The plan for the trip
It had been two years since we last went for an outing. We were feeling a bit suffocated, to be frank. My brother suggested a trip to the wilderness of any good outstation location. My mother was adamant to take a trip to the southern region of India this time around. A light bulb went on in my head, and I planned to merge both their ideas. I have a little niece who was excited at the thought of visiting a jungle and it was on me to find a suitable place now. Surfing through the internet, I found that Parambikulam National Park, located at the South-Western Part of India, and I found it to be a good place that had the combination of all these features.
The Arrangement
We reside in Kolkata which is quite far from the Western Ghats. The way to reach Palakkad is to first go to Coimbatore by flight or by train. As we had planned our trip three months earlier, it was easy for us to get the flight tickets at a cheap rate. We had to go to Coimbatore Airport and from there to Palakkad by cab. I booked our tickets for the flight from Kolkata to Coimbatore and back. We had booked a cab from Coimbatore with an experienced driver. The driver was a local and also knew Hindi well. We decided to book a cab for the other places later, once we reach the destination. A hotel was booked in Coimbatore with two rooms to give shelter for the tour to our entire family. It was decided that keeping Coimbatore as the base, we shall take a trip to the other places of interest.
Visited places
The places to visit in the area are Palakkad Fort, the Hanuman Temple, Malamphuza Dam, and Malamphuza Rock garden, and obviously the Tiger Reserve at the Parambikulam National Park.
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve
On the second day of our visit, we booked a convenient and reasonable Palakkad taxi service to take us to the Parambikulam National park. We were engrossed to see the variety of flora and fauna. I had a narrow squeak as a snake jumped from the twigs and leaped past me when I got out of the cab. I hurried inside. It was a mixed feeling of thrill, excitement, and fear. From our taxi which was covered on all sides with thick glasses, we could see the tigers and deers moving at a distance. Our taxi came amidst a flock of wild boars and got stuck. We returned with the fragrance of the jungle intoxicating our senses and the wilderness soothing our eyes.
The main aim was to see tigers in the National Park. Our driver took us to a spot from where we could see the tigers basking at a distance., The roar from the distance gave a thrill through my spine. Wilderness, beauty, fear of danger mingled to give a mixed joy.
Malamphuza Dam
The third day was a visit to Malamphuza Dam. The Dam is situated on a huge and tranquil lake which is an extension of the Malamphuza River, the water reservoir of the state. A beautiful garden adorns the front of the Dam. The garden is well maintained and has beautiful water fountains. Visualizing the Dam brought in a sense of loftiness and tranquillity to the mind. The sound of the water was soothing to the nerves.
Palakkad Fort
The last day of our visit was the Palakkad fort – the fort of Tipu Sultan built by his father Haider Ali is a glory in itself to experience. The fort is a quiet and beautiful old architectural built up, preserved by the Archaeological Survey of India. It is well kept for alluring tourists. Inside the fort, on a hillock is the Hanuman Temple which has beautiful inner decorations. We spent hours inside the fort admiring the old grandeur and the beauty of the temple.
The return with a satiated heart
Finally, it was our time to return. We came home with a fulfilling sense and rich experiences taken from the natural beauty and grandeur of the antique architecture. The scenic beauty will last long to nourish the mind and replenish it in moments of tiredness.
