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In Search of the Sage
Although the yatra season had begun and the train
was packed to the core, I somehow managed to reach Trivandrum in the wee hours
of that chilly morning. After munching a
few appams for breakfast I headed straight away to a place called Kottur and
after a bumpy jeep ride reached a small sleepy hamlet of Kanni tribe settlement
called Podium in the afternoon. It is cozily tucked away inside the Peppara wildlife sanctuary about 70 kms
from the capital city.
Refreshing under a perennial waterfall nearby I reclined over a rock
overlooking the hill. The monolithic
giant rock face of Agasthya Mala rising above
6300ft was looming in the distance dominating
the landscape. I was on an adventurous trek to that sacred hill situated in the
heart of the sanctuary.
My friend and guide Surendranan, for the
next few days, narrated a few of the mythological stories related to the sacred
hill and the sage Agasthya. Having read
many mythological stories in the Chandamama monthly in the childhood days about
sage Agasthya, I tried recalling them.
Pleased upon
Parvathy's penance to achieve the consort hood of Lord Siva, the Lord himself appears
before her and agrees to marry Her. The spiritual wedding was solemnized on
Mount Kailasa. All the Devas, Bhootas, Asuras, Yakshas, Kinnaras, Gandharvas,
etc, and other eminent gods including Brahma and Vishnu, came down from their
respective extra-terrestrial realms to the earth, to Mount Kailasa to witness
the wedding. Due to the weight of the
population in the north the earth started to tilt. Lord Shiva then requested Agasthya
Muni to rush to the southern part of India and balance the earth from further
tilting. Sage Agasthya came down to a
place which later on came be known as Chengannoor (old name not known) in
Kerala and sat in mediation and then negated the further tilt of the planet.
However, Agasthya muni had laid down a condition before leaving Kailasah that
Siva and Parvathy would come down to the place where he would sit, and the
marriage will be solemnized again there for his benefit to which all agreed.
Finally the Bride and Bridegroom came to Chengannoor to be married again before
Agasthya muni. But Parvarthy had her periods and the marriage was postponed.
The red blood from Parvathy Devi's menstrual discharge fell on the ground and
the mud there turned red. Thus the place got the name Chemmanoor - chem(red)-mann(mud)-ooru(place).
Later the name got distorted over ages and now it is more known as Chengannoor,
though there are people who call the place as Chemmannoor.An important legacy worth mentioning here is a of a temple there; considered to be first built by Agasthya muni, where he sat in meditation and the marriage was subsequently re-solemnized; it is here that Siva-Parvathy’s idols are worshiped in that temple. One half of the temple is dedicated to Lord Siva and the other half behind Siva is dedicated for Goddess Parvathy. It is believed that They are available to Their devotees for worship, as husband and wife here. Interestingly it is believed that even today the idol of Parvathy has menstrual flow, though not regular. But if the priest observes blood (claimed to be tested true menstrual blood) in the 'odayaada' during 'nirmalya pooja', Parvathy's idol is removed and kept in a sanctum opposite to the temple within the premises and after a festival 'tripoottaraatu' (7 days) Her idol is placed back into the temple. The festival is celebrated only if Her menses occurs.
Another interesting legend goes like this – there were two demon brothers, Ilvala and Vathapi, who used to kill people who were passing by the forest in a special manner. Vathapi was good at changing to other life forms and the other, Ilvala knew the supernatural slogan Sanjivini Herb which, when invoked can bring back a dead person to life. They hatched a plan against Agastya that Vathapi would turn into a goat and be killed and fed to Agastya. After Agastya had eaten the meat, Ilvala would invoke the Sanjivani mantra to bring back his brother Vathapi to life, who in turn would rend Agastya's stomach and come out thereby killing him. By the plan, one changed into a goat and the other disguised himself as a Brahmachari who invited Agastya to a meal. Agastya knew beforehand about the plan due to his immense vedic powers, but he resolved to teach both a lesson. After the meal, Agastya simply rubbed his stomach saying Vathapi JeerNo bhava; literally may Vathapi be digested, while the other demon tried to bring his brother to life in vain. Agastya plainly informed the demon that his brother has been digested and could no longer be brought back to life.
The other facet of the great sage is that he is considered as the first and foremost Siddha. He is considered the guru of many other Siddhas. He is also called Kurumuni, meaning short (kuru) saint (muni). He made contributions to the field of Medicine and Astrology- especially Nadi Astrology which is immensely popular. He is said to have lived for over 5000 years, and that one of his medicinal preparations, Boopathi Kuligai, is so powerful that it can even bring the dead back to life.
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Phapillaodeum Druyi Orchid |
These hills contain
areas of exceptional natural beauty and aesthetic importance. The hills contain
outstanding examples of ecosystems and communities of plants and animals
representing significant ecological and biological processes. The hill is blessed
with rare species of herbs and medicinal plants. A very rare and special herbal plant
named Aroggya pacha (Trichopus
zeylanicus) famously known as Plant of Eternal Health , is a speciality of
Agasthyamala, and it attracts many researchers to this area. The sides and
slopes of Agasthyakoodam is natuarally gardened with a special type of green herbs. Neelakurinji (
Strubhilanthus Kundiyanthus ) which
usually blooms once in a 12 years is also found here. When it blooms, the
entire area will be carpetted with the violet colored flower and it is an eye catching
sight for the nature lovers.
Also, this place is home to many
endangered species of wild animals too, like Lion-Tailed Macaques, Bengal
Tiger, Nilgiri Marten, Nilgiri Tahr, Malabar Spiny Dormouse, Great Pied
Hornbills, Gaur, and Sloth Bear. Reptiles found here include the
Green Calottes, Skinks (The Common Blue-tailed skink is found only in the
Western Ghats), and snakes like the Bamboo Pit Viper, Shield-Tailed Ocellate,
Vine Snake, Rat Snake and the Cobra
Agastyamala is home to the Kanikkaran people,
one of the oldest surviving hunter-gatherer
tribes in the world. Agasthyar
was a Dravidian sage, and is considered to be one of the seven Rishis
(Saptarishi) of Hindu mythology. The Tamil language is considered to be a boon
from Agasthyar.
Europeans, particularly those from
England, are said to be the first to
establish tea gardens around the base stations of Agasthyarkoodam at Brimore,
Bonacaud and Ponmudi.
Next
morning with the guidance of Surendranan
I started the trek a bit early with some Avial
(a dish made from vegetables ) and
bananas for packed lunch . The initial walk was through jeep track crossing
settlements of Kanni Tribes in the hills. After crossing numerous streams and
quenching our thirst we reached the base of the hill by noon. The view of
hills surrounding the Agasthyamala including hills of Ponmudi, Banccaud
and the bird’s view of Peppara dam back waters
was awesome!.Making our way through the thick elephant grass we reached a clearing. We found mounds of elephant
dung here. Kannan told that elephants come to munch grass and bamboo here, and
sometimes trespass villages and create havoc.After having lunch by the stream we climbed the hillock and walked under the canopy. We had to shed blood as the trail was infested with blood sucking leeches!.After climbing for more than 3 hours we were on a trail which forked after walking for an hour and finally reached the place called Athirumala which served as base camp for the trek. There is a forest rest house here amidst the forest overlooking the Agasthyamala hill and other hills. The forest department has ensured the safety of the inmates by digging deep trenches around the rest house. The caretaker and wireless operator cautioned us not to venture into the bushes and go beyond the trenches during night. We were totally exhausted after walking the whole day. There is also a facility for cooking if the inmates want to conjure up their own delicacies. A quick hot dinner was served by the caretaker. The night was windy and very cold. We slipped into the cozy sleeping bags and retired early.
Next morning after having a cup of Black tea and Tapioca for breakfast we left to Agasthyamala. The initial path was through beaten path crossing numerous streams. The mist had enveloped the peak and seemed as though we were walking in an air conditioned forest. After more than an hour of brisk walk we reached a place called Pongalapara, an open place where the North ridge to Agasthyamala starts. The growth of moss makes the rock face slippery with water flowing by from the open crevasses. In was really an arduous climb indeed!.The wind blowing at a speed of 20 -30 kms per hour made walking exhausting. The palm trees on the west face of the hillock were swaying continuously. We took some risks and managed to reach the tip of hillock with difficulty just holding the tiny pinch holds of the rock face. A small mistake seemed to be fatal.!. The whole hillock was covered with dense fog revealing the black hillocks in the vicinity which seemed as if competing to grow. The bird’s eye view of Neyyar dam and the forest was beyond words. There is an idol of Sage Agasthya here in an open place. Devotees come here to offer puja and to seek blessings of the divine seer. Young girls below age 14 and old women above 50 years are allowed to visit the place strictly!
We spent some time on the hillock and offered puja to the seer. Our guide Surendran cautioned about the deteriorating weather condition and the risky descent on the ridge. Though we had an intention of staying for a long time, reluctantly we retraced the path and cautiously reached the base camp by evening. It is strictly not advisable to visit the place during monsoons or in bad weather conditions. It is better to go with a guide as there is no clear path.
After spending the night in the forest rest house, next day we hit the trail and retraced the path and reached Podium by afternoon. The forest guards and the Ranger of Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary were patrolling in search of a herd of Pachyderms who had created havoc in the nearby fields the previous night. They cautioned us not to step out of the settlements and to be watchful!.After requesting a local jeep driver and paying him some extra money we somehow managed to reach Kottur by evening. Finally we were out of danger!
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