''The
forest is not merely an expression or representation of sacredness, nor a place
to invoke the sacred; the forest is sacredness itself. Nature’s not merely
created by God, nature is God. Whoever moves within the forest can partake
directly of sacredness, experience sacredness with his entire body, breath
sacredness and contain it within himself, drink the sacred water as a living
communion, bury his feet in sacredness, open his eyes and witness the burning
beauty of sacredness''.
-
Richard
Nelson, The Island Within
It
was my long-time wish to visit the valley of silence and when I visited the
place I realised that it is the most beautiful place that I have ever been
to...
Silent
valley or Sairandri vanam is situated on the north-eastern part of Palakkad
district on the Nilgiri hills, eighty kilometres from Palakkad. People from
Chennai and Bangalore area can reach here via Coimbatore.
The
real journey to silent valley starts from Mannarkad... From here, you will
start to see the authentic beauty of nature. At the end of this road, the
village disappears, and the road gives way to a narrow lane, with thick
vegetation on either side. You have to travel around 10 km through narrow
hairpin curves, which will lead to Mukkali.
The
information centre is just one kilometre away from Mukkali junction. You have
to get permit from Kerala State forest dept. and book the visit in advance. The
entry pass will be given from this information office. You have to hire a jeep
from here. This is the only transport, which is able to take you through the
muddy and rutted road to the core of the jungle. You can spend five hours there
till 5pm, and the jeep will take you back to the information office.
Local
people call this forest as Sairandri vanam. Sairandri is the other name of
Panchali, wife of the Pandavas. Legends say that Pandavas lived a few days here
during their thirteen years of anonymity or ajnjathavasa and thus the forest
got the name Sairandri vanam.
The forest was conspicuous by the apparent absence of the noisy insects
Cicadas. So the forest used to be very silent and this may be the reason that
it got the name silent valley. Another opinion is that the forest got the name
from Macaca silenus, another name for lion tailed macaque, which is found in
plenty in the forest.
The
road was very muddy, and journey was not that easy. On either side of the road
I saw the houses of tribal people who are involved in coffee plantation with
government aid. On the way to the core zone I saw a rat snake. I thought of taking
a snap, but it disappeared quickly.
On
the way, the guide showed me a small stream. He told me that the water is very
pure and is drinkable. We filled our bottle and again started the journey.
Sairandhri..This
is the actual entrance to the forest and the core zone of the Silent valley
National park starts from here. When you enter the place, you can feel the soul
of the jungle. Here you will see a watchtower. I climbed around 200 steps to
reach the top of the tower. It gives a panoramic view of the forest… view of
river Kunthi, beautiful valleys and deep mist-covered mountains. Silent valley
forest is divided into four regions. Sairandri, poochippara, nelikkal and
valakkadu. One can see all these regions from here. This is the flowering
season of a particular tree, which is locally called as churuli and it makes
the entire forest a never-ending carpet of white flowers.
Near
the watchtower you can see the inaugural stone of the park erected by former
Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi.
From
there, I accompanied my guide towards Kunthi River. It is around two kilometres
away from the watchtower. On the way to the river I could spot nilgiri langurs.
They have glossy black, thick long hair on the body and yellowish or brown hair
on the head. They usually eat tender leaves, fruits, tree barks, flowers etc.
They were not ready to pose for my camera, as they were very busy with jumping
from one branch to another. Sometimes the cicada sound was besieged by the
sound of the monkeys.
But
the most beautiful animal that I have seen here is the malabar giant squirrel.
It is also known as Indian giant squirrel. They are very common in rain
forests. One of the most colourful species of squirrels, its long and beautiful
tail is its unique characteristic.
Leeches
are very common here. These blood-sucking creatures can find your presence by
smell and even by sound vibrations. Leech bites do not hurt, but the wounds do
bleed extremely. To avoid it, you can apply salt or pan masala on you skin. My
guide was smart enough to lead me through certain secret paths where leeches
are not found.
The
great Indian hornbill, hairy winged bat, fishing cat, leopard, tiger etc. are
some of the very common species found in the forest. This area is very special
for lion tailed macaque. This is the biggest adobe of this particular monkey
species.
More
than hundred species of butterflies are here. Amazing number of moths is also
found here.
On
the way to river kunthi, my guide showed me two holes on the mud wall. He said
that an elephant dug the holes. On either side of this road you can see bamboo
trees, which are the favourite food of elephants.
All
over the valley you will see a particular type of fruit, which looks like a
miniature jackfruit. This is culleniia exarillata, which is locally known as
vedi plavu. This is the favourite fruit of lion tailed macaque. They eat the
fruit, leaf, trunk and even the root of the tree.
Finally
we reached the river… You will realise the intact beauty of the silent valley
from this river. This is one of the most beautiful and clean rivers in the
world. This Mystical River has got a mythological background. During the
anjathavasa, pandavas halted in cave on this hill, and the river was called
after their mother Kunthi. The cool breeze, music of the river, exciting noise
of the jungle, misty valleys and the thick vegetations gives a meditation mood.
Here is a hanging bridge over the river. I watched the real beauty of the river
from this bridge. It is untouched by human and this Virgin River runs around 20
kilometres like this.
It
is time for me to go back… My jeep is still waiting there but I didn’t feel like
going back from the lap of Mother Nature. This journey guarantees an insider’s
view of the beauty, not an outsider’s hallucination. I can promise you one
thing; once you have visited the place, even if you are far away from here you
will feel the smell and care of the nature..and I would like to conclude this
journey with a famous saying, “ in the woods we return to reason and
faith.”
