Velliangiri....A Trek to God's Abode

Region : Velliangiri Hills, Konga Nadu Region, Tamil Nadu

Height MSL : 2240 meters / 7349 ft

Climb Height : 1200 meters / 3937 ft 

Trek Date : 28 Nov'08

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This is one of the finest or maybe the finest trek I have done to date...hardcore...it will take the guts out of you....no its not a dangerous or tricky climb...however, it will kill your power and strength by the time you summit and return. But upon return you would have attained BLISS, A NEW SELF CONFIDENCE, RENEWED WILL POWER and so on..

About Velliangiri : Kongu Nadu is situated on the western part of modern Tamil Nadu. It comprises the modern Coimbatore, Erode and parts of Dindigul Districts. Mount Velliangiri is the western border of this land. This place can be reached from Coimbatore town via Perur by road. Velliangiri is a part of Western Ghats containing natural herbs and all kinds of natural flora and fauna, can be enjoyed here. Here, on the top of the hill, under a natural cave, which is nearly 6000 feet above the sea level, Lord SHIVA is worshipped in the form of natural (Swayambu) Linga. This Linga is surrounded by adjoining four lingas. So it is named as "PANCHALINGAS". This cave can be reached after crossing seven hills. During the annual pilgrimage season, devotees in large number, throng this place day & night. The experience which one enjoys here can be compared with the "Amarnath Yatra" of the North. Here too, Lord SHIVA personifies in the form of Linga inside a natural cave. This place is also called a "Dhakshina Kailash", The pilgrimage season lasts for four months in a year (i.e) from February to May, corresponding to the Tamil month between Masi and Vaikasi.

I just managed to browse thru the net for my annual trek post Sabarimala pilgrimage which I do every November down south, and lo! I found Velliangiri or Vellingiri as some call it so... After gathering all the info from a few sites and from Harsha Bhatt, a trekker who had been there recently, I decided to trek to Velliangiri on 28th Nov'08. I took the 6.30am TNSTC bus from Coimbatore's Gandhipuram bus-stand and reached Poondi travelling a distance of about 40km, the base village for the trek. Just before Poondi Temple (last stop) is the famed Isha Foundation Ashram founded by Sadguru Jaggi Vasudev.(www.ishafoundation.org)

I reached Poondi temple, popularly known as the 'Arulmigu Velliangiri Andavar Temple' around 7.45am. It was cloudy, and mist covered the base village and the hills around...Finally, here i was ready to begin the trek...Upon making a few enquiries with the locals I was severely disuaded from doing the trek primarily due the following reasons - Raining atop the hills, chances of landslide, movements of wild elephants, chances of bear attack, slippery due to rains etc etc... As I was alone, I did not want to take any chances...I simply did not know what to do...I was utterly dismayed...Thinking of returning back to Coimbatore...I stopped by at a local tea shop and wait for the next bus to return...While waiting I just chanced upon asking the shop owner if I could get a local/guide who would show me the way upto Velliangiri...He replied in Tamil that I might get someone if I was ready to spend a few bucks...even though I could scantily understand Tamil, however I understood the money part and readily agreed to pay for the guide as this was a god-send chance...I had to wait for about 15-20mins as the tea-shop owner and the people working there were discussing on who will come with me. All of them refused. Later on I realised that it was not about money that they refused but I guess it was because of the ardent and tough climb that one would have to undertake. Umapathy, a thin frail guy emerged from behind the tea shop and he agreed to accompany me...we immediately departed.

Time: 9am. After paying obeisance to the dieties of the Poondi Temple, we started our trek from the steps which start from the Shivling on the right side of the temple. A never-ending flight of steps led us into the forest above and we went on climbing and climbing and climbing...I was in high spirits and after about an hour we reached Vinayak Temple which is on top of the 1st hill. It would be difficult to say that if one as crossed the 1st hill as most of the region is densely forested. After praying to Lord Vinayaka there we proceed further on...The steps were still there but each at a distance of a few meters. We reached our first water source. A small tricklet coming from the top...There is a Naga Statue here. Moving further on we ascended till we reached a flight of steps carved on a very huge rock portion of the mountain. Without the steps it would have been difficult to ascend or descend the mountain.

Moving further on together with a few stops we reached a clearing area after about 3hrs. Here we saw a trishul fixed to a rock...This was the first vantage view point of the region and yes we had indeed climbed high up...The view was mostly marred by mist and clouds. It was 12pm and without wasting any more time, we proceeded hastily towards our destinationCrossing the 4th,5th hill we steadily climbed the 6th one and descended the same into the forest. Here there's a small pond, supposedly sacred...A dip in the water was much needed however there was just ankle deep water so we decided to wet our feet and let out the tiresome, haggard feeling and prepare for the final climb. After spending about 10mins there, we moved on, crossing a small thicket and started the final climb. Enroute we got to see huge boulders / rocks precariously jutting out of the ground. There are a few abandon huts here. Umapathy told me that the huts turn into busy shops during Jan-Mar when devotees come here for their annual pilgrimage. As we moved on, we found two very small temples and a couple of trishuls placed by devotees... Now the peak was so close, yet we were finding it daunting and tiresome to reach the top. We took a few more stops and finally reached the top at around 2pm. 

And lo! what a view..The surrounding atmosphere is so serene and tranquil. Only peaceand silence prevails. ..I could call it by different names - 'Heaven on Earth', 'A Place in the Clouds', 'God's Home'. The view - mesmerizing, breathtaking, fabulous and what not...Only if I had an English dictionary with me.... There are huge rocks/boulders on top. How these boulders manage to stay there is a miracle.

We entered thru a overhang where there is a small Vinayak (Ganesh) statue. On the opposite side
there's a andi statue. Umapathy said that the mountain and the peak was very sacred hence I should remove my shoes and so I did...We moved past the overhang and reached the cave which is perched in the rock...The cave housed the Swayambu Lingam with Nandi. At a time 3-4 people can sit in the cave. We got into the cave and after praying there, moved on circumnavigating the peak and reached a cross section between 2 mega-boulders.Here we were greeted by 3 Shaivite Sadhus who are undegoing their 48-day penance on the peak. Actually there were 5 of them in all - 2 sleeping in the cave. They were most cordial and since it was mid-noon we were offered black coffee followed by the most delicious porridge (kanji) with lime pickle. 

The sadhus were staying in a cave like area which I guess was the huge space between the boulder and the ground. As I mentioned earlier, how the boulder has been there in such a position should be termed as a miracle. Inside the cave, the sadhus have made their humble sleeping arrangements, kept their food reserves and most importantly the sacred light (diya) alive which they plan to keep till the time they are there. On a clear day, one can get a better view of the Valparai Mountain, Attapadi (Kerala), the Siruvani Dam, Lake and the filter plant (main water supply to Coimbatore). After clicking a few pics on top and thanking the sadhus for the lunch we started our descent at about 2.30pm.

Enroute we got some better pics since the clouds and mist had now cleared. The descent seem to be never ending. My legs had given away and I must say that I was going down just with the sheer intention of reaching Poondi. By about 5.30pm it started raining and we were completely wet. However, since it was getting dark we decided to move on and finally reached Poondi at around 6pm. I refreshed myself and thanked the Poondi Gods for taking care of us. Paid handsomely to Umapathy, my guide who most happily acknowledged what he got.

We reached the Tea Shop and Umapathy asked me if I could show the trek pics to the rest of the villagers there as he was too thrilled about the whole thing. My bus arrived at 6.30pm and I reached Coimbatore's Ukadam bus stand at 7.30pm following which I took the 8pm interstate bus to Pallakad, Kerala.

Umapathy said that a much regular visitor to Velliangiri would take 3hrs to climb and 3 hrs to return... It took me 5hrs to climb and 3.5hrs to descent. I would still consider this timeframe as a personal achievement, and I think most of the people who have been to Velliangiri will agree with me.

I will always remember the endurance and success of this trek...A sheer test of will power. 'Velliangiri is truly God's Abode - Heaven on Earth'....Hope to go there someday again...

Please read the trek report on my website : http://www.hikesandtreks.com/velliangiri

Clickthe following Link for Velliangiri Pics - http://www.flickr.com/photos/75454952@N00/sets/72157610953496242

Dinesh Nair

'Lone Dravidian' Keeps Trekking...

Chembra

Chembra Peak Tri-Trek Solo Expedition - Kerala
Region : Kalpetta Region, Wayanad Dist. Kerala

Height : 2100 mtrs / 6870 ftTrek Date : 12th & 13th Dec'07
After completing a tiring yet sucessful Pakshipathalam trek yesterday ie. 11th Dec, it was time for another ardous trek..this time to Chembra Peak situated near Kalpetta.

About Chembra : Chembra Peak is the highest peak in Wayanad, at 2100m above sea level. Chembra is located near the town of Meppady and is 14kms west of Kalpetta. It is part of the Wayanad hill ranges in Western Ghats, adjoining the Nilgiri Hills in Tamilnadu and Vellarimala in Kozhikode district in Kerala. Chembra peak is accessible by foot from Meppady. A heart shaped lake en route to the top of the peak is a major attraction. The lake is believed to have never dried up.

I had been trekking continuously for the past 2 days (Dhoni Hills & Pakshipathalam) + travelling about 200 kms between Palghat & Kalpetta towns...exhaustive & tired feeling....but now this was the trek that I was waiting to do since 2006....Trek & Night camping at Chembra. I had carried my 3-man tent for this trek.
12th Dec...my pickup time was at 10am, Pavithram my guide got the jeep and picked me up at 9am, brought all provisions (incl. chicken) enroute...and we reached the local forest office at Meppady. The route from Kalpetta to Meppady is quite picturesque, tea estates lined up on both sides of the road, far on the left we were circling Manikunnu hill and on the far right one could see the twin peaks of Chembra basking in the morning light.

After taking permissions, we headed towards Chembra Tea Estate which is situated at the base of Chembra...This is the only route to Chembra and our jeep climbed the narrow route precariously winding up thru the tea estate. We reached a point where there was no vehicle entry further and this was our trek start point. From this point one could see the forest watchtower (a white structure) on the edge of the tea estate. It was about 11am...After informing our driver to comeback at 8am next day to collect us, we started our trek....
Just after the no entry point, we took a left into the bushes and started climbing upwards...Pavithram was leading as he was aware of the area and the route...Apparently he climbs Chembra twice a week as he is a trekking guide...He says mostly its foriegners, and just a few Indians (mostly from Bangalore) who come to Chembra....He was quite surprised that me being from Mumbai had much info about the places around....Not surprising for me atleast as I belonged to Kerala but nevertheless you don't find much people from other parts of India coming to Wayanad just to trek.

Anyways, we climbed slowly, steadily reaching the lake in an hour's time... The lake is in the shape of a heart and is also called as 'Love Lake'. The water in the lake never seems to dry up....This is the place where we will be setting up camp after our descent back...Not wasting too much time around the lake we hit the path to the peak....
There are five levels or rather humps one needs to cross before reaching the peak.....We maintained good speed & reached the third hump where we decided to keep our sacks safely in the thick vegetation on the slopes of the mountain. We were awry of the fact that as there was raw chicken in my sack and there seems a possiblity of a wolf or a leopard getting a whiff of the meat & tearing my brandnew Northface sack apart for the same...However, taking all chances, we came back to our path and continued the climb, reaching the peak at 1:45pm.

The view from top is awesome and breathtaking. Lofty Peaks of Ambamala, Kurchilmala, Vavulmala, Manikunnu can be seen. The twin peak of Chembra though lower in height looks impreganable due to several vertical patches near the peak and also the thick forest patches surrounding the mountain. Most of the other peaks were also covered with thick forests....We could also see the core area of the forest which covers 3/4th portion of Chembra base.....The towns of Vythiri and Kapetta could also be seen at a distance though not clearly due to the noon mist.... It was very chilly on top of the peak inspite of the afternoon heat. After a quick photo session followed by lunch (dosas and vegetable curry) we started our descent at 2.30pm. Enroute we returned back to the slope where we had kept our sacks much to our delight no harm done...We reached the lake around 4pm.
After clearing the camp area, we decided to get water for all our chores....Though the lake holds enough water we thought that it might not be potable. Pavithram knew of a place where we could source good water, hence we proceed to fetch the same....About 200mtrs from the camp area we went past thru thick vegetation and reached a slope where there is a tiny stream. We filled our bottles, washed the chicken and brought back enough water required for cooking. We collected firewood and set up the tent (Sierra Designs 'Orion AST' 3 Seasons 3 Man Tent). This was the first time I set the tent with the rainfly. Rice, chicken & papad was on the dinner menu...Pavithram turned out to be an excellent cook and we had a sumptuous dinner at around 9pm. The weather turned out to be very cold and by 10pm we were fast asleep tucked away in our sleeping bags....

Woke up at 5.30am, Pavithram cleaned up the vessels while I dismantled the tent. The early morning view of the peak and surrounding areas was absolutely mesmerising. Strays of sunlight breaking thru the clouds and hitting the peak thus creating a collage of colours on the landscape. We cleaned the camp area and by 7am left the place....Enroute during descent we took several pics of the surrounding areas that were covered with mist. We descended and in about 1/2 hr reached the no-entry point. Our jeep was already there and we travelled back to my hotel in Kalpetta reaching in about 45mins.

I bid adieu to Pavithram, thanking him for the high team spirit and the wonderful trek support he had organised. As I had a flight to catch from Calicut, I packed my stuff in a jiffy and hurried towards Kalpetta bus stand, to take a express bus to Calicut, reaching there in 2hrs. The route from Kalpetta to Calicut is again, awesome. This time as I was travelling in the day, I could see several tricky hairpin bends enroute. But the bus driver drove with much ease and we did not feel the slightest discomfort. Alas, my flight was overbooked and I could not get a confirmed seat, so had to stay back there for an entire day....However, it was not so boring as I roamed the entire day around in the city watching the latest Malayalam movies and savoring the local fish curry & rice though expensive compared to mumbai standards.

In my amateur quest to trek in an around Kerala, I take this sucessful as a personal milestone. Many more treks are in the offing and I am sure will go back next year to do more.....
For Chembra trek photos please visit Photos Section at http://www.hikesandtreks.com/

Dinesh Nair'Lone Dravidian' Keeps Trekking...
http://www.hikesandtreks.com/

Kenjalgad & Raireshwar

Trek to Raireshwar–Kenjalgad was my first trek for 2008 and with Bhramanti after a long time.
We were six of us (all male group). Trek leader – Kiran and deputy – Gopal. We met at B’bay Central on 25th night and took a bus to Wai. Reached Wai at 4am. It was extremely cold. Then took 5am connecting bus to Khavli Village reaching there about 6am. From the bus stop we walked to the Shri Navlaidevi temple (about 1.5km) from where we could get a clear view of Kenjalgad. While we were discussing on the route to take, we sighted the Kamalgad fort on the other side of the Walki river. We were informed by locals that we could do Kamalgad fort and return back to Khavli by noon and then proceed to Kenjalgad. We were very much tempted of doing this fort and hence took a jeep & proceeded to Vasole village (Kamalgad base) – 45mins journey.


We refreshed ourselves at one of the local’s house and taking directions from him started the trek around 9am. But to our dismay we took the wrong path (twice) and ventured into unknown territory. It was 12noon and we were all exhausted and terribly upset on not getting the right track. It was decided to abandoned the trek and return back to Khavli asap and proceed to Kenjalgad as per original plan. We returned back to Vasole and took the 3pm bus to Khavli reaching there in about 45mins. We started our trek at 4pm.


Kenjalgad - Height : 1302mts - 4273ft : There is a proper road coming up from Khavli to Korle village (near Raireshwar) which cuts across near Kenjalgad. Korle is connected to Bhor. However, we decided to stick to the trail which cuts across the road at many intersections and steadily climbing reached Kenjalmachi village by about 5.45pm. We were very close to the rockwalls of the fort. Noting the final directions from the locals there, we climbed up to near the rockwalls and carefully traversed the rockwall. The view from here is simply AWE! The blue waters of Walki river, Kamalgad fort, Navra Navri pinnacles jutting out from the Kamalgad range and Panchgani hills in a distance. We reached Kenjalgad fort entrance at 630pm. As it was getting dark we quickly decided to proceed to the fort look around and descend to the base village Pakeroste.


After taking a few pics we got down the fort and further descended to Pakeroste village, a small hamlet and stayed overnight at the Village school. It was extremely cold at night & we were desperately trying to get into our sleeping bags at the earliest. Kiran organized the dinner and lights were switched off by 11pm.


Kenjalgad Fort (history) – Source ‘The Gazetteers Dept’Kenjalgad or Ghera Khelanja Fort, (Wai Taluka) 4,269 feet above sea level, is situated on the Mandhardev spur of the Mahadev range eleven miles north-west of Wai. It is a flat-topped hill of an irregular oval shape, about 250 yards long and one hundred yards wide at the extremes, looking remarkably strong both from a far and near. But on ascending it is found to be commanded by the Yeruli Asre and Doicivadi plateaus about two miles to the east which are easily ascended from the Wai side, and the Jambli hills about a mile to the west. The fort forms a village in itself but has to be ascended from the villages of Asre or Khavli which lie at its foot on the Wai side. The ascent is by about two miles of a very steep climb or the Asre-Titeghar bridle path can be followed for two miles and then a tolerably easy path leads due west from the pass another mile on to the fort. The fort is a black scarp rising vertically from the main ridge which is hogbacked. The scarp is one of the highest in any of the Satara forts and reaches in places eighty to a hundred feet. The only entrance is on the north side up a set of a hundred steps running parallel to the line of the scarp till within four or seven feet of the top, when they turn at right angles to it and cut straight into a passage leading on to the top. The steps are peculiarly imposing and differ from any others in the district. Thus on entering, the scarp is on the left and there is nothing on the right till the passage is reached, and invaders ascending would be liable to be hurled back over the cliff. At the foot of the steps is a bastion which evidently flanked a gateway. There are remains of six large and three small buildings, all modern. The head-quarters or kacheri is only marked by a large fig tree. The only building thoroughly recognizable is the powder magazine on the west which is about thirty feet square with strong stone walls three feet thick and seven feet high and three feet of brick on the top. The walls of the fort were originally of large square cut blocks of unmortared stone, but were afterwards added to in many places. They are in most places fully four feet thick and including the rampart about eight feet thick. There was a parapet of lighter work mostly ruined. The fort has three large water tanks about forty feet square and six small ones for storage of water and grain. But there is no living spring inside the fort. The largest tank is in the southern face and is quite thirty feet deep. The tanks were emptied when the fort was dismantled by blowing up the outer sides which were formed by the ramparts and letting the water empty itself down the hill side. On the west is a sort of nose projecting beyond and a little lower than the main ridge of the fort, also strongly fortified. There is a narrow promenade on the ridge at the foot of the scarp and on the north side is a large cave with excellent water and partly used for storage purposes. The village lies about 300 feet below on a ledge of the northern hill slope. To its immediate west is a dense temple grove of jambhul and anjan. The village of Voholi, on the north side of this range, the inhabitants of which were part of the hereditary garrison, is in a hollow to the north-west. Khelanja fort is said to have been built by the Bhoj Rajas of Panhala who flourished in the twelfth century. Its remarkable strength was noticed by Mr. Elphinstone who says it could scarcely be taken if resolutely defended. The guns on the Kenjalgad fort opened fire before surrendering to the detachment sent by General Pritzler up the Wai valley about the 26th of March 1818.


Raireshwar - Height : 1398 mts - 4589 ft : 27th Jan – wakeup time was 6am, and we finished all our chores by 10am and departed from Pakeroste to Raireshwar. It took us about 1.5hrs to reach the ladder point below Raireshwar. It may be noted that within the next 6-8 months Pakeroste village will be connected by road to Khavli & Korle greatly helping this remote village with better amenities & development. Getting back on the trek, we carefully climbed the ladder & traversed the small rocky patch with the help of a fixed rope ( both placed by villagers) thus reaching Raireshwar by 12.30pm.

The Oath of Independence - at Raireshwar : Raireshwar is well placed in the Maratha History. The Raireshwar Teple houses a ‘Pindi’ and a brass mask of Lord Raireshwar (Shiva). When Shivaji was seventeen, he decided to transform what were till then simply games to a reality. He and his friends encouraged by Jijabai and his Guru Dadoji Kondeo; decided to take a formal oath to free the country from the shackles of Muslim tyranny. This was done in the year 1645 in a dark cavern housing a small temple to the Hindu God Shiva (locally called Raireshwar). Here Shivaji and his select band of teenaged Maratha friends slit their thumbs and poured the blood oozing from it on the Shiva-linga. By this act they declared a blood-feud against Mughal tyranny. This was the beginning of a long and arduous Maratha-Mughal struggle that went on for the next century and a half to culminate in the defeat of the Mughals and their replacement by the Marathas as the dominant power in India when the British came into the scene.
After paying due obeisance at both the temples there we proceeded to one of the villagers house to rest. We spent about ½ hr there and then proceeded back to the ladder. We did not have much time to see around (leaving that for next time) and proceeded back to the ladder and further on hastily descending the mountain to reach Vadavli village in time to catch the 330pm Vasole-Wai bus. We reached Wai around 430pm, but could not get a connecting bus to Mumbai hence had to proceed to Pune and take a connecting bus to Mumbai, finally reaching home at 12 midnight. All in all, it was a good trek, very good team, excellent rapport was developed during the trek and great teamspirit was displayed by all members.
For Kenjalgad & Raireshwar trek photos please visit Photos Section at www.hikesandtreks.com

Keep Trekking,
Dinesh Nairwww.hikesandtreks.com