6. A Walk To The Ruins

I was in front of a group of children and showed them how to paint a flying bird. I drew the outline of the bird on the canvas and then dipped my brush in yellow paint. As I put the brush on the canvas, somebody started banging on the closed door of the room. I started thinking, “I had not closed the door as I came in, I had left it open”, as the banging became louder.

I opened my eyes to realise that I was on the bed and there was a knock on the door. The door seemed closed and repeated knocks were heard on the door. I shouted, “Yes I am coming”, and slowly got up. I felt my mouth dry, as I walked towards the door and opened it. Balu stood there with a sheepish smile on his face.

He said “Sir, it is 1.30 now and lunch is ready. Shall I serve it for you?”

I said “Give me five minutes to get my head straight, then I will come and have. You please have lunch, no need to wait for me”

He replied, “No sir, I have food only by 2.30 or later, as that has become a habit now”. I walked back into the room to find the cigarette packet and lighter beside my pillow. I took one, lit and walked out with Balu behind me. The rain had come back, bringing a chill in the air. It was raining quite heavily now, and I walked along the length of the veranda thinking about where to start.

There was a mango tree on the side of the building, long vines hanging down the tree shaking and dancing in the incessant rain. The surroundings of the forest lodge were beautiful, with a breathtaking view of the hills and the valley ahead. On the other side of the clearing, I found a trail winding down into the valley below. There was smoke coming up from the forest far away.

I turned to Balu and asked, “Where does that trail go? I see smoke coming from far away. I thought nobody stayed in this dense jungle”

He replied, “Sir, there are people living in the forest. In fact, they have lived there for generations. They use this trail and the road we came, to go and buy stuff they need. They also trade various items they collect from forests and honey in the market. They can also walk to the other side of the forest and reach Tamil Nadu, where they get better rates. But that route is longer and through dense forest, so they prefer coming this way.”

Nodding, I asked him, “So where can you take me to get some photos? We can go once the rain is over. If you need to take the jeep, I can pay for fuel also”.

Balu said, “At a short distance from here there is a wonderful waterfall, only half an hour's walk. Not many people know of it, and it will be a great addition to your article. We can also come back by evening, meet my drama troupe, and watch our practice. But first, you should eat before the lunch gets cold”.

I laughed hearing his last sentence and took a long drag before throwing the cigarette into the rain. We walked inside as the cigarette butt was soaked in the rain.

The lunch was simple and vegetarian and tasted really good. I finished fast and got up saying, “We can start once your lunch is over. I will get ready by then”.

I got dressed and picked up my camera. I checked for the charge, put the additional batteries and lens kit in my backpack, and locked all the other items in the storage cabinet by the bed.

Balu was ready to go by the time I got out to the veranda. He had a big umbrella in hand, but the rain had stopped as if giving us space to venture out. Balu took a long stick that was tucked under the roof and said, “This is for our safety. If we encounter some snakes on the way, this will come in handy”.

He led the way, as we walked out and along the narrow path at the end of the clearing. The narrow trail seemed to become wider, as it went deeper. The path was well-worn and seemed to be used quite often also. We were walking down from the forest lodge and the slope got difficult as we went on.

Balu seemed lost in thought as he walked in front of me. To break the silence, I asked, “So, do a lot of people use this route? It does look like an old route”.

He replied, “Not a lot, but a few people go almost every day. We normally don’t see any animals along this path, but we have to watch out for snakes. There have been cases of snake bites and I have taken people to the hospital in the jeep also. A couple of years back, one person who came to stay at the forest lodge went into the jungle and died of a snake bite. So we have to be careful”.

I regretted pushing him to talk and decided to steer away from the topic. I asked, “How long is this route to the waterfall”?

“Just ten-fifteen minutes more from here”, he replied, pointing ahead with the long stick.

We had reached the bottom of the slope and the air was cooler due to the rain and the tree cover. Light filtered through the leaves, making designs on the shrubs and shorter trees below. The path we walked went around the large trees and there were lots of unknown fruits and flowers on the ground. The air had a sweet smell and I felt a faint wind blowing onto my face.

Though the rain had stopped, drops of water were falling from the leaves above and there was a dampness in the air also. We could hear the sound of flowing water ahead and Balu picked up speed. I tried to keep up with him, and we shortly reached an open area, bordered by a stream.

The stream was peppered with rocks of all sizes and some big enough to rise above the water level. The rocks were smoothened by water flowing over them for ages.

“People use these rocks to go across the stream”, Balu said. “Now the water level is high due to rain, otherwise it is not very deep and we can easily walk through it”, he explained.

I took out my camera and started taking photos of the stream and the surrounding area. I even asked Balu to climb up a rock in the stream to take his photo, and he obliged. “Where is the waterfall you were telling me about?”, I asked. He pointed towards one side and the water flow disappeared about a hundred meters ahead. All that remained was spray and mist.

He got down from the rock and walked towards it. I followed him and we stopped near the edge of the fall. The stream was wider at the fall and the fall itself was about thirty feet. There were more rocks after the waterfall.

“There is a way to reach beneath the waterfall”, Balu said.

“Is it? Let’s go there”, I could not hide the excitement.

We walked back along the path and took a sharp turn towards the fall. Balu climbed down ahead of me, asking me to watch my steps. We went down, weaving through the big trees, and ended up just ahead of the waterfall. The noise was deafening, standing near the waterfall with water crashing on the rocks below.

I stood there, mesmerized by the beauty and sheer force of nature. The air was damp, filled with spray from the crashing water. I clicked more photos, as Balu waved me to the side of the waterfall. I saw a path going underneath the waterfall and followed him.

The rock had caved in, creating a cavernous space inside and the cave was lit up with all colours from the light coming through the waterfall. Balu was saying something, but I could not hear anything due to the sound of water. I realised that no camera could capture the beauty I saw but still clicked away on the sight in front of me.

Balu tapped my shoulder and pointed toward the other side of the waterfall. There was a way out on the other side and we got out. “There is an old temple there, and I thought you would like to see it”, he said.

“Is it, who goes there?” I asked.

“No one knows, it was there forever. But there is no puja happening there, as it is all in ruins now”, Balu explained. This side of the stream was denser and trees were standing close to each other. But Balu did not have much trouble finding the route through the growth and we soon reached the old temple.

The temple ruins lay in a rectangle, with the foundations of the old structure still in place. It was made of huge rocks and would have supported a very heavy structure at that time. There were a few columns that were still standing. The columns also had tall rocks, and the fallen columns had not moved in a long time. The Sreekovil had withstood all the abuse and was still standing. As I went near, I found that it had some intricate carvings, depicting some ancient stories and forgotten conquests. I walked around the structure and clicked enough photos. Balu had found a fallen column and was sitting on the stone.

I asked him, “How do you know all these places? Do you bring your guests here?”

He laughed and said, “You are the first person to have shown interest in coming here. Most people would bring cartons of beer and alcohol and have parties in the guest house itself”.

I nodded, smiled at him and gestured that we will go back. I took out my pack of cigarettes, offered one to Balu and we both lit up. “The way back is going to be one big climb, isn’t it?” I asked. He grunted in agreement and started our trek back to the forest lodge. We went back through the waterfall and followed the same route. I gasped for air as the climb got steep. I realised that my smoke filled lungs would soon choke me, as I climbed the steps to the veranda and sat on the chair.