Silent Woods

In Kerala, Achal Dhruva stumbles upon a place echoing with the sounds of silence. Ponmudi is as idyllic as it gets...

All pics: Achal Dhruva

After snaking through 22 hairpin bends and climbing to a cool 1,066 meters, the narrow road ends abruptly on a small plateau at the top of the mountain. What seems like the middle of nowhere, is last stop - Ponmudi, an idyllic and remote hill-station

60 kilometres northeast of Thiruvananthapuram, capital of Kerala. An occasional herd of goats grazing, the howling wind and the grass stuck in a perpetual Mexican Wave are the only things which seem to move in this pastoral landscape, as my friend Bala and I stand confused staring at the panoramic bird's eye view of the surrounding plantation country.

'Expect the unexpected' - the signs were ominous but we failed to read them in more ways than one at the Thampanoor bus stand in Thiruvananthapuram as we ran from pillar to post figuring out the bus for Ponmudi. Brought up in Mumbai, Bala's reading skills in his mother-tongue were best not mentioned and we had to turn to locals. A very helpful lot but each one confidently pointed to a different area of the large, crowded bus stand. However, they were all unanimous in saying, "Ponmudikku illa bus cheruthuanna" (the bus to Ponmudi is small). And indeed when the bus arrived, it was something between a mini-bus and the regular version. The reason for the irregular size - 22 hairpin bends on the way and as we discovered each one is numbered boldly. If the bus had failed to give us an inkling of things to come, the two-and-half-hour journey via small towns of Nedumangad and Kavakulam acted as the perfect trailer for this off-the-beaten-path destination.

The bus rambled and rattled past areca nut, clove, rubber and cashew plantations with the Kavakulam and Kallar rivers flowing close by. The bridge at Kallar junction marks the start of the real climb complete with the hairpin bends. We climbed up through the foothills full of great lumps of black rock and thick clumps of bamboo and then through the dense Kallar teak forest with the occasional small clearing giving a fleeting yet tantalising glimpse of the amazing valley view. Finally when we emerged from the forest cover into the tea plantations we were numb with the sweeping vistas below, the cool nip in the air and the near misses we thought the driver had induced on the hairpin bends. Suddenly it was quite chilly as the temperature dropped sharply, a relief from the hot and balmy climate of the coastline, which often touches 32 degree Celsius even in winter. Apart from the deliciously cool climate and fantastic scenery what is most endearing about this hill station is its laidback character and isolation.

As we stepped out of the bus we were frankly stumped, as the place was something beyond our imagination, a far cry from the hill stations we had visited till date. Located in the tea-growing region of the Cardamom Hills, Ponmudi is neither a town nor a village. The upper levels are covered with tea and coffee plantations spread out in an orderly fashion with tiny pockets of hamlets and planters' bungalows disturbing this undulating carpet of green. Small paths snaking these plantations disappear in the thick teak forest below and into the valley. Kerala Tourism Development Corporation (KTDC) Guest House, two kilometers below, is the sole reminder of civilisation in the vicinity. After having our fill of the breathtaking views across the ranges as far as the sea on clear days, we made our way to the guesthouse.

The charming guesthouse perched overlooking the valley unfolded yet another delightful surprise. We were the only guests and lived it up like kings, after all the main building of the guest house had been the summer palace of the erstwhile Raja of Travancore. It is sheer bliss to settle down with a tall glass of chilled beer in the small garden outside the restaurant watching the sun go down behind some distant mountain across the valley and then watch the moon emerge above the dark contours of another mountain. We spent our time on long rambling walks and generally lazing under trees staring at the landscape, wondering about William Wordsworth's famous line, 'No time to stand and stare'.

While we were on a short two-day impulsive detour on our 21-day normal sightseeing itinerary in Kerala, Ponmudi certainly merits a longer stay for those who love nature and adventure. On the fringe of the thickly forested hill range of which 53 square kilometers has been set aside as Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Ponmudi serves as a practical base to explore the flora and fauna which includes wild animals like leopards, bears, elephants, sambar, lion tailed macaques and assorted birds. Although Peppara is theoretically open all year round, the main season for sighting game is from January to May. There are a number of well-defined trails crisscrossing through the valleys and surrounding hills making Ponmudi an excellent gateway for treks and hikes, especially in winters. Monsoon is when the hill station, resplendent in hues of green and silver streaks cascading down the mountain, is at its mystical and magical best.

We had a dream stay with virtually the mountain top to ourselves but the spell of being suspended in time is broken on weekends as carloads drive up for a break from the rat race and the madding crowds of Thiruvananthapuram. Nowhere does Monday seem so welcome!