munnar. As we reached the place, we saw the beauty of the surroundings beckoning us to enjoy the place. One thing about these places is that the idyllic surroundings completely relax you and one can just let loose the emotions and relax. The rich backdrop of the majestic Nilgiri hills was enough to set our minds and heart at peace. As we entered the place, I saw the shops and the innumerable guest houses here. There were couples on honeymoon and families on a holiday trip. Ananth had booked us in a hotel and we lodged there. After a refreshing sleep in the afternoon and a delicious lunch, we went around the town in the evening. We were at Munnar. There was an Old Munnar too that existed.

I spoke to a local travel guide and fixed for going around the next day. Next day early morning, with the chill of the morning mist falling on us, we left covering our heads with scarves with Nalin, the tour guide. He said that Munnar gained its name from the word “Moo naar” which means three rivers. The three rivers were Nallathanni, Periavaru and Madupetti.  As we sat in the car and whizzed past, the tea plantations looked really pristine in the background.

WE decided to go to Photo Point first. Situated around 2km from Munnar, it is a photographer’s paradise. It has a dense thicket of forests and the greenery here is unbelievable. There was a small stream gurgling by. This zone provided a perfect setting for photography. I loved it.

I was especially excited to come to Munnar as I had wanted to come to this land of the Neelakurinji, the blue flower which blooms once in 12 years. And this year was the twelfth.

“Yes, I will show you that flower too” Nalin had assured us. As we drove past we went to the Atukkad Waterfalls. Located just around 5 km from the city of Munnar, the narrow land winding up to the place itself was a beautiful experience. The beauty of the falls was such that I just stood there and gaped for some time before I could recover from the truth that this was real.

After taking sufficient photos and videos with the photos of my mom in the background of mountains, we went ahead to Chithiripuram. This is around 10 km from Munnar. Here there were old courts and huge playgrounds with bungalows and cottages. This place is a like a wonderland and I felt I am Ali in Wonderland, just like Alice in wonderland! The tea plantations here were out of the world.

“Yes, saar” said Nalin in his long drawl South Indian accented English. This tea plantation is world famous.

After this we went to see the Mattupetty Dam. This was a favorite picnic zone for people. There were rides for children and fishing too. Children love to come here. There were no kids with us, but we were happy seeing the other children enjoy a lot. Mom refreshed here and had a wash. She also had the lunch that we had packed. This dam was a beautiful sight and an engineer’s delight. A storage masonry dam, this hydroelectric power supplier is today also causing anxiety due to the salinity it causes by irrigation etc. Far in the distance we actually saw some elephants grazing here. This dam is the reason wild animals and birds are able to sustain themselves here.

After resting under a shade and inhaling the freshness of the greenery around, we proceeded. WE also went to the Mattupetty Indo Swiss Farm here which is famous for its production of dairy products. We visited the farm. IT was unique and had more than 100 cattle here. We could not go into the farm. WE weren’t allowed. We saw it from the outside.

It was already dusk and we had just one place where we could go. And that was the Echo Point. It was childish, to scream and hear our voices back in this point. This point is on the way from the hill station to the top station. There is a lake here ensconced amidst hills. We called out loudly and many couldn’t hear their voices. I couldn’t hear mine, but my mom could.

After this, we came back to the hotel and rested for the evening. The dinner at the hotel was accompanied by a ghazal evening. I love ghazals and listened with avid interest.

Nalin met us at the hotel gate as arranged and soon we went drving around 18km to the Elephant Arrival Spot. My mother was really scared but I forced to sit on the elephant for a ride. Actually I decided I wouldn’t go on any animal ride after this. It is not good to trouble them like this. The ride was exciting though and the leaves on the trees kissed us as we trudged up.

After the adventurous ride, we halted at a roadside inn and had something to eat. Then we went further from Munnar, this time it was around 23km. We reached the lake Kundala. This lovely scenic spot with its dense jungles surrounding it and with unique boating facilities gave us the chance to let our hair down. Mom and me sat in the boat and pedaled our way through it.

The boating zone was restricted and it is not that we could move around freely. So the boating boundaries were limited.

This done, we were happy with our plan. The plan took us around 37km further away from Munnar to the Top Station. This is the main tourist attraction of Munnar. Here is the place where you feel you are in heaven. The clouds seem to kiss you and move on. It is a place above the clouds. AT least, it looks and feels that way. And this is the place where I saw my blue flower which blooms once in 12 years. What a pleasure and how exciting to see something so rare.

My hands trembled as I took the photo and it was as if, if I made a noise it would disappear. But it didn’t and it allowed me to take as much photos as I wanted.

After this, obviously our trip couldn’t be complete without a visit to the tea museum. Here I saw that it was a place where collection of the past was stored. NO photography allowed here so I didn’t take it out. The place was excellent.

WE came back to Munnar and on the way went to the Eravikulam Wildlife Sanctuary. This had the Nilgiri Thar, the mountain goat which is endangered now. The Rajamalai hills sprawling in the background and the flora and fauna overpowering our enthusiasm, this place too had the Kurichi or the Neelakurinji flower.

“We just climbed up to see some goats?” my mother asked in frustration. WE couldn’t see any other animal, though this place is famed to have the Atlas Moth and the lion tailed macaque. But I couldn’t help it. If we couldn’t see anything, at least we saw the Thar and the flower.

Parting thought: Come here and get drowned in the mystical nature of the three rivers.