FOREST OF THE SEA

My explore compass had swung differently this time not because it had guided me to a destination located at the edge of the nation but because it was a destination where the trees and the water cohabitate in each other. Sounds crazy isn’t it? But no it isn’t . Its the truth and this phenomenon of nature is known as mangroves. I had been blessed with an opportunity to visit the second largest mangrove forest in the world. This is the journey and exploration experience of the mighty Pichavaram mangrove forest.

Day 1

We had started our journey from Bangalore by cab early in the morning. The journey was a long one as we had to cover a distance of more than 400 kms. The nearest town to Pichavaram is the “Chidambaram” which is also very famous for its marvellous miniature architecture on the walls of the Nataraja temple built by the Chola kings in the 10th century making it the oldest surviving temple in the whole of south India. Pichavaram is located 15kms away from this town. And I promise to write more about Chidambaram in my next article.

We had reached Chidambaram around 3:30pm and directly headed towards the hotel for lunch. As it was already evening by the time we refreshed, we had decided to explore the forest next day early in the morning as soon as it gets opened for the visitors. That evening we spent exploring the Chidambaram temple and another temple near it which was actually worth it.

Day 2

The next morning was the D-Day for us. We woke up early and got ready to explore the forest. But looked like the mother nature wanted to test our determination to visit this paradise. I say this because while we were having breakfast before we had started our journey, the whole sky was covered with dark black clouds and then it started raining heavily. Though our breakfast was mother nature wasn’t done with the rain. But soon after she did give us a window of opportunity when she reduced the intensity of the rain giving us a couple of minutes to jump into our cab and head towards our destination.

Well the adventure to reach the destination had just begun. As we drove towards the forest the rain had intensified heavily. This time it was so intense that we were not even able to see the road ahead. Hence we had to stop on the side of the road till the rain had reduced and the road was visible. After a 45 min downpour the rain had finally stopped. This was when we saw the first rays of sunlight of the day piercing through the clouds giving us a good to go signal. Only then we were able to actually see the beautiful surroundings around us. The road was really heavenly. Why? That’s because both the sides of the road were filled with lush green paddy fields. With the lush green paddy fields along us, fresh cold breeze hitting our faces and occasional occurrences of fresh water streams along the road had literally made our journey blissful.

On finally reaching the destination after the delay of a few hours we were once again tested. And may be this time it was a test of our patience. It started raining heavily again. On enquiry it was told that the forest can be explored only on a boat and as there was a low pressure over the Bay of Bengal the sea is rough and cannot be accessed. Hence all boat rides were cancelled till the situation improves.

As our hopes went down with increasing waiting time, we were nearing to the conclusion that the rain is not going to stop anytime soon. It was decided that we head back home given the weather conditions. Then the miracle happened and all of a sudden the rains reduced its intensity and soon stopped, the clouds cleared and the sea became calm. The forest official gave a green signal to the boat men to take the journey. Here begins the exploration of the pichavaram forest.

The Pichavaram Mangrove forest can be explored only on a boat as it is located in the sea of bay of Bay of Bengal. Amazing isnit it? Well it was more amazing when we saw that directly. We could sail either through a motor boat or a rowing boat, we opted for motor boat to explore the place. The boatman took us to some distance in the open sea and then took a turn where the mangroves were located. We were able to see the trees along the route with their roots immersed in the sea and growing beautifully. Then our boatman took us into the forest, well it was just a part of the forest but trust me it was absolutely worth it.

The boat then had taken a turn and we entered into a natural tunnel made of trees that grew in the sea. The trees by our side, their braches leaning towards the path and were we gliding straight through them in our boat on the water. Seeing this site my heart was pounding with happiness, goosebumps emerging on my skin and a big smile on my face. I was able to touch a few branches, and dodge a few so that they neither hit my face nor the camera in my hand.

While going through the tunnel the musicians of nature and the residents of the forest had started singing and entertaining us. These musicians are none other the Birds of the forest. With their beautiful chirps and squeals they soothed our ears and also our souls. Soon the exit to the tunnel had come which had opened its way to the vast sea ahead us.

The sight of the huge Bay of Bengal was really jaw dropping. But then our boatman took a sharp U-turn that led us to into another tunnel. This tunnel was the exit tunnel of our journey. Just like the previous one we had all the entertainers in this route too. As soon as we exited the tunnel we had the mighty entertainer entertaining us all of a sudden.

Its none other than the sea itself. The sea roared and winds joined its roar and the water also started giving us small turbulences by hitting our boat us with small waves shaking us a bit as we reached the shore. But still we enjoyed that rocky ride and reached the shore safely.

The exploration of the forest was only for a small duration of 30minutes but it was extremely memorable.

Post having a few refreshments in the store nearby we headed our way back to Bangalore and reached home by night. The return journey took us about 9hrs to cover the distance.

The journey to this place was not just a exploration experience, it was an experience where we were able to see water, earth and sky at the same time. We also learned that the challenges in our life can be really aggressive and difficult sometimes but if you are determined to face them and get over them to reach your destination then even the greatest challenge can and will be achieved. I hope my long journey didn’t bore you much .

I would recommend you all to do visit this place at least once and embrace the fact on how beautiful our nature can be and how beautiful is our country.

Nearest Places to Pichavaram:

Pondicherry – 76.8kms from pichavaram

Chidambaram- 15kms from pichavaram

You can stay at the arudra residency lodge which is a decent place to spend the night.

Travel Details:

Do travel in your own or hired vehicle like a cab as it is very feasible to this remote location.

Tips:

Do have your breakfast and start if you are staring in the morning as there aren’t any hotels along the way. Also carry your own food as there aren’t many refreshment shops at the forest reserve. Please don not litter in and around the reserve( Including the mangroves and the sea).

Thank you for reading through my scribbled effort. Your opinion matters. So, let me know if you too are interested to go here or how to mould my scribbles so that my write-up helps you not miss any amazing experiences!! Happy exploring!!.