Hamadryad

Mallalli waterfalls - Somwarpet

2011-08-17T06:38:00.004+05:30

The Kumaradhara river makes its way down the Mallalli waterfalls, from a height of 200 feet.

Mallalli is an exhilarating cascade in a blessed land where waterfalls roar and splash down the mountain side.

How to reach Mallalli waterfalls:

Location: Bettadahalli Gram Panchayat, Somwarpet Taluk, Coorg (Kodagu), Karnataka, India
Distance: 50Kms from Madikeri towards Somwarpet; 42 Kms from Kushalnagar towards Somwarpet;

Gharial - Madras Crocodile bank, Chennai

2011-08-04T09:19:00.003+05:30

The Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) is listed as a critically endangered species by IUCN and the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai is doing an exemplary job by being a premier hub for the conservation, breeding and re-habitation efforts for this magnificent reptile...

Hampi

2011-08-01T07:46:00.008+05:30

Ancient market stalls - In the days of the Vijayanagara empire, Gems, precious stones and diamonds were sold in such markets.

Krishna temple entrance Gopura and a bit of the courtyard - Hampi

Krishna temple entrance Gopura - Hampi

Jog Falls - The highest Plunge Waterfall in India

2009-05-10T14:57:00.005+05:30

Himavad Gopalaswamy Betta

2009-04-28T23:53:00.004+05:30

Himavad Gopalaswamy sits in a temple atop an eponymous hill adjoining the hallowed Bandipura National Park. The forest begins where the temple walls end and it is not uncommon to sight an elephant or herds of herbivores on the nearby hills and valleys.

Gopalaswamy on account of his popularity and for the reason that he sits in such a pristine environment, draws people in multitudes...crowds gather here by the bus-loads and sumo-loads on weekends and decorate the grasslands around the temple with colourful plastics ....

The next time you see plastic there, Pick it up!!!!

Sunflower farms line up the way to Gopalaswamy Betta...

Elephant herd on the way... A very common sight here.

A simple entrance to a beautiful temple

It looked much better than this though:D

A trail to an adjoining hill ... People are supposed to take permission and then go up this track. But suppositions are suppositions and you can still see "devotees" roaming freely there with their plastics:(

This was how the temple looked in the Film Slr days:D

Honey Valley Estate - The paradise beneath Thadiandamol

2009-04-28T08:45:00.010+05:30

Located in the heart of Kodagu (Coorg) in Karnataka, Honey Valley Estate is in the ideal location for holidaying in South India. It is perfect for walkers, nature lovers and anyone in need of rest and relaxation.... Read more on the official website

Added below are my pictures of this place where paradise is predominantly green and is washed perennially by the myriad streams flowing down the slopes of one of the greatest Indian Natural treasures, The Western Ghats...

A view from behind the Tribal hut.... Looking at the Manjana Motte hill again.

Honey Valley HQ - This is where the gracious hosts of this shangri-la reside ....

Chingara - Honey Valley's very own waterfall ....

Chingara again...

On the way to 'Cheepekund", The natural swimming hole, an hour's walk away from the farm.

The Neelekanti Waterfall... This perennial waterfall makes for a glorious backdrop all through your Trek up the "Ridge Walk" trekking trail.... Grasslands surround the Waterfall and the interspersed Shola Forests add charm to the whole green drama...

Experimenting with shutter speed.
Location: Stream at the "Bottom of the Waterfall Forest". You reach this area at the end of your "Ridge walk" trekking trail.

Rain Fed Pepper

One more shot from the Tribal hut area...

Pepper vines on a Raintree...

"Manjana Motte" Hill from the Tribal hut...

Mists embrace the hill everyday making all the "misty mountain" fantasies look real :D

The simple rooms with the painted loo;)

The Tranquil Cottages...

A trail in the coffee Estate...

These are a few of my favorite roads....

2009-04-27T08:10:00.003+05:30

Aane Macro

2009-04-14T20:52:00.003+05:30

The right eye of Shekara, the camp elephant at Murkal in the Nagarahole National Park.

This gentle giant was very tolerant towards a long haired mammal trying to poke a Sigma 105mm right up its eye....

Nagarahole

2009-01-28T12:11:00.005+05:30

The warm sun was beating down hesitantly upon the huge glass windows in office when, Shashi, my Law school classmate called me and invited me to a trip to the Nagarahole National Park.

The 6 of us (Shashi, Singh, Murthy, Basha, Gawa and I), were supposed to leave on Saturday morning and spend that night and the next day in Kalhalla camp cottage. I felt that we would be missing out on any Saturday morning sightings, if we stick to the original plan. I managed to convince everybody to leave on Friday night itself and reach Nagarahole before the gates open.

We had an uneventful trip (Bangalore - Ramanagara - Maddur - Mandya - Srirangapatna - Hinkal deviation – Hunsur - Veeranahosalli gate). We got into the forest at around 6.15. Maintaining an average speed of 20 km, we cruised the misty road... The road was empty and the light was magical, as the morning dawned slowly upon the hallowed environs of the Nagarahole National Park.

Morning magic - Nagarahole

We sighted Warblers, Bulbuls, Kingfishers, Some raptors in the sky, Peacocks, Chital, and Gaurs on the way and with these sightings, our hopes of seeing either an Elephant or a big cat went up. We reached Murkal camp and took the left towards Heggadadevanakote (H.D.Kote). We reached the end of that road with the check post in sight and headed back to Murkal. We hadn’t sighted any pachyderms till now and were feeling slightly disappointed. But there was always the hope that there would one around the next corner (Imagine one not being there with 5000 of them around). We sighted our first elephant in Murkal, albeit, one in a Khedda (More on this chap later).

We passed Murkal and reached the Kalhalla camp and decided to drive around some more before checking in. We got to a deviation further on, one of which goes onto a small Coorgi Village called Karmadu. We took this road and drove till the Karmadu check post. We had a great sighting of a very frisky Malabar Giant Squirrel. We turned back at the check post and drove to the Nagarahole Reception and back to Kalhalla camp to check in.

Kalhalla camp

We reached the Kalhalla camp, only to find out that the rooms promised to us were already booked by somebody else. After hectic conversations with the resident ACF (The person who had promised us the rooms in the first place), it was decided that the other person will get the room after all but, we would be accommodated in an anti-poaching camp. This was heaven sent for us as people rarely get permission to visit such camps. So, this new twist was just terrific and I'm eternally grateful for this kind act of the officer and may his tribe increase.

The ACF decided to send us to the Paaradakada Anti-poaching camp and sent along Kalim Khan, a funny old man with a lot of forest stories in his kitty. We reached the camp after driving through the thick jungle for around 8KMS. The camp was managed by a cheerful lot which included one forest guard, Udesh and three forest watchers, Vinu, Prakash and Gajendra.

Paaradakada Anti-poaching camp

The Lakshmana Tirtha river flows right next to the camp and is a hot spot for the wildlife around there. The camp has a two room building which serves as the main house and a smaller thatched hut, which serves as a kitchen. The forest guard and watchers took us on a small walk, to a water hole. The walk was sheer pleasure and the anticipation of sighting an elephant in those surroundings filled me with sheer terror and also the desperation to see one at the same time. However, we didn't sight anything and came back to the camp and sat around the campfire listening to the watchers. The watchers are tribals, born and bought up in the forest and are a treasure trove of information and stories. Listening to stories about wild animal behavior from these true children of the forest, made the night a memorable one.

Vinu - Child of the Forest

Water hole near the camp

Lakshmana Tirtha river

We got up early next morning and went on a walk to the river bank. While on the way, we passed acres and acres of Bamboo forest destroyed by Elephant herds. Seeing the destruction there, made us realize the sheer strength of these magnificent animals. At the same time, the surroundings scared the s*** out of me. The antique double barrel gun with the guard was not exactly heartening. Anyways, the walk passed uneventfully with only a Monitor Lizard spotted by Gawa.

We got back to the camp, had breakfast and started back towards the Murkal camp. The Sumo was fuller now with the guard and the watchers jumping in. We were rolling along like an asthmatic cow, when all of a sudden; a Tusker loomed right in front. He was a massive giant and was in full musth unknowingly, we had strayed too near this giant and he started moving his bulk towards us... I realized how puny the Tata Sumo was when faced with this behemoth. The driver backed the vehicle slowly and the largest Mammal on earth abruptly turned away. He went back inside the thicket and we moved and passed him and stopped at a safe distance. He came out of the thicket and crossed the road, giving me enough time for these shots.

The Paaradakada Tusker

We drove along after this and went to the Murkal camp for our lunch. We finished it in due course and started home. Before that, we had to feed Jaggery to the camp Elephants. It was Singh's great wish and was carrying the Jaggery with him from H.D. Kote. First, we went to see the Elephant in the Khedda. Kyatha was in there because he had killed his mahout in a fit of rage. He is originally from B.R. Hills and was roaming around there chasing cars and scaring people. The Forest dept. decided to send him here after he killed his mahout and became unmanageable.

We gave him some Jaggery and moved on to feed Somashekara, one more camp elephant. Somashekara is a 39 year old stunner with a pair of very formidable tusks. After he greedily ate enough Jaggery to feed a school, he belched on our faces to convey this thanks and with a faint smell of Jaggery lingering, we left Nagarahole, promising to come back as soon as possible.

Murkal Shekara

2009-01-28T09:04:00.007+05:30

Murkal Camp, Murkal Range, Nagarahole National Park.

Was great fun feeding Jaggery to the camp elephant in Murkal... He ate around 40 cubes of it till his mahout stopped the binge .... He burped all over us in the end and we went back home with more than a faint hint of Jaggery.

Shekara, with his eyes firmly fixed on Vinu and the Jaggery in his hand.

Bamboo Pit Viper

2008-07-25T23:05:00.004+05:30

Trimeresurus Gramineus - Bamboo Pit Viper

Found this beauty while on a trek to Doddi Betta, a rocky incline with a wind battered watchtower on top. He was coiled up beneath the stairs of the watchtower, lazily digesting a recent meal..

Elephant herd - Masinagudi

2008-07-07T22:26:00.004+05:30

Saw this herd on the 6th of July, 2008 at around 5 PM on the Mudumalai checkpost - Masinagudi road. Could count around 16 Elephants in this herd which had 4 very young calves and 2 young juves ... Was a pleasure to watch the elephants as they went about foraging for tidbits in the lush green grass..

The bubaline Demon

2008-06-17T07:54:00.007+05:30

Mahishasura
Chamundi Betta - Mysore

Peabloom

2008-06-10T22:25:00.000+05:30

This chap was in fine fettle early in the morning. Photographed in Bandipura National Park on the 7th of June 2008.

Agumbe - an Ophidian paradise - Green Vine Snake (Ahaetulla Nasuta)

2008-05-31T12:30:00.001+05:30

A very common snake in Agumbe and is often sighted in and around the Agumbe Rainforest Research Station campus. Mittal Gala, the education officer in ARRS found this little beauty while out on her morning walk. It was basking in the early morning sun on a low bush, right next to the station main house. These are some pictures of the same.

Agumbe - an Ophidian paradise - Common Cobra (Naja Naja)

2008-05-27T20:17:00.001+05:30

On an undulating stretch of sun baked track, there suddenly shimmered a silver streak .... Lo and behold! A cobra!!! Gowri stopped the jeep and was onto it in a flash ... It was a strikingly beautiful snake in the prime of it's health. These are some pictures of the same experience...

You can see that the snake had shed recently by observing the
piece of shed skin still sticking onto the snake.

A closer look at the symbolic 'V" mark on this snake which
so epitomizes the Cobra.

Malnad Mushrooms

2008-04-15T09:23:00.000+05:30

Watered down!!

2008-02-07T11:30:00.000+05:30

Honey Valley Part 2 - Kakkabe,Coorg,Karnataka

Cheepekund - Kakkabe,Coorg,Karnataka

Cheepekund - Kakkabe,Coorg,Karnataka

Cobra!!!

2007-09-28T11:32:00.000+05:30

These beauties were in the Chamarajendra Zoological Gardens, Mysore... These pictures were taken during my photo shoot with my new Nikon N75 (A long way back...)

The paisa Vasool Tusker

2006-06-28T20:23:00.000+05:30

Amit Rane, my classmate in the herpetology course and a cool photographer wanted to shoot wild elephants. I made the arrangements and Amit landed in Bangalore with 3 friends of his. Vidya and Ganesh, a wildlifeworshipping couple from Mumbai and Hari, a chennai dude. We boarded the state transport bus to Kutta, where I had booked cottages in a lovely estate called “Chiligiri”.

As our sole intention was to sight wild elephants and to capture the moment for eternity, we hired a jeep and set out to Wayanaad National park and Nagarhole national park. We would drive up and down through each park and get onto every available safari trips into the jungle. We did this for 2 days without sighting a single elephant :((. And imagine this happening in a supreme Biosphere which has the densest population of Indian Elephants in the world !!!!!!!

Our spirits were at their lowest when we were getting back to the cottage on the second day of the trip after yet another unsuccesful sorties on the Nagarhole road. Ane ! Ane ! Our driver suddenly exclaimed and switched off the headlights stopped the jeep. A big black shape with a very noticeable pair of tusks was crossing the road in front of the jeep. But, unfortunately that is all that we could see of him and it was just too dicey to linger there as this felow was just too close and it was very dark. We slowly reversed and got back and an oncoming light showed us the full glory of a tusker. He was big and exuded an Aura of strength. We finally left the king and returned to the cottage with the low spirits ebbing away though disappointed that we could not get it on film.

The next day, we set off early morning and did another unsuccesful beat of the Wayanaad stretch and decided to hit Nagarhole forest. 5 kilometres into the drive, there stood this magnificient specimen of the Elephant race. He was busy eating and did not care to look at us or react in any way. There was a good 15 feet distance between us and we could start photographing him. We were watching every movement of his as the driver said he is a known rogue and very unpredictable. But, he was such a darling and gave us no inkling of his alleged character. He was surely a Paisa Vasool Tusker.

Some of his Pictures have been posted. Check them out.

Agumbe Rainforest Research Station

2006-06-06T21:22:00.002+05:30

The king's dashboard

Closeup of the coiled serpent

Gowri talking to the locals after the capture. Notice the bag with the king in it

Tucked away in the heart of the Karnataka western Ghats is a quaint old town called Agumbe. Known to be the second wettest region in India, It is a perenially wet place.

Agumbe is basically a contiguous reserve forest linking the Someshwara wildlife sanctuary and the Kudremukha wildlife sanctuary.
These are patches of the last remaining lowland rainforests in india.

Agumbe is a hotspot for the longest venomous snake in the world, The King Cobra aka Hamadryad. It's latin name being Ophiophagus Hannah ( Literally translating : Snake eating Snake )

The Agumbe Rainforest Research Station is setup by one of the world's leading authority on Crocodiles and Indian reptiles,Romulus Whitaker to conserve this uncommon and endangered giant. Rom caught his first king way back in 1971 in Agumbe and since then has been closely associated with this green heaven.

The station is managed by a cool dude named Gowrishankar, who is the education officer. Gowri is spreading awareness about the importance of conserving this prime predator throughout schools and colleges in the surrounding regions. While not spreading awareness,He is busy rescuing Kings which inadvertently come into houses,plantations and commercial vehicles ;)

Gowri has rescued 36 Kings as of now and each of them have found a safer environment in the deep jungles where they are released.

Gowri has observed the king from close quarters ( In some cases, verrrry close ) and has discovered many interesting aspects about it and has demystified many hyped up facts about this feared snake.

I have been visting this sacred environ for the past two months and finalllllly on my second visit, I fulfilled my lifelong ambition of sighting a wild King Cobra.....

I was with Gowri when we got the news that a King has been found in a Mitsubishi Canter !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! .... We rushed down to a town called Someshwara and reached the road where the Canter was parked.We talked to the driver and the cleaner of the vehicle about what happened.

It seems that the driver sighted a huuge King crossing the road and got jittery ( am being kind to the driver ) and stamped on the brake .... The Canter skid and came to a stop in a sort of ditch, The driver and the Cleaner got down to inspect the damage .... Meanwhile, the king crossing the road got confused and decided to hide itself in the bonnet of the Canter ... The cleaner noticed this and called up people who in turn called Gowri ...

Gowri, the dude he is, pulled the snake out of the Canter and bagged it in less than 2 minutes .... By the way, the king was 11 Feet !!!!

Here are some photos of the episode ...

Bare Naked

2006-06-02T13:16:00.000+05:30

Kakkabe,Coorg,Karnataka,India

Logger Maximus

2006-06-02T09:56:00.000+05:30

Location - Kakkabe,Coorg,Karnataka,India

A sprawling estate tucked away in the lower slopes of Tadiandamol, was on a yearly logging spree ..... An Elephant was called in from Kasargod to help with the activities. The loggers cut the trees and the elephant pulls it down to the road. Sounds simple but it ain't ..... Lot of effort and understanding between the pachyderm and the man is required.

The elephant and the mahout share a special relationship which easily surpasses the "Friend" theory in human society ..... This is a relationship of complete and absolute trust and is nurtured over years and years of co-existance.

These are some shots of both at work .......

Wayanaad Mushies !!!!

2006-05-04T20:46:00.000+05:30

Location - Wayanaad National Park,Wayanaad,Kerala,India

Wild Mushrooms in a wild park ......

Whats on your mind ??

2006-05-04T20:39:00.000+05:30

Location - Mysore Zoo, Mysore,India

This is the Alpha male known to be a bully ....... There have been instances of him throwing stuff back to the visitors who tease him and famous pics of him havin a puff of the good Ole' ciggarette thrown by visitors ......

But, what is he thinkin abt now ?

Jalapatha

2006-04-29T20:31:00.000+05:30

Silent Valley National Park,Kerala,India ........Surely God's own country.

This is one of the myriad waterfalls that dot the national park. This particular one was a treat to the eyes and I could have got some more pics but for the fact that while shooting this, I just happened to glance down and was petrified to see millions of leeches crawling up my legs. End of Story.

H20

2006-04-26T11:00:00.000+05:30

The River Kunthi gushing through the Silent Valley National Park in Kerala, India.

Evolution

2006-04-16T13:24:00.000+05:30

from puddles and pools to public taps ........

Nalknad Palace

2006-04-16T11:34:00.000+05:30

The Palace

Upper Storey

The Royal Insignia

Location - Nalknad Palace,Kakkabe,Coorg,Karnataka,India
Camera - Nikon N75 - Tamaron 28-80/70-300

This is a small palace in a small town deep in the interiors of the Kodava Homeland. It is under renovation right now.

In a country known for its big palaces and bigger forts, this palace fits into the small wonder category. Built in 1792 by Dodda Viraraja, the two storeyed palace is as empty as a celibate's wetdream. But the painted ceiling and the murals on the wall adds opulence to a building which has hardly any grandeur normally associated with palaces.

But the palace settings is a feast for the eye as it is right below the highest peak in Coorg "Tadiyandamol" and is surrounded by rainforest trees and obscure trails leading you further.

Iceman Gopala

2006-04-14T19:58:00.000+05:30

Abstract view of the temple

Location - Himavad Gopalaswamy Temple,Gundlupet,Karnataka,India
Shot with - Nikon N75 - Tamaron - 70-300

This temple is perched atop the highest hill in the Bandipur range. The roof of the garba gudi (where the idol is placed) has dew formation throughout the year and hence the name "Himavad".

The Doodle Spot

2006-04-06T16:17:00.000+05:30

The Doodle Spot

Monsoon In the Land of Green

2006-03-21T07:44:00.000+05:30

I had Given in my papers,Had given away my puppies and was generally depressed ....... After slouching around for a couple of days, I decided only an absolute state of happiness could get me back to life .....

Kakkabe .... Long panting walks amidst greeeeeeen hills and broken trails,beer by the woodfire,pandi curry on the go and the friendliest hosts you could ever meet.... Kakkabe, the land where Gods decided to camp out after getting claustrophobic seeing millions of Mallus back home !!!

When I reached Honey Valley, The monsoon was in full cry and it was sheer pleasure to see the raincloud over the horizon and hear the thunder of the raingod ..... Bet, he put up the show to welcome me back ;).

It rained for 16 hours a day average and drizzled for the rest ;). The huge balcony in front of my room Overlooked "Manjana Motte" in rain drenched glory and I spent most of my time watching the rain fall down. It is a deeply relaxing and meditative experience. When you actually get bored of just sitting there and watching the rain, You could walk in it ;)

Never mind those bloodsuckers ( leeches ) coz they are always there and they don't hurt ... Just go on walking ( or in my case, walk - catch breath - walk - catch breath ) ;). The rain flows down the trail and the mud squelches under your boots .... You walk up regardless and come up to the "dry pond junction" which is a green lawny clearing and from where you can see the surrounding hills masked in the mist ..... whoohooo .... this is UTOPIA.