Photo Feature: An Eden with a serpent in Konni, Kerala
Even given Kerala’s propensity for verdant vegetation,
one could well believe that this is some part of the Amazon rainforest!
All photos by Sheila Kumar and subject to copyright.
Konni is a hill town in Pathanamthitta district, about a hundred kilometres from
Thiruvananthapuram. Dense jungle, huge black boulders and the sinuous coil of
the Achankovil river define this lovely place.
The Elephant Training Centre formerly the site of khedda operations, is now a
sanctuary for elephants as old as 65 and as young as six months old. They are housed
in huge wooden cages, two or three to a cage. The Aanakoodu is a huge tourist attraction.
Stunning beauty awaits the visitor at the Adavi lagoon of the Kallar river,
where as many as 15 coracle boats are on offer for `bowl boat rides.`
Konni is also traditional rubber country, with virtually every other hill and dale
given over to rubber plantations.
Malayali irony at its unwitting best. At Adavi, this chai kada has not been
gussied up in the least but proudly bears the self-titled tag of Café.
The lagoon is hedged by ancient trees with gnarled roots, a dense canopy of leaves,
stout overhangs as well as near impenetrable undergrowth, all adding to the
mystique of the place.
The sun shines through onto a patch of the dense underbrush as we drift on lazily.
For all its lush appearance, the river at this place is merely a few feet deep
and one can see the water-smoothened pebbles and stones on the riverbed.
All around is this lush greenery, the sound of the gently coursing river, the air
strident with birdsong. Even given Kerala`s propensity for verdant vegetation,
one could well believe that this is some part of the Amazon rainforest!
Rs 800 will fetch you a half-hour coracle ride downstream. The boatsmen are
locals and will willingly sing praises of the region`s almost unbearable beauty,
but in that laconic manner so typical of my countrymen!
What wildlife can you see from the lagoon, we ask. Wild elephants but not very
often, is the reply. And then, we get lucky. Barely five feet in front of our coracle,
a huge King Cobra falls into the water heavily and then makes his way swiftly
across to the other bank, not in the least conscious of the boats or the
suddenly silent human beings in his vicinity. What`s more, I actually manage to
click a snap with slightly shaking hands!
Links to my other Photo Features:
Photo Feature: Picture Postcards
Photo Feature: Critters of Odisha
Photo Feature: Eating Chinese food in China
Photo Feature: Paths in the Kumaon foothills
Photo Feature: China chronicles
Photo Feature: Jaipur`s jharokas and more!
Photo Feature: The Lake District
Photo Feature: The Water Babies by Charles Kingsley
Photo Feature: Views from a Bangalore Window
Photo Feature: Kiwiland Calling!
Photo Feature: Himachal Heights