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ROAD LESS TRAVELLED

Pretty as a picture

If you want Nature for company, says SOMA BASU

PHOTOS: SOMA BASU

IDYLLIC LANDSCAPE The Punalur bridge

A crowd of noisy tourists attracts my attention to this spot on the Madurai-Kollam NH 208. Unable to resist the temptation, I pull up my car by the side of the road and begin to explore. A blue, luminous board says "Ottackal", barely 15 km from the Tamil Nadu-Kerala border.

I find myself standing in front of a fenced compound, inside which is a two-tiered viewpoint. The light pink paint is peeling off the watchtower which is like a huge cylinder with a spiralling staircase to the top.

Picturesque setting

Next, I reach the top and find a group of people enjoying the scenery. Down below is the Ottackal weir amid a picturesque setting. The entire spectrum of lush green foliage through which cuts the gurgling Kallada river, the choir of some birds in the distance, clouds spreading a dark cover over the hills and the sun's rays occasionally cutting a swathe across the valley... all these lend a discreet charm to the place.

A kiosk downstairs makes the place a bit noisy and dirty as people stop by for a cup of chai and other knick-knacks. But you should wait for them to leave to experience the intense silence that prevails all around. As the white body of water falls with force and turns into a glimmering sheet, curving its way down through rocks and stones, it is difficult to take your eyes off it.

While you take in the view and soak in the atmosphere, the cool crisp air gently brushes against you. Only shades of green are visible as far as eye can see. The green melts into a shadowy blue with a light mist covering the mountains in the distance.

With the people gone, the place turns into a picture of calm.

The Ottackal weir

The outflowing river Kallada comes from the Parappar reservoir at an elevation of 1,225 metres. The nearby Thenmala dam is built across the river just below the confluence of its three small tributaries — the Kulathupuzha, the Chenduruni and the Kalthurty. The Kallada river meanders its way past towns and villages to join the Ashtamudi lagoon in Kollam District in Kerala.

Picnic spot

The idyllic landscape at Ottackal makes it a great picnic spot. The forests provide enough challenge to explore their wealth and wildlife, but not without the permission of the Forest Ranger, Thenmala Division. If you take the road along the river for another 20 km, you come to an interesting relic from a European past — a suspension bridge in Punalur. Constructed during British rule by Albert Henry, this 130-year-old bridge, which crosses the Kallada river, has three suspended spans. Vehicles going in and out of Punalur pass through the bridge.

There are some hidden spots here too along the waterway where, if you are lucky, you can take a boat ride with the locals who go fishing in the canal.

The sky threatening to open up, the river flowing placidly with groves of coconut and banana swaying along its banks, the mild sun rays occasionally trying to penetrate the thick canopy and the lone boatman in the water make a perfect picture that will stay etched in memory for long.

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