Nelliyampathy
March 18, 2010 by admin
Filed under Nelliyampathy
NIFTY NELLIYAMPATHY
This utopia is tucked south of the Palakkad Gap and once it was universally known for its Juicy Oranges. But now Nelliyampathy is sheathed with tea, coffee, pepper and cardamom plantations. Nelliyampathy has all the attractions of a hill station destination – green climate, appealing views and thick foliage with biota. Usually known as the ‘Poor man’s Ooty’, Nelliyampathy offers the inhabitants of Palakkad an escape from the blistering summer heat of the plains.
Nelliyampathy got its name from the pockets of ‘nelli’ (gooseberries), which grow around the region. This Nelliyampathy range was once owned by the maharajas of Kollengod and Kochi, now it is a part of the Nenmara Forest Division.
During the 40s, Nelliyampathy was famous for its oranges grown at the agricultural research station. Boxes loaded with juicy sweet oranges were sent to the British troops during the II World War. It was so loved that these luscious oranges were also sent to the queen of England. But as other cultivation took over, orange growing is declined and currently medicinal plants cultivation is done by private and government agents.
It is very enthusiastic to drive on the wooded and winding road leading up to this quaint hill station. The nicest thing about the drive is that the green carpet of the Ghats is not disturbed by any human inhabitation. It is an ideal destination for the traveller who wants a calm holiday in the lap of Mother Nature.
The Glittering Reservoir
While going to Nelliyampathy, there is the attractive Pothundy reservoir, which is near Nenmara village. Pothundy is built across Meenachadypuzha and Padipuzha, the tributaries of the Ayalar River (which is a sub- tributary of Bharathapuzha). When we reach the top, we can see the Pothundy reservoir shining like a sapphire admits of the greens of the forest.
Seetharkundu
Seetharkundu is at Karuna plantations. It gifts an eccentric vista of the plains, as far as Palakkad town and its surrounding countryside. Besides the fanciful waterfalls, there is a tall knotted tree, which is one of the main fascinations. Ramayana, the great Indian epic rewinds that Rama, Sita and Laxmana dwelled here during their period of exile. Sita Devi used take her bath here and in this way this place got its name ‘Seetharkundu’. The Agasthya temple over here is famous for its murals and wood carvings.
Straggling Plains
As we reach the Mampara, we can discover that the white clouds literally envelop the whole place, giving us an eternal felling. From the sprawling grasslands, a spectacular view of the entire Palakkad range can be viewed.
As the mist clears, new vistas of enthralling dales, verdant slopes, solid forests and a patchwork of luxuriant paddy fields discloses itself before us. Some of the major parts of Palakkad like the dams of Malampuzha, Chulliyar, Meenkara, Pollachi, Coimbatore and Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu are noticeable.
Delicious Oranges Ranch
Orange groves were cultivated in abundance in the coffee estates. Most of these have disappeared, but now there is a renew effort to revive them and oranges have been planted in 237 acres of land. There is a fruit preservation unit, where guavas and passion fruit are converted into jams, preservers and squash.
Adventurous Trekking
There are trekking trails from Pothundy and Kalchady to the Hilltop where the distance ranges from eight to fifteen kilometres. There are also trekking trails to Kesavanpara, Ranimedu and Cheriyampara. These treks not only give you the intrinsic pleasure of trekking but also enable you to see some pristine wilderness that are not normally seen on the tourist circuit.
The Natural World…
Nestling deep in a valley and stretching over 258 square kilometres. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary claims of the first ever scientifically managed teak plantation and the world’s tallest and oldest teak tree. Apart from the surprising array of flora and fauna, this sanctuary offers challenging hill ranges for trekking and vast lakes for boating. Parambikuulam is a great birding retreat too and was known to be the favourite haunt of the legendry ornithologist, Salim Ali.
The three dams here – Parambikulam, Tunacadavu and Perivarapallam, were constructed across the Chalakkudy River for generating hydroelectricity power. As a result, a unique feature of this sanctuary is that you can se a series of reservoirs interconnected with tunnels, channel, river courses and canals. Thunacadavu is perfect for viewing wildlife. Elephants, spotted deer and gaur are found along the periphery of this reservoir. The other dams have environs that are excellent for bird watching.
Parambikulam Sanctuary is an authentic storehouse of diverse habitat types – evergreen forests, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, dry deciduous montane grasslands and Shola forests. Deer, sambar and gaur roam freely in marshy grasslands. The scientifically managed teak plantations and the deep freshwater ecosystem created by the construction of three add diversity to the sanctuary.
The Kannimara Teak is the world’s oldest and largest teak tree. It is said to be over 350 years old. This living relic of the once luxuriant natural teak forests is a major tourist attraction.
You can see the wild animals coming to the reservoirs to quench their thirst. The fresh water crocodiles, otters and turtles are found there. We can surely see Langurs, sambars, gaur, mongoose, fox and barking deer, lion – tailed macaque, Slender Loris, king cobras, tiger, leopard, civet cat, pangolin, porcupine, Nilgiri Tahr. The Parambikulam frog is exclusive to this sanctuary. This sanctuary also harbours more than 250 bird genuses ranging from the common myna, grey headed myna to the Malabar Grey Hornbill and the Great Indian Hornbill. This sanctuary also supports 285 species of endemic, rare and endangered flora and 1320 genus of flowering plants, including 70 species of orchids. Most of the threatened South Indian medicinal plants find a shelter in Parambikulam. It is also a hiker’s El Dorado.
Fact file:
Location : - Nelliyampathy is perched at a height of 4,600 ft above the sea level,
60 kms from Palakkad town.
Best Time to go: – It is pleasant throughout the year but September to January is the
Best time.