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Published: April 8th 2009
Estate Sights
The road leading to the estateI go every other weekend to our family estate in Gudalur. The estate borders the Madhumalai Sanctuary in the state of Tamil Nadu and thus offers some good views of the adjoining forest areas. It affords a calm atmosphere in stark contrast to the chaos and cacophony of the busy city area where I stay in Bangalore. Hence, throughout the week I look forward to my stay at the estate.
Another reason for me to look forward to my weekly visits to the estate is the drive to the estate. The drive from Bangalore to Gudalur (250 kms) takes me through a very breath-taking route -- with a wide variety of roads surfaces (4-lane highways to unpaved village roads!) and scenic sights (while passing through 2 wildlife sanctuaries). This is one route which I never tire of inspite of having travelled it repeatedly over the past 2 years.
My usual routine is to take off on Saturday mornings and return by Monday afternoon in time for office. After reaching the estate, I usually go on an inspection round of the estate which includes a trek on a trail along the fencing of the estate. For a 'city slicker' like
Estate Sights
The road leading to the estate me, this walk by the side of the forest is often enough of an adventure in itself!
In the summers, the estate is quite often being visited by elephants foraging for food (their favourite being bananas) and water. Previously, there have been sightings of deers and a tigress with cubs! I have myself seen a bison besides the usual glimpses of monkeys, peacocks and jungle squirrels. But sightings apart, the wildlife here spares no effort to make their presence felt through their occasional calls, which echo around the estate premises serving as a kind of musical accompaniment.
A number of times when I visited the estate, I was frequently asked by the caretaker whether I would fancy a trek into the nearby forest. Since such an endeavour requires the requisite permission from the forest authorities and accompanied red tape, I usually used to steer clear of the idea. But once, I finally succumbed to the call of the wild and decided to go take a peek into the forest after all.
That being the height of summer, one major disadvantage was that the sound of our footsteps on the dry foliage on the jungle floor would announce
Estate Sights
The road leading to the estate our arrival to any wildlife nearby. But inspite of this handicap we eagerly stalked a herd of deer and startled a couple of wild boars until stumbling upon the ultimate catch -- a big herd of bison which were resting by the side of a neary dry stream! Eager to take a snap of the bison as our party neared the herd, the entire herd rose in unison took flight in thunderous riot of the sound of thudding hooves and a cloud of dust.
Disappointed at not having been able to photograph the herd, I did take a couple of snaps of the views inside the forest which I've attached here. All in all, my stroll through the forest was enjoyable & adventurous and was more than enough reward for my decision to undertake the endeavour. I'm told that there is even a dam deep inside the forest which is also reachable by walk and where innumerable wildlife can be found. That then shall be my next objective.
Until then, the feeling of enjoying a restful weekend in the lap of nature is more than enough for a city-weary soul like me!
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