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ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

Valley of the Gods

A trek into another world, writes Anima Balakrishnan

PHOTO: K. ANANTHAN

IDYLLIC SETTINGThe Mariamman temple

RLTs are hard work, a leaf out of my Vagapanai diary. This place is postcard stuff. A carpet of grass cushions fallen frangipani flowers. Little whitewashed structures house stone deities.

The doors of the temple are not opened on whim. A little away, the dead are kept alive on stone carvings. And the shepherds herd the flock as if in a dream.

The setting is idyllic for sure. But getting there is cause for some sweat. Vagapanai is a trek down an endless canyon.

It is a drive past the immaculate Kootada estate roads, cottages with misty glass windows and bougainvillea in bounty.

Though Irula priest Subramani tries to entice me to trek down from the top of Kootada estate, I refuse to take the bait.

Instead, we wait for the car to take us as far down the tea gardens as it can. Finally, it stutters to a stop and I am ready for the downslide.

As the afternoon sun plays hide and seek and the women continue to pick tea with practised precision, we make our way past endless carpets of tea.

Once done with tea, a concrete path takes over. The course winds at all possible acute angles and is quite a test to my balancing skills. While I take each step after contemplating for eternity, Subramani is breezing down with the ease of a trapeze artiste.

Endless journey

We continue our climb down into dense vegetation. Of course, there is no end in sight. But Subramani is quite a motivator.

Every time my steps slacken and I pause to catch my breath, he urges: "The temple is round the corner." Never mind that it takes us another hour to reach there!

The immediate target is the murmur of the stream that has been haunting us from the beginning but has remained elusive.

After a great deal of sliding and gasping, I am finally at the stream. This is no gurgling brook, as the water flows with certain lassitude. But before we can savour the laziness, we are urged to plod ahead.

The path gets progressively narrow and a pebbled way takes over. But you are wrong if you think a change in terrain is an indication of the destination being close at hand. From nowhere, the concrete path reappears and you are deeper into the forest.

Finally, Subramani veers from the main path and onto a route further up. We follow as he makes way through unruly coffee plants. Suddenly, the climb is done with and we are at an expanse.

It's as if a magic wand has been waved, for the intimidating foliage has given way to a sweep of pleasant green grass. Two whitewashed structures with bougainvillea growing wild on them house the deities of the Irula tribe — Mariamman and Masaniamman.

The smaller structure has stone carvings, while the main temple is opened only once a year in January during Pongal. Legend has it that the deity was brought from Kollangode ages ago.

Subramani leads us through a little winding path to the Irula "graveyard."

What looks like a tiny white shed is packed with stone carvings of miniature human forms. The tribal priest explains that each tribal in the place is accounted for here. An image of the dead is carved in stone and placed there for posterity.

Little dots that are townships, factories, mountains and the Rangaswamy peak in all its majesty; these make up the view from Vagapanai. The ideal time to be there would be the evenings, soaking in the view sitting on the bark of the tree bogged down by its own weight but still in full bloom.

How to get there

Kootada estate is about 20 km from Kodanad. You need permission from the estate authorities to drive through the estate. For details, call NAWA at 04266-271596.

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