Kerala Trip

Adimali to Anakkulam: a night trip Kerala Trip Trekking/ Idukki/ Anakkulam Pachyderms gambol and frolic near a watering hole... When heard about it, it seems like a state of trance, but when seen it was as beautiful as a dream. A place where pachyderms come in herds to make merry in the water when the jungle and land stand bathed in moon light. Ten or twelve elephants come one behind another to have a shower here. After one enjoys the shower the next ventures for the same. We can sit on the banks enjoying the scene. They enjoy the shower in peace unmindful of the surroundings. They wash their calves, sometimes engaging in little quarrels, pushing others, but that won't last long. When they finish their fun of bathing and playing, they return peacefully into the darkness of the jungles. A picture, which would never fade when the night and moon falls. On hearing about Anakkulam, it seemed like a beautiful dream of an imaginator. The journey which we began with the information we got from others was also accompanied by our own imaginations. On a pournami day the journey began into the forests in Mankulam via Adimali. We reached Adimali by noon. We first met Mankulam DFO Induchoodan. He detailed about the specialties of Anakkulam and Mankulam. Forester Joy and driver Sajeev accompanied us. We proceeded from Adimali via Munnar road. From Kallar we turned left which was 16 km to Mankulam. The journey from Mankulam to Kuwait city was good enough. Then we preferred a jeep ride as the road was in bad shape. When we reached Anakkulam after that ordeal, it was 4 pm. Due to cloudy weather, the forest also looked grim. Then a sudden lightning and shower burst upon us. The face of forest officers looked gloomy as they said that if it rains, the pachyderms won't prefer a shower. Our photographer Saji abused the rain saying that ``after his camera was taken from pooja he thought that the first picture that he clicked would be from Anakkulam. All wish went futile,' he complained. We went for sleep after relishing the food of rice, chicken curry and chakkapuzhukku prepared by Ramani Chechi who is an employee of the forest department. Though the rains stopped, the mountain mist filled the air. When the time was 10.45 night, forester Joseph woke us. 'Hey look, pachyderms have come, wake up.'' The sleep vanished from us. We walked towards Anakkulam with the camera and a torch. We heard sounds of legs being splashed in water, quarrels and trumpetings which were creating panic in the area. Though it was moon-lit night, the light was dim in the mist. Though we lighted the torch, the light split midway. Though the natives said one can go even near elephants, we were feeling scared. They also said that any of the killer elephants would turn peaceful here. Nothing was clear when looked through camera too. We clicked some pictures but when scanning it there were only black figures. At last we woke up the driver Sajeev and asked him to come in the jeep. Jeep's engine was then stopped and turned on its headlights. The camera flashed in the light of the jeep as this beautiful scene was the rarest of the rare. A mother elephant was teaching its calf to drink water with its trunk. A big elephant was lying in the water without moving an inch. One was trying to distance another one and he was trumpeting in anger. Bubbles burst out when they moved the round stones with legs. The fight to grab these bubbles turned naughty some times. The photo shoot which began at 11 pm concluded at 12. Due to rain, only this herd came, otherwise more pachyderms would have come, said forest guard Babu. ``Still you people are fortunate as we never hoped that they would come in such an atmosphere. It seems like they came only for you''. Some time the elephants make visit in day light too. If they descend, the news will spread like wild fire and travelers from Munnar will rush in jeep to have a glimpse of them. More elephants would come down during the month of December, January and summer. When there is heavy rush in Sabarimala and when the temple opens, the elephants from that forest too would come here. There is festival season in the small temple near Anakkulam at that time. A festival of wild elephants including calves to grandma piggy elephants, without wearing a `nettipattom'. Anakkulam comprises of five or six small shops, small houses, a temple, church, grumandir and Eetta Cholayar river. The volley ball court of the place is situated near the `Ana Ori' (Elephant Pit) where elephants come for shower. When elephants descend, the player's stop playing and becomes spectators. We head towards the Anakkulam in the morning with an expectation of seeing elephants in day light. But we witnessed a different scene there. Some people were searching for something in the water. Later it was known that they were searching for an elephant tail hair with their legs. While playing in the water, hair would have fallen from the elephant's tail. Picking them, one can make a ring with it and get rid of fear. Or otherwise they can make money by selling it to other elephant tail hair lovers.