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If I had not made a plan to visit the Anamalai Tiger reserve in the State of Tamil Nadu in the month of November 2018, on the request of my colleague Ranjan Routray Chief Commissioner of Customs Trichy, certainly I would have missed to see a Heavenly place in India, in my lifetime.

What is so great about this place you may ask?

It is a plateau at a height of 3500 feet surrounded by 4 protected wildlife areas namely Indira Gandhi Wildlife sanctuary (Anamalai Tiger Reserve ), Chinar Wildlife Sanctuary, Eravikulam National Park and Parambikulam Tiger Reserve. Except the first all 3 are in Kerala.
It is the place known for the Tea Gardens on both sides of the road. It has a dam known as Sholyar and while going from Pollachi to Valparai one can not miss to see the Adiyar dam on your left. The 40 hair pin bends would keep you live and alert as each has some beauty. You may observe the Nilgiri Tahr, the endemic mountain goat on the hills near the 9th hair pin bend. If you are lucky you may see the Lion Tailed Macaque at the Puduthottam Annexe on route. I got a chance to see and shoot through camera, the Malabar Giant Squirrel on the trees on the road side.

If you are interested in seeing the rain forests, just take a tour from Valparai to Athirapally, just 70 km from this town. I am sure you will not regret as this has most scenic views including dense forest where sun rays are trying their best to lighten the darkest spots on the route, tea gardens, animal and bird life as well as deep valleys and high mountains and water body too.

This is also the place where my friend Uttamraj showed me seeds of a creeper resembling exactly similar to the SHIVALING on 26th November. I could not believe my eyes. But I had to as he took out the It was simply amazing to see birth of a shivlinga from the fruits of creeper.
I am sure you would make a plan to visit such a heaven which is in your own country and not far away from your comfort zone as best of the properties in the midst of the Tea Estates are giving you everything at an affordable cost.

Images from the wilderness of Valparai taken on 26th and 27th November 2018.

About Vinod Goel

He joined Customs & Central Excise service in 1982. As a civil servant, his job takes him to various parts of India, which gave him an opportunity to capture our wild heritage, through his camera. His passion for wildlife photography started in 2004 when he was posted at Raipur (Chhattisgarh) and this passion continues till today.