Kollimalai – may it never be “discovered”

On a Saturday morning in Jan 2009, a friend and I left Bangalore by road and reached Salem at a little past 1000 AM. From Salem, we proceeded on the Trichy Road for a short while and took a left at Rasipuram after passing Mallur.

At Rasipuram we were joined by two other friends and Shri V.R. Doraiswamy, a Tamil pandit and epigraphist who has written extensively about Kolli Hills. A historian at heart, he has studied Tamil epigraphs (stone cuttings) in depth. These date from the 10^th to 19^th centuries, though the recorded history of Kollimalai - or Kolli Hills - dates to the Sangam and Jain periods. (300 BC to 300 AD). Several ancient Tamil texts have references to Kolli Hills. The most famous of the Kolli kings, Valli Ori (200 AD) who is reputed to have shot 7 wild animals with a single shot of his bow.

Greater Coucal

We took the Rasipuram - Namakkal Road upto Kalappanayakkanpatti from where we turned into the road to Kolli Hills. At the foot of the hills, there is a forest check post from which starts a 70 hair pin bend ghat section. The road quality is excellent. Just as we started the climb, we were treated to a good view of a Greater Coucal. In Kerala, Coucals are considerd a good omen. And, indeed so it was if the rest of our stay in Kolli Hills is any indication.

The ghat section has a number of good view points from which you can get a good view of the surrounding hills and the town.

At the end of the Ghat Section is the Shola Kadu (Shola Forests). Alas, there are no Shola forests to be seen nearby, but we were assured that there were Sholas in a couple of the nearby hills. Sholas are evergreen rain forests of South India mainly found in the Western Ghats, and are home to many threatened species. Sholas are less common in the Eastern Ghats, where Kolli Hills is located. The whole hill range is about 29 Kms long and covers an area of about 280 Sq Kms.

We reached Semmedu - our destination - in about 2.5 hrs from Salem after a leisurely drive. Good scenic views all the way from the time we entered the Rasipuram Road.

Accomodation in Kolli Hills is at Semmedu. Besides the Government youth hostel, there are two resorts - Nallathambi Resorts (where we stayed) and PA Resorts which is just across the road. The Nallathambi Resort has an outstanding view of the hills, which the PA resort seemed to lack. Nallathambi resort is currently under renovation though it continues to take visitors. Pricing per double room is in the Rs 600 range but is likely to go up to about Rs 1000 post renovation, matching PA resorts tariff.

After an excellent lunch at the Nallathambi Resort, we proceeded to the ambitiously named Akasha Gangai which is a 200 feet waterfall. The way down to the falls has about 750 steps and will present moderate difficulty climbing back if you are not in good shape. The water flow was pretty strong and we were told that the water stays till April/May. Bathing is a possibility but with risks of slipping.

After we climbed back, we visited the Arapaali Easwara (Siva) temple, which is at a height of 4500 feet and stands next to the steps that lead to the waterfalls. The present temple construction dates back to the 10^th century (Uttama Chola) as the epigraph in the temple wall shows. Other epigraphs embedded in the walls date upto 1818 describing the acts of kings who contributed to the temple in various forms date till 1818. Prior to construction of the Siva temple by the Cholas, this was a Jain site - as evidenced by a “Tirthankara” statue nearby. The temple site finds mention in 7^th century Tamil literature and there is evidence that it existed even earlier. There was a 10^th century sculpture of a Dwarapalaka outside in Jain style on which people had hung out their clothes to dry. Doraiswamy sadly pointed out that at the time of temple “renovations” in recent years, several epigraphs and sculptures were thrown out.

Even today, as Doraiswamy regretfully points out, 10^th century epigraphs are strewn in the open in various parts of Namakkal district, and routinely used by the local folks in building construction - reminiscent of stones from the pyramids used for house construction – a practice that was fortunately stopped there by the authorities hundreds of years ago. Doraiswamy’s repeated requests to the authorities for a museum to preserve the epigraphs have fallen on deaf ears. The archeological richness of Kolli Hills is also evident from that occasionally burial pots are found when excavating for house foundations.

From the temple we visited a stream nearby - the source of the waterfalls. This stream was famous for its fish which were lovingly protected by the locals in the past. We did not find any fish when we went there, probably because of the high water levels and also apparently because illegal fishing using dynamite is common. Doraiswamy pointed out that the Salem Manual (1883) recorded the fact that the fish were fed first before the offerings were made to the temple Gods.

Our next stop was the Kolli Pavai temple - also called Ettukaiamman. (or Eight handed goddess). The temple itself is a simple structure and it has apparently gained in importance only in recent years. As per Doraiswamy, this also dates back to the Jain period and sure enough, there is a Tirthankara on the way to the temple which is a short walk from the road. Near the road is an ancient temple outside which, in a neglected condition and with litter strewn around is a 10^th century stone mortar with Tamil inscription describing the donor who donated the mortar to the temple.

On Sunday morning, we trekked about 4 Kms on the fringes of the forest with our able guide Manickam, a tribal who works at the Nallathambi Resort. At the top of the hill were burial structures probably Mesolithic dating to 4000 BC. The flat stones at the top that covered the “tomb” were about 10 feet to a side and it must have taken some effort to get them there. Not quite Stonehenge, but impressive nevertheless

Corn and Tapioca are extensively cultivated in and the Rasipuram – Kolli Hills area. Much of what used to be forests on the hills are now cultivated by tribals based on land grants from Government, leaving the primarily the ghat section as forests . There are degraded forests elsewhere too but the remaining wild life in these forests is constantly poached by tribals hunting game. Each tribal family is rumoured to own a couple of unlicensed arms and hunting is a matter of prestige. The Mesolithic period tomb site that is mentioned elsewhere on this blog is worshipped as the temple of the hunters’ God by the tribals who gather here after a successful hunt – typically wild boar these days.

Animal sacrifice continues to be practiced in the temples on the hills. The Kolli Pavai temple has a board that says that animals should not be sacrificed within 100 feet of the temple. In another temple on our return, we saw a goat being led for sacrifice within temple precints.

The Kolli hills region was once known for Sloth Bears but sightings are now rare. Manickam - our tribal guide for the Sunday morning trek said that his grandfather had seen a tiger attacking his cows.

Overall the entire area is quite green and compared to Yercaud which is also near Salem, “undeveloped”.

Night Views of the sky from the hills can be breathtaking on account of low pollution, height and minimum surrounding lights. Kolli Hills was no exception, at least on the night we were there. The sky presented an amazing sight, the likes of which I have seen only once before - in the Red Sea deserts. If you are amateur astronomer, do not forget to bring your equipment.

Kolli hills is also reputed for its herbs and a trek in the woods among the herbs is itself supposed to have a thereaputic effect. Kolli honey is also famous.

After returning from the trek we left for Trichy via Sendamangalam and Namackal. This route had some of the cleanest villages that I have seen in India, in sharp contrast to the littered villages that you see on the highways of Tamil Nadu. Rice fields on both sides of the road and a couple of lakes support abundant bird life. I recommend that visitors to Kolli Hills take this route back even if adds a few extra kms. We saw a black shouldered kite and other raptors, wagtails, lapwings, bushchat, egrets, coots, teals, kingfishers, drongos, bee eaters and several other species.

There is much in Kolli Hills to attract lovers of nature, plant and bird life and even archaeology and astronomy buffs. Happily, not much to attract those who crave for the city lights and one can only wish it remains that way, despite the noticeable presence of loud and drunk bikers.

There are regular bus services to Semmedu from Rasipuram. The last bus from Semmedu is at 730 Pm.