Getting to know Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala – Photo journal

Pratima Kapur in Thekkady, Kerala

Rafting cost us Rs. 1000/- per person.

Thekkady means wildlife! Elephants, bison, boar, deer… I was ready to greet the tiger, but didn’t see one despite a night patrol with the forest guards with torches, guns and a line of elephants on either side of us! The sound of leaves rustling under our feet on a moonless, starry night…

Elephants at Periyar

Elephants at periyar National Park, Kerala

Periyar Wildlife sanctuary

Rafting on a bamboo raft

Rafting on a bamboo raft, Periyar river, Kerala

Rafting on a bamboo raft, Periyar river, Kerala, India

We took a bamboo rafting package for the whole day from 8am to 5.30pm. It cost just Rs. 1000/- per person. The food was vegetarian: bananas, bread and jam for breakfast, rice and chole curry for lunch and an orange in the evening.

Fishing in Periyar River, Kerala, India

Fish abound, but we are vegetarian. Let it go, please.

Cardamom growing at the base of the tree/shrub

Cardamom growing in Thekkady, Kerala

Green cardamom, elaichi pods fresh on the tree.

Coffee beans still on the tree

Coffee beans on the tree, Thekkady, Kerala

Coffee, pepper, cinnamon, clove and cardamom plantations in Thekkady are also engaging.

Enthurium

Enthurium, flora, India

Wild boar in their natural home

Wild boar in their natural home, Thekkay, Periyar National Park, Kerala, India

Travel guide: Thekkady, Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala

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Thekkady in Idduki district of Kerala is not far from Ernakulum, which was our base city. Periyar Tiger Reserve and National Park is famous for its dense jungle – a happy mix of evergreen, semi-evergreen, and deciduous trees.

Periyar is home to elephants, deer, tigers, bison, boars, macaques and Nilgiri langur monkeys, and much more.

Periyar river provides for much frolic for animals and tourists alike. Rafting is one activity here, and watching elephants play in the water is another :-)

[Photo credit: Pratima and Rammuni Kapoor]

Pratima Kapur
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A village in Kerala’s Periyar delta may be the site of a port that has remained untraced for centuries although ancient Indian and Greek texts had described it as an Indian Ocean trade hub, researchers have said. Archaeological excavations at Pattanam, about 25km north of Kochi, have yielded an abundance of artefacts — a 2,000-year-old brick-layered wharf, a wooden canoe and hundreds of fragments of Roman and West Asian pottery, including wine jars. http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090803/jsp/frontpage/story_11313800.jsp

anisha on Thursday, August 13, 2009


जपहिं नामु जन आरत भारी। मिटहिं कुसंकट होहिं सुखारी॥