Illegal rock mine in Munnar

In the above picture, you can see a white patch in the top right corner of the mountain. It is nothing but a rock quarry. It may be legal mining or illegal mining. But I am sure that getting permission for mining such a forest cum mountain which holds an important role in the ecosystem of the location will not be possible by straight forward methods. The concerned people may have compromised on some offers or accepted bribe or may be neglecting the illegal mine.

Just look at the scenery and understand the impact the mine have made to the beauty of the picture. The mountain is seen from far; still the mine is seen very big. So you could imagine the real size of the mine and the impact it had made to nature.

Not sure why such people are only behind money but not thinking about the future of their kids. I got this picture while I visited Munnar on October to see the blossom of Neelakurinchi. Next time when I visit (probably after 3 or more years) the same place, I doubt whether this green lush will be visible or even the entire mountain may have mined. Oh God, please protect the nature.

Neelgiri Thar (Varayadu) and Neelakurinchi in Munnar

Neelakurinchi blooms once in 12 years. But the people who belongs Munnar say it is not that accurate, the plants blooms once in a blue moon day. Better say, Neelakurinchi blooms approximately in 12 years. One tourist from Thekkadi who came along with his kids to see the blossom said that this particular plant blooms now and then, but not every year, and the kind of bloom that happened now occurs around once in 12 years. The flower ‘Neelakurinchi’ is a very small one, with a length of approximately one and half inch, but when it blooms covering an entire mountain like a carpet, the scene is a visual delight. While we reached there, the bloom was almost about to finish, leaving blue patches here and there in Rajamala.

The amount of tourists those who were coming to see the bloom were un-imaginable. We had to wait in the queue for tickets to the mountain top for almost 4 and half hours. The forest department enforced pass to the location and tourists were not allowed to walk up to the place even, but the facility arranged for the tourists were very limited, causing every body to wait in the queue for long. The bad thing was that some of those forest guards helped people who bribed them to get a pass without waiting in the queue and the police force that were present over there, also were practicing these kinds of corruptions.

The mountain thar or so called Neelagiri thar (Varayadu in Malayalam) is an endangered species and is only seen in these mountains of Idukki in the entire earth. Scientists say that the age of these mountain goats can be determined by counting the number of rings formed in the two horns of these animals. A male is clearly distinguished by the darker color in its body and the size.

In the past, sighting once of these mountain goats was luck, but now, Munnar is a crowded place, and these animals are so tamed that they will come so near to humans without any fear. This is a dangerous fact since it opens a better chance for diseases to be spread to these wild animals from Humans. More over poachers can easily catch one of these animals, even though these species are protected as a wild animal as well as an endangered one. The sign boards that ask tourists to preserve the Neelakurinchi and Varayadu for the future generation is really a good work. But people need to develop a more eco friendly and nature loving mind to make them disciplined towards the nature.

Exotic Munnar

The photo published here describes Munnar better than words. Abins commented that Munnar looks like Switzerland. Yes it is truly exotic. God blesses this place with enormous natural beauty. Situated in the district of Idukki (also called High Range) this location plays an important role in the tourism development of Kerala. Devikulam national park is the habitat of many wild animals including the endangered species – “Varayadu – The Mountain Thar or Neelagiri Thar”.

Our two day holiday out of which one day went in traveling from and to Bangalore was not enough to enjoy the wonder of the nature. On the way to Munnar, our cab driver found it very difficult to drive through the mist, that the visibility of the road infront was too low to spot other vehicles and curves through the curved roads of the mountains.

When we were about to reach Munnar, the landscape turned amazing each minute, with tea estates stretched like a carpet through out the hills and lakes in between. The mountain tops were covered with clouds and mist, making the Malayalam lines – “Moodalmanju mulakacha choodi” eternal.

The only problem with this location is that, it is becoming too crowded with tourists. Government should take utmost care to protect the natural beauty of Munnar along with the development of tourism. This place offers a lot to those who love trekking. This wonderful location is almost isolated from the other parts of Keralam and Tamil Nadu by the mountains and forests.

The mist and dew drops on the leaves of each plant along with the chilling weather refreshed our mind. We decided to visit this location again, when we have at least 3 or 4 days to spend here. To visit all the places in Idukki and enjoy the nature, it will take more than a week’s time.

A Wonderful Dawn at Munnar

A cuckoo woke me up at 5:55 am on that Sunday morning with its sweet song. What else can make the dawn more wonderful? I decided not to sleep more though the temperature was chilling outside. Within 15 minutes I completed taking bath and got dressed up and got out of the cottage. Wav!!! The misty morning with pleasant rays from the sun is so charming. It made my day. I haven’t had to think much where to focus my camera. Everything I saw in the morning was extremely beautiful and pleasant. I bow in front of almighty artist.
Here are some pictures of shining dew drops on tree leaves. The last one, I got it by making the focus of the camera a little bit out, so that the blue color refracted from the drop got enlarged as you see below.

The sun peeping behind the misty mountains and trees was an exotic scene to watch. Here are few snaps of the same.

The misty sky added a strange beauty to the entire location, tiny drops of dew hanged from every tree leave, and those dew drops even made the spider’s web a beautiful object. The natural beauty of the morning was more than having a hot morning coffee. Here are some more snaps of the Dawn.