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Defies gravity
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Check it out at your own pace, writes SUBHA J RAO
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Photo:K_Ananthan
Unspoilt charm The Annamalai cave in Manjur
Another RLT. I pore over a map trying to select an appropriate destination. After much discussion with my colleagues I pitch upon the Geddai-Manjur-Kinnakorai belt in the Nilgiris.
My apprehensions about the trip melt away when I discover that it is a great area to explore. Barely a stone's throw from Ooty and Coonoor lies Manjur — a picture of unspoilt charm. Dense sholas and blue-green hills make the journey through the Nilgiris heartland pleasant.
And, yes, people in these parts still enquire politely whether you need help.Intrigued by the beautiful arch at Onikandi junction, a kilometre before Manjur, the photographer and I get the driver to stop the vehicle.
This is the road leading to Annamalai, a hill shrine. Annamalai gets its name because scores of devotees who visit the Muruga temple atop the hill are fed every month during Krithikai.
The month of Chitirai is also special for pilgrims who throng the place by the thousands.
From the temple, you can get a splendid view of the plains below.
Legend has it that sage Agastya performed penance at Annamalai.
The photographer and I get ready to leave, but an ascetic at the temple stops us. He tells us about a cave which has literally been defying the law of gravity for hundreds of years — a huge boulder is held in place by two smaller ones.
The red mud track downhill is steep, with rocks strewn about. There is little to cling on to for support and we pick our way carefully, trying all the while not to miss our footing.
The air around is filled with the fragrance of eucalyptus and lantana.
At last, we reach the cave. A chameleon at the entrance darts by, wary of the unusual visitors.
As I step in, I sight the idols of Siva and Parvati, painted a garish blue and red. The only sound that breaks the silence is that a stream carrying water from the Kundah Dam which courses down a nearby boulder. We rest for a while on a rock on the pathway and drink in the scene — of the lush valley swathed in swirls of mist.
How to get there
Drive up to Karamadai and take the road that forks left to Manjur via Velliangadu. From there, it is a drive through dense forest. Cross Geddai and take a right turn at the Annamalai junction.
An arch welcomes you to the shrine. Manjur is 88 km from Coimbatore.
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Pondicherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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