There
is a place on earth which is feared for its mysteriousness, which is
worshipped for its magical powers, which is horrorred for its witch
crafts; which is a home for many saints; which is a place for many cave
temples. Standing tall and spreading its wings on the Eastern Ghats this
place is a beauty by creation; it’s a paradise by birth; it as the
vibrations which can peel your heart and as the name suggests it can
kill you with its gorgeousness.
The
agenda of the trek was to start from Puliancholai village and trek
along the main stream to reach Akash ganga water falls. To explore and
visit the caves on this mysterious mountain to reach the top of the
Akash ganga falls and to reach the 1,100 mts peak and ascend along a
village trail to reach back to Puliancholai.
Trek along the stream to reach the Akash Ganga waterfalls:
The
initial steps of the trek were climbed along the chill and refreshing
stream of Kolli hills to reach the famous Akash Ganga waterfalls.
Although the place was quite dry and the sun was on top of us, it never
denied anyone of us from marching ahead. Taking a dip on the
reverberating chill waters of Kolli hills we energized our bodies and
headed towards the hunt for caves hidden deep inside the mysterious
hills. Indeed, I have heard loads about the caves, the saints, the
magical powers, the heeling leaves etc. etc. about Kolli hills but now
all I wanted was to witness all these for myself.
Visiting Shri Gokarnath siddhar cave and Pamb atti (Snake Charmer) Siddhar cave:
Like
a child who for the very first time witnessing a surprise thrown at
him. I saw and wondered at the Kolli caves and learnt the life’s of
these Siddhar’s who have left behind them loads of energy and vibrations
in these caves. Now these places are worshipped and visited only by the
locals and tribes who are aware of these consecrated places.
I
admired and wondered how on earth these caves were formed and how these
Siddhar’s happened to choose these places and used it for practicing
mediation and as a laboratory to understand the medicinal properties of
the flora in that region. Really they would have been brave hearts to
have lived amidst these sorts of places encountering innumerable
difficulties in their life.
The amusement of Kolli hills – taking bath in the Akash Ganga waterfalls:
Lost
at the sight of her majesty; loving the chill moisturized breeze
hitting my body; adoring the smell of her waters; I saw and admired the
mind blowing view of the beautiful Akash ganga waterfalls dropping from
the sky. No wonder it was named as “Akash ganga” a well deserved name.
Wondering
at her appealing beauty I slowly ventured into her bone chilling water
to take a dip in her soothing waters. I should confess here that this
was one the best experience’s I ever had standing below a waterfalls and
enjoying the pin-like water hitting me hard. My body was enjoying the
enchantment of the nature and my heart was filled with absolute delight.
Akash ganga will be ever remembered by us for the wonderful life-time
experience it offered to us.
Camping near the Arpaleshwar temple:
Arpaleshwar
temple is Lord Shiva devotees must visit place and as planned we camped
there for night. The temple was thronged by devotees owing to upcoming
Shivarathri from various parts of South India who knew its significance.
The shops nearby offer excellent herbal soups made out of plants roots
which can easily refresh any tired body and mind; I can recollect most
of us having many rounds of herbal soup unable to control their taste
buds.
As
it became dark we cooked and had yummy dinner and the night which
followed was a long and sleepless for many since the mercury dipped
leaving behind poor souls to tremble in cold.
Visit to the top of the Akash Ganga waterfalls:
The
next day morning we woke up to witness the revitalizing early morning
sun. Soon we decided to conquer the Akash ganga waterfalls and hit its
top and watch how it feels like to witness it from its top. When the
tourist world is limited to Akash Ganga waterfall beautifying the Kolli
hills we have realized that there is a life and society beyond tourist
destinations which is close to our hearts. Sitting on the 400 mts.
humongous cliff; enjoying the magnificent views; with the chill breeze
soothing through nostrils; looking at the paths trekked; with an
unconscious smile on the face and heart filled with happiness certainly
quenches our adrenaline rush. It’s a trekker’s feeling lost in his own
world far away from humanity nevertheless close to nature.
Conquering the 1,100 mts + Kolli peak:
After
the return from the top of the Akash ganga waterfalls we decided to
reach to the top of the kolli peak braving the scorching sun. We
initially trekked through a village trail and soon reached the base of
the peak then it was full of tricky rock climbing.
The
climb to reach the peak braving the scorching sun was rewarded with
wonderful views of the entire Kolli valley. The Akash Ganga waterfall
was beneath us and we were blessed with the mind-blowing view of the
entire Kolli hills. I could hear the appreciations going around on
reaching to the peak through legs and watch the victorious moments being
captured. The sense of satisfaction was very obvious on every once face
and I am confident all the trekkers would cherish these memories
forever in their life.
Ascending the Kolli hills through a rocky village trail:
After
conquering the Kolli peak we ascended along the village trails crossing
several villages and spending wonderful afternoon and lunch in some of
the most beautiful and peaceful villages situated in the Kolli hills.
The best part of the afternoon was fetching water from the village water
well and quenching our thirst and finishing our lip-smacking lunch from
the gardens of the village.
The
most tiring part of the trek was ascending along the hilly and rocky
steps to reach Pullianchoolai village. After few initial steps of hiking
down our thighs started aching and made us feel exhausted but slowly
and steadily we successfully ascended through the village trail and
reached the Pullianchoolai stream and had a nice bath in the chill
water.
Yet
another good encounter was a villager who was successful in his attempt
in capturing a huge fish from the stream. Initially when we saw his
catch we mistook it to be a snake but finally realized that it was
stream fish.
Kolli
had been in my must visit places for hiking and I did not wanted to
miss this opportunity and at the end of the two days adventure at Kolli
hills I had a absolute sense of satisfaction in completing this
wonderful trek and exploring few less visited places by mankind.
Happy trekking
Durai Murugan
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