We all are some way or the other movie buffs and love to
watch a movie in the weekend after keeping aside the busy daily life pressures.
Inside a multiplex, with high definition video and audio effects, nowadays,
watching a movie is like a different experience which is hard to explain.
Whatever we see on the big screens with all the other light off is really appealing
and if it presents wonderful scenery then our enthusiasm widens. Athirappally
waterfalls in Bahubali and other movies was really a scene stealer and same
like there are other places captured in cameras arousing curiosity among the
audiences.It has been a year after the release of the big budget and book
office cracker of ever time superstar, Mohanlal movie Pulimurugan where hunt of
man versus wild was shot. After the release of the movie, people from different
parts of places landed Kerala and were in search of the scenic place pictured.
Audiences were moved by the wilder beauty of that place. They thought such a
scenic splendor was in Munnar or Thekkady and started booking several Kerala tour packages. The social media popularized the place and finally, its name
was out.
The picturesque forest captured in the movie was Pooyamkutti, in Ernakulam district near to Kothamangalam. It was a real surprise to know that the forest was located in Ernakulam district instead of some other place to visit in kerala
Before Pulimurugan, Pooyamkutti has shown its eminence in
another Mohanlal movie named Shikkar. The movie was not a blockbuster hit but
still, the place was perfectly shot. It is after the Pulimurugan release, the popularity
of the place soared.
Tourists especially, youngsters were so thrilled to visit
the place and most of them planned a trekking to the inner skirts of Pooyamkuti
forests. The social media's publicity was the main reason for more trekking to
this place. The exact location is about 27 kilometers from Kothamangalam and to
see the wilderness of the forest, a prior permission is needed. On the way to
Poyyamkutti, there are many breathtaking attractions and after tasting its
beauty, continue the journey to the abode of Murugan, the wild hunter. The
route can be picked as Kothamangalam to Thattekad to reach Kuttampuzha and from
there Pooyamkutti.
The Thattekad bird sanctuary is famous and is a bird lover's
paradise. On the way, a visit can be made to this wonderful bird sanctuary. It
is the venture of the great ornithologist, Dr Salim Ali and after a research in
early times; he convinced Travancore kings that the place is abundant with a
rich diversity of birds. This place is perfect for trekking too. Kuttampuzha is
another location which is an offbeat attraction and not so popular. Kerala has
several such places which are not so popular but its beauty is unexplainable
and we can reap more memories from there. Some honeymoon couples demand privacy
for spending their newly wedded days to enjoy nature and for them, these
offbeat places can be preferred. Kuttampuzha is such a place that can be
included in the Kerala Honeymoon packages. It is actually a tiny scenic
hamlet in Kerala where people are involved in farming and other agricultural
practices and are far away from commercialization. It is the meeting point
of two rivers namely Pooyamkutti and Edamalayar, hence the name 'Koodum'
meaning meeting and 'Puzha', river. On must really appreciate the diversity of
butterflies of this village with Gladey bush brown and Malabar rose varieties.
To feel the chillness of the water, there are several bathing Ghats around the
village. After filling your senses with a soothing village life experience,
continue the journey to the wild.
Pooyamkutti and its forests belong to the Malayatoor forest
division. The Pooyamkutti River is what separating the town from the forests.
It is the tributary of Periyar River. The most exciting thing one can see here
is the tribal villages inside the forest. One must take a 10 kilometers trek
inside to watch the tribal world. The watch of bamboo huts and their happily
living are quite thrilling to behold. One thing which is unknown to the world
is that Pooyamkutty is the habitat for wild elephants and there are huge
numbers of them inside the forests. Unlike shot in the movie, where tigers are
the frequented wild animal here, the elephants are the villain but this a place
where the humans and elephants have learned to coexist Tribal live in harmony
with the elephants. One interesting fact is that the Pooyamkutty forests lye in
the Western Ghats, connecting Eravikulam National park and Parambikulam wildlife
sanctuary. Hence, this is the major elephant migration route, thus allowing a
huge population of elephants to nurture here. The population of bamboo forests
is another reason why elephants migrate to Pooyamkutti forests. There are
fastly growing bamboo trees inside the forest and thus bamboo domination is
more here. These forests are the breeding grounds for freely roaming elephants.
Another suggestion is that trekking can be done in the
Pooyamkuty forests with your friends. Lucky are those youngsters in the
Ernakulam district as they can opt it as a weekend trip involving great kind of
adventure. For people from faraway places, visiting Kerala during holidays is
suggested. It is really difficult for new ones in Kerala to figure out the
place and hence seeking the guidance of tour planners is necessary and by
choosing some attractive Kerala holiday packages, a guided trekking will be
offered to the tourists. One thing you must be bewares of while trekking is the
elephants. But as per the locals there, the elephants are really active during
nights and are not often encountered in days unless a threat for their habitat
occurs. To get inside the forest, jungle route is the only way after crossing
the river. The elephants used to damage the crops and for protecting from
which, electric fences are built at some locations. The avid trekkers can smell
the fresh elephant dung on your way. They will come to the jungle route or
tribal village at night and afterwards move to the banks of Pooyamkutty River.
But this is not a sight that can be seen in daytime. Another interesting
attraction here is the Peendimedu waterfalls which are 8 kilometers deep inside
the forest. This is a very large waterfall, and realising its potential, a
hydroelectric project named Indira Priyadarshini was proposed to cover 1000 MW
same like Idukki dam but was changed to 210 MW later. The environmental issues
and the threat to biodiversity are what lying as a hindrance to this project.
We have seen a bridge in the Pulimurugan movie and is the
only way to cross the river and connects Poyyamkuty to Manikandamchal.
Manikandamchal is a village and the bridge is named as Chappath by locals. The
call of the jungle is characterized by the sound of langurs and macaques. To
reach the tribal colony, 20 kilometers of a trek is needed and from where good
quality pure and natural honey can be bought. Almost 100 tribes inhabit the
village and a healthy interaction can give you a chance to get some tribal
products. Never try to visit the forest during monsoons as the river will be
flooded making the trek difficult and risky. It is best to trek after monsoons
preferably after October. This is a ride to explore the locations of the
Pulimurugan and witness the wildness of the forest in real.
