The Sangam Panther- A walk back
Sangam is a small village near to the confluence of Rivers Cauvery and Arkavathi. Kenneth Anderson wrote a good experience of this area in the story "The Sangam Panther". Please read in the book Man eaters and Jungle killers. A man eating Panther was active in this area and KA bags it in a hair raising style. As I liked the story and so liked to the geography of this area, I just compile some photos and thoughts. Click the images for bigger pictures.
The Plot
Sangam is around 100 Km from Bangalore
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| Sangama- 2007 |
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| Sangama- today |
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| Sangam in relation with major towns |
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| The Road,Kanankapura to Sangam in 2014 |
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| The Road,Kanankapura to Sangam in 2007 |
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| the confluence of Rivers Cauvery and Arkavathi |
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| Sangama Village. Newly constructed houses can be seen. |
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| The exact site of the old village. Now empty space, under Revenue Department. |
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| A side road from Sangama. The old village was on the right side. |
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| The Main "tourist Street" in the area near the old village. now Only shops and no huts. |
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| Borders of TN and Karnataka |
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| Two main Hamlets present now, with some modern Buildings. |
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| Muthee trees along the riverside |
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| Muthee trees along the riverside can be seen in Google maps |
The old bungalow is abandoned I think, but the tree where he parked KA's car is still there. The location of the abandoned bungalow just next to the river is confusing. Photo from 2006- KA yahoogroup.
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| NOW WE CANNOT PARK OUR CAR HERE. photo of 2014. This area with old muthee tree is converted to a mini-park. |
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| When one sees the bungalow, one can imagine how the scene would have been 50 years back with the great man sitting on the balcony, smoking his pipe and staring at the forest. photo from 2006- KA yahoogroup |
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2014 photo of the same place pictured above. Old forest bungalow where KA stayed has been demolished and a new hotel under government runs here now. |
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| Old forest bungalow. The location of the abandoned bungalow just next to the river is indescribable.photo from 2006- KA yahoogroup |
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| But one of the old structure still seen here. Villagers said this stands in the same place of the above Pic. |
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| A crocodile spotted on the riverbed in other bank.Photo courtesy Team BHP |
Preparations.
After reaching the village, KA spent time to get an idea about the locations and formed his plans. He purchased 4 young buffaloes and a dog as baits and walked all around the village.
More plans and Preparations.
The alternate route to the bungalow
Make-Dat
KA described :
From this point Sangam, about 3.5 kilometres downstream, the river Kaveri flows through a deep gorge so narrow that one would think that a goat can leap across it ('Mekedatu' means 'goat's leap' in Kannada). It is not really so narrow and no goat commonly found in that part of India could cross that distance in a single leap. It is about 100 km from Bangalore via Kanakapura. The name comes from an incident which is believed to have been witnessed by herdsmen in that area a long time ago. It is said that a goat being chased by a tiger made a desperate attempt to save its life by leaping from one side of the gorge and managed to cross over the raging river below, whereas the tiger did not attempt to replicate this feat, and abandoned the chase. The point where the goat leapt has widened since then from erosion caused by the river Cauvery.
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| I am not able to understand what is written, still acclaimed that any crocodile will read this notice board and will not swim in this area. |
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| The Road,Kanankapura to Sangam - Road To Sangama        |
Gorge
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| Photo courtesy Team-BHP |
The water rushes swiftly through the gorge, eroding depressions in the stony riverbed. The descent is steep, and the rocks are treacherous, rendering swimming in the river extremely hazardous. Despite warnings conveyed through a modest sign and inscriptions on the rocks, drownings persist in this area.
Death Trap
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Out of tourists visit this place, a high number of people drown in the river, either when swimming or slipping off the cliff. It is a very dangerous place. The 4 feet shallow water is very deceiving as it seems harmless but has claimed the life of 100's of people in the past years. The water current is very fast, and a person can drown in minutes. Just a small slip might be fatal. There are also crocodiles in the water. The place lacks warning signs in several places, but crocodiles and slippery surfaces make it one of the riskiest tourist spots. The rock surface near the cliff, both during the season or during the dry season, is very slippery and deceiving. Usually, young people and students, who venture near cliff drown here.
KA sat on the edge of the rocks and watched the troubled, racing river. A hundred yards away, downstream, where the surface had become placid again, an occasional fish broke water, leaping into the air, as if evincing sheer exuberance and the joy of living. A fish-eagle circled in the ethereal blue of a clear sky. After a while, he retraced to the bungalow. He had still not found any panther tracks.
The rock
KA had noticed a rock at its edge hardly a mile away from the village. He took the dog, tied it at the foot of the rock and walked away down the road. Silently he clambered up and lay flat on its top. The rock was still warm from the sun that had been shining on it all day.The killer struck again:
While KA waiting on the rock, a hyena disturbed the bait dog several times, and KA describes about its nuisance behaviours in depth. Around midnight a group of men armed with lathes and a matchlock came to the spot to inform, the panther had seized one of the five sleeping inmates in the hut, a woman about 25 years old. She had shrieked aloud as she found herself being dragged away, waking the other four persons in the room,who were her father, two brothers and mother. Meanwhile, the panther was trying to drag her out through the opening in the thatch by which it had entered. The girl struggled violently. The panther dropped her and bit her viciously. One of the brothers struck a match to lighten the darkness of the hut's interior. Her father, with commendable bravery and presence of mind, hurled the only missile which came to his hand, at the panther The missile happened to be a brass water-pot of some weight, and it struck the panther full on its side.
KA describes that Maneaters, whether tigers or panthers, invariably have a streak of cowardice in their natures and this panther was no exception to the general rule. Leaving its victim, it had dashed out of the hut through the opening in the thatch. The screams of the mauled woman and the general pandemonium had awakened the whole village.
The Night with Cattles
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| The exact site of old "Cattle patti" |
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| New village location. |
The Night on the zinc roof
Read the passages, it will speak.
Some pictures around the area
The final meeting
After a night-long vigilance on the dog shed over the Zinc roof, KA heard noises of jungle folk when the panther was approaching, but could not see due to the darkness. somehow the panther discovered him and came directly under the roof where KA hindered.Peering forward slowly, KA began to scan the village lane in both directions. Starlight was not good at that moment, only enough to prevent the night from being obscure. The lane to right and left appeared as a faint blur and of a slightly lighter shade than the surroundings. He could hear nothing and see nothing. Then Anderson caught the faintest of sounds. It appeared to be a hiss such as a cobra might make. And it came from in front and directly below him. Was it the hiss of a snake or the faint noise a panther makes when he curls back the skin of his upper lip?
Read the story for what happened next.
| Photo courtesy :animalpictures.com |
Dear all, it is essential that you read the story to fully immerse yourself in an exhilarating experience. Doing so will enhance your appreciation and affection for this area. I extend my gratitude to Kenneth Anderson for this remarkable narrative.
