[darklord]

"Always find time for the things that make you feel happy to be alive."

In our case, we live to drive, don't we?

The elders were getting bored and wanted to go on a drive. The initial plan was to spend the weekend in Gavi or Thekkady, but Gavi had a full house, and the KTDC properties inside Periyar Tiger Reserve were fully booked too. We had given up the plan for a drive when Koonthankulam popped up in the discussion. A quick look at Google Maps and the plan was finalized as a day drive to Koonthankulam with a visit to Maruthvamalai and Vattakkottai en route.



Our comfortable starting time is 7 a.m. Being a Sunday, traffic was smooth, and we cleared Attingal-Thiruvananthapuram under 45 minutes.

Breakfast was had from Pappanamcode. Masala dosa and strong tea:





Once super congested Karakkamandapam Junction now post widening:



The usual chock-a-block traffic was smooth flowing today up until Kuzhithurai where traffic was diverted due to ongoing road widening and flyover construction in Marthandam. We discovered some new roads in the process.

A lotus pond somewhere while circumventing Marthandam:



We rejoined the highway thanks to Google Maps.

Thiruvananthapuram-Padmanabhapuram was once the true Rajpath of Travancore. Till now it has mostly remained the same even though the traffic has multiplied many times. Hopefully, the ongoing widening will breathe a new vitality into it.



With road widening and diversions at Nagercoil eating up our time as well, we reached the base of Maruthvamalai by 11:45 a.m.

The Marunthuvazh Malai (Tamil: மருந்துவாழ் மலை, Malayalam: മരുത്വാ മല ), also known as the Marunthu Vazhum Malai ("the abode of medicinal herbs"), forms the part and the southernmost tip of the Western Ghats of Agasteeswaram taluk of Kanyakumari district.

According to tradition, the Maruthuva Malai is a fragment of the Sanjeevi Mountain, a piece of which fell down here, and it was carried by Hanuman from Mahendragiri to Lanka for healing the fatal wounds of Lakshmana, the brother of Rama, the epic hero. It stretches for more than a km, reaching a height of 800 feet at the highest point. It is about 1 km from pothaiyadi, 2 km from Swamithoppe and 11 km from Nagercoil.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marunthuvazh_Malai

Our destination, in particular, was Maruthuvazhmala Sree Narayana Gurudeva Mandiram (8.130907, 77.505292). Our intention was two fold. One, my mom wanted to try out their preparation of herbal oil for joint pain and another one was to inquire about climbing the hill. Apparently, the climb will take 3 hours and though there are stairs cut into the rock face, it is quite arduous for senior citizen. We said our thanks and drove onto the next stop, Vattakkottai.

The noon heat was taking its toll and much to our chagrin, the a/c began to perform suboptimally. We came across a big lotus pond bisected by the highway with a tree providing ample shade. We stopped for a few minutes to click some pics and to enjoy the breeze.











We were not too keen to visit Kanyakumari and took the left turn from Kottaram towards Vattakkottai.

We reached Vattakkottai by 12:20.

Vattakottai Fort (or 'Circular Fort') is a seaside fort near Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu the southern tip of India. It was built in the 18th century as a coastal defence-fortification and barracks in the erstwhile Travancore kingdom.

It was constructed under the supervision of Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, an ex-Dutch naval officer of the Dutch East India Company, who became commander of the Travancore Army (the very army that defeated him in the Battle of Colachel) in the 18th century, after he earned the trust of the Travancore King Marthanda Varma.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vattakottai_Fort

The entrance:





A quaint house in front of the fort caught my eye:

I wonder if it is up for sale.


Plaque inside the fort:



The ground inside was being prepared for re-laying the turf:



Comparison picture from my trip in 2009:



One of the mandapas inside:



Beach view from an embrasure:



The biggest bastion of the fort:

[darklord]

I walked to the bastion jutting out to the sea.

The well and the pond inside:



The top of the bastion:



There is a nice beach near by:



Wind turbine farm at a distance:





The so proclaimed archenemy of the wind turbine farm at a distance, Koodankulam Nuclear Power Station:



There were a bunch of kids having a good time at the beach:



I think the location has been made so memorable by the movie Moonnaam Pakkam that the song began playing in my mind, Thamarakkili padunnu...

Beach meets western ghats through the green carpet:





The lone tree in the bastion:



The other bastion facing the sea and parts of Kanyakumari:







I think this is the fate of the spiral coconut tree from the same movie:



The ramp to roll the cannons up to the bastion:



A closer view of the pond:



One of the outer walls facing the land:



We bid goodbye to the fort at 1:00 and stopped to have lunch at a restaurant right where we entered NH-44.



I checked GMaps once again to verify that we had to exit the highway before Nanguneri, 43 KM away.

We hit NH-44 at 1:40 and started off towards Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary.



Where ever you looked, wind turbines stood guard:

[darklord]

I stopped to click a few pictures of the guardians of the ghats:





A termite mound:



The superb NH-44 meant...



...we hit the exit at 2:25 p.m.:



Taking the underpass and crossing the railway gate, we see the turnoff towards the sanctuary. The road goes on to Uvari, we took the road on the left:



GMaps shows two roads, the shortest one is from Singaneri, which is in horrible condition, which we found out later. The one going to Moolaikaraipatti is longer and you have to double back to the sanctuary, but it is the good road. More on that later.

We decided to go via Moolaikaraipatti and return via Singaneri.

Soon after, we saw a small pond on the side of the road. I noticed a Red-naped ibis and a Little cormorant (?):



A Red-wattled lapwing was waiting at a distance:



The Red-naped ibis in flight:



The cormorant was still at the pond:



A Black-headed ibis emerged from the grass:



We moved on. All around was farmlands in various stages of cultivation:



Good road leading to Moolaikaraipatti:



A bit further, in a paddy field, I saw a Glossy ibis:



Any help with ID? Is that a White-browed bulbul?



This Indian roller appeared really angry at my failure to ID his friend:



Cows and goats grazing:



We reached Moolaikaraipatti by 3 and took the Koonthankulam road. It looked like this in the beginning and it was worrisome sight for the Santro:



But it improved after a kilometer and it seemed like the finishing stages of road re-laying and culvert strengthening:



Painted stork and chicks in a tree right in a residential area:





Soon after, we reached the sanctuary's facilitation center (8.495728, 77.758365). We were the only visitors. No guards nor visitors. It is a bare basic place. There is enough parking and a restroom that looked outwardly dubious. Nothing to eat or drink, so one has to carry enough food and water.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kootha...Bird_Sanctuary

The tank that forms the backbone of the sanctuary looked nearly dry:

[darklord]

The almost-dry Koonthankulam tank:







The afternoon sun was facing the watch tower and it was getting in the way:



I saw some villagers going about their lives on the other side of the tank bed. So I decided to walk around the remaining water and shoot with the sun on my back. Later, I was informed by one of the guards that this was prohibited, even though there were no boards or signs announcing that.

Painted stork:





The watch tower in the facilitation center:



A Black drongo:



It seemed that Painted stork formed the majority of the population:



Goats were grazing on the dry tank bed:



An Indian roller was out hunting:





Where there is life, death follows:



Goats:





Spot-billed (?) pelicans:



A few other pelicans in flight. Any help with ID?







Black-headed ibis, pelicans, Little egret, and a tortoise. I can't ID the duck, is it the Bar-headed goose?



Pelicans, Painted stork, Black-headed ibis, and Black-winged stilt:



A Darter darted across the sky:

[darklord]

By now, I had been walking and shooting for about 45 minutes:



A female knob billed duck resting and a few Indian spot-billed ducks prepared to dive into the water:



Pelicans, Glossy ibis, Black-winged stilt, and a Painted stork:



A Grey heron:



Indian spot-billed ducks and a female knob billed duck:



The fittest ones and the unfit one:



A male knob billed duck decided to join his girlfriend:







Black-headed ibis, Grey heron, and pelicans:



Painted storks and Black-headed ibis:



I had almost reached the end of the water and decided to cross over from the other end and walk back:





Black-winged stilt and Grey heron:







Formation flying:



A Brahminy kite:



I walked back to the facilitation center:



Adding some more colour:



A White-throated kingfisher:



I reached back. Our car was still lonely:



We reached the sanctuary at the fag end of the birding season. Hence a lot of species had already left. AFAIK, the best time would be sometime in January or February, especially if monsoon had been plentiful. NB: Kindly help/correct IDs if I have goofed up.

It was already 4:30 and we decided to drive back.

[darklord]

We decided to avoid the Moolaikaraipatti road and take the shortcut to Singaneri. It turned out to be a horrible mistake. The road was just loose gravel, except for a small portion towards the end.







It took more than half an hour to cover this 8 km distance. Thankfully, Nanguneri-Kalakkad road was good:



Would not be out of place in a Western movie:



Kalakkad-Cheranmahadevi road was good and offered some excellent scenery:









The sun was setting by the time we approached Ambasamudram:





We stopped for a refreshing ginger tea near Ambasamudram:



We started off from Ambasamudram at 7 and drove towards Shengottah through Courtalam. We had a quick dinner from near Puliyarai and drove nonstop to reach Attingal by 11 p.m., concluding the 396 km round trip.

[Rudra Sen]

Mod note: Thread moved to Travelogue Section. Thanks for Sharing.

[hserus]

Thank you for reminding me that a Kalakad trip is long overdue. The pictures are beautiful.

You might have spent a day near Kalakad itself to check out the Mundanthurai wildlife sanctuary though entering it of course will require a forest office permit.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalakk..._Tiger_Reserve

[aravind84]

Excellent write up and images. The ones that you had asked for ID , i will try to identify them

1. the little bird on the wire - Paddy field Pippit
2. Duck that you had mentioned as not sure - Bar headed Geese
3. the pelicans in flight are all spot billed pelicans.

Koonthakulam has been on my list but been missing it. Next time if you are planning it out there would suggest you to reach out to Bal Pandi who is a good bird guide and is quite popular

[Mysticeyes]

A round trip that sums up almost everything beautiful in the route. Nice pics too Those are the Spot-billed Pelicans and in the water with them is the Bar-headed Goose. The BHGs and Flamingos are stationed further deep into the Koonthamkulam (approx 8 KM from the main tank area). That's the point where you can catch many varities of Raptors too. In last season, rain was pretty heavy in Koonthamkulam side that the main tank area was almost submerged till the village road. I was there in December & February and looked like being flooded.
















The Kalakkad - Ambai- Shenkottai- Thenmala - TVM route is my most favorite stretch for the serene setting & greenery during farming season. The sunset along this road is really spell-binding. The new broad-guage line is operational now and a train trip from Kollam - Shenkottai during monsoon would be awesome.











If you're planning a straight drive from Attingal side to Nagercoil, you can take the Kazhakootam - Kovalam - Poovar - Kollamcode - Nidravilai - Eraniel - Parasserry - Thottiyodu (joins NH 66 at Thottiyodu). We usually take that stretch from Chackai and joins NH 66 at Thottiyodu inside 2 hours under sedate driving. Roads are free and 'green'

[darklord]

Originally Posted by Mysticeyes

The BHGs and Flamingos are stationed further deep into the Koonthamkulam (approx 8 KM from the main tank area). That's the point where you can catch many varities of Raptors too.

Beautiful pictures as usual, Mysticeyes.

Is it possible for you to pinpoint that location in Google Maps and/or GPS coordinates if you have them? Thanks.

[sukhoi30]

Beautiful pictures!! This is my native town. But I never got a chance to go to to the Koonthankulam Bird Sanctuary. Added to my bucket list now thanks to your visual treat.

[M35]

Originally Posted by darklord

Any help with ID? Is that a White-browed bulbul?
Attachment 1757043

Nope, looks like a Jerdon's bushlark.

[arun_josie]

Nice back to back travelogues in team-bhp on not so explored parts of Kanyakumari Dist and places around it. Thanks for sharing!

You have crossed Sengottai, didn't plan for a dinner at Rahmath parotta stall ?!

[ARAY]

This Indian roller appeared really angry at my failure to ID his friend

Indian rollers by default are always angry
You have explored and shared some awesome places , these remote places attract some remote species during peak season of migration. By any chance are you geo tagging the locations, they will be very helpful in the long run. Thanks for sharing your experience, keep traveling and writing.