The Man-Eater of Segur
Kenneth Anderson narrates a captivating tale of a Bengal tiger known as the "Tiger of Segur," which became notorious as a man-eater. This story is set in the hamlet of Sigur, located at the base of the northeastern slopes of the Nilgiri Mountains in Tamil Nadu, and is believed to have occurred in 1954. During that year, this young male tiger claimed the lives of five individuals in the area between the villages of Sigur and Anaikatty on the Sigur Plateau.
The Sigur Plateau is a significant region, with the Moyar watershed serving as a backdrop for various stories, including "The Man-Eater of Segur," "The Great Panther of Mudiyanoor," "Swamy of Valaithottathu," "Queer Side of Things" (related to Chemmanatham Temple), "The Black Rogue of Moyar Valley," "What Thunderstorm Brought," and the tale of a one-legged Dutch man, among others. Kenneth Anderson owned several properties in Mavanahalla, including a bungalow named Serenity, which is in close proximity to the Chital Walk site of ERC Davidar.
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| A Thoda village, closely Resembles to Anaikatty village, (depiction 1840s) |
The Essence of Story
Kenneth Anderson begins by depicting the natural beauty of Nigiri, characterized by its lush tropical jungles and abundant wildlife. He also mentions the three distinct indigenous tribes that resided in the region: the Badagas, Karumbas, and Sholagas. The forests were a favored retreat for Anderson and the Davidars, where he experienced numerous adventures that remain vivid in his memory even after many years. It is noted that he constructed a bungalow, now known as Serenity, which currently operates as a tourist resort, proudly claiming its former ownership by Anderson. Additionally, Mark Davidars's bungalow, referred to as Chital Walk, is located nearby.
The narrative includes the story of 'The Man-Eater of Segur,' a tiger that originally roamed the jungles of Malabar-Wynaad, a detail that resonates personally with me as it is my native region.
Upon arriving at Anaikutty, Anderson spent several nights in trees at various locations and often traveled the forest road between Segur and Anaikutty with two Karumbas in pursuit of the tiger, albeit without success. He recounts his visit to a bear cave and shares insights about Karadi Rotti. Anderson reveals that every man-eater becomes increasingly cautious through experience and develops a heightened sixth sense, which leads them to exercise great care when approaching their prey. He also recounts the tragic death of the son of the forest guard at Anaikutty. After spending a night on a machan and suffering from malarial chills, Anderson ultimately shot the man-eater in the riverbed, following its trail from the dense forest to the Segur River. Upon examining the carcass, he discovered that the tiger's career as a man-eater was a result of a poacher's gunshot that had blinded it, prompting the animal to seek revenge.
Please note the names and spellings of the places.
Anaikutti=Anaikatti,Anaikutty,Anakatti.
Segur= Sigur (a village near to Valaithottam),Sigur plateau, Sigur falls
Segur River = Sigur River
Valaithothu=Valaithottam,Vazhaithottam
Masinigudi=Masinagudi,Masanam gudi(T).
Mahvanhalla=Mavanahalla,Mavanalla
Nilgiri= Nilgiries(District,Hills,Biosphere) Blue mountains
Ooty= Ootacamund
Tippakadu=Theppakkadu
Moyar= A village named Moyar.
Moyar river= Mayar in Tamil
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| 3D depiction of Nilgiries , Arial view, as you approaching from Bangalore. See Anderson's description on his own words:The hamlet of Segur is situated at the foot of the north- eastern slopes of the well-known Nilgiri Mountains in South India. On the summit of this lovely range stands the beautiful health resort of Ootacamund.This 'Queen of Hill Stations',is the focal point of visitors from all the length and breadth of India. |
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| Satellite view of blue mountains and moyar gorge. |
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3D reverse picture of the Masinagudi -Ooty road.This is a shortcut to Ooty avoiding Gudalur Town. A steep ghat road, 12 miles in length, leaves Ootaca-mund, and after passing through graceful, rolling downs, drops sharply downwards to Segur, at the foot of the range, where dense tropical forests prevail. The road is so steep in places as to be almost unusable, except to motor cars of fairly high power. |
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| The places are marked here were described by Anderson exactly as he had a google earth map. :At Segur the road bifurcates, one branch running north-westwards through dense forest, past the hamlet of Mahvanhalla and the village of Masinigudi, to meet the main trunk road, linking the cities of Bangalore and Mysore with Ootacamund, at the forest chowki of Tippakadu. The other bifurcation leads eastwards through equally dense forest, along the base of the Blue Mountains,(RED Line) to the forest bungalow of Anaikutty, nine miles away. Two perennial streams water this area, the Segur River and the Anaikutty River, both descending in silvery cascades from the Blue mountains; here their waters run through giant tropical forests to join those of the Moyar River, some fifteen miles away |
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| Sigur and Ooty |
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| Two perennial streams water this area, the Segur River (RED Arrows) and the Anaikutty River, (BLUE Line) both descending in silvery cascades from the Blue mountains; here their waters run through giant tropical forests to join those of the Moyar River, some fifteen miles away |
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| Now with the tarred road, bridge to Anaikatty. River, Forest Bungalow, and village of Anaikkatty can be seen. these places are important throughout the story. |
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117 year old: The forest-bungalow of Anaikutty is built on a knoll, past which run the swirling waters of the Anaikutty river. |
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Relative positions of Anaikatty and Masinagudi in Sigure Platue.: The Moyar River, or 'Mysore Ditch', as it is known, forms the boundary between the native state of Mysore on the north, the district of Coimbatore on the north-east, and the Nilgiri Range with its foot-hills on the south, both Coimbatore and the Nilgiris forming part of the Province of Madras. |
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The evergreen forests of the Malabar- Wynaad extend to the west and south-west. All the areas mentioned are densely wooded, hold game preserves on the Mysore, Malabar, and Nilgiri sides, and are the habitat of large numbers of wild elephants, bison, tiger, panther, sambar, spotted deer and other animals. |
 On November 4, 2012, the Advanced Land Imager (ALI) on NASA’s Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this image of Moyar, a village on Sigur Plateau that is home to about 1,000 people. The Moyar River lies to the north of the village, at the bottom of a steep gorge. (Note that the gorge looks like a ridge because of an optical effect known as relief inversion.) The smaller Sigur River—visible as a darker line of green—meanders south of the village. The river is an important water source for many types of wildlife. It cascades hundreds of meters at Sigur Falls, forming the dark blue pools on the right side of the image. It then winds east through the steep valley. |
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| look closely for the Resthouse, situated nearby the river and road, which was once used by ERC Davidar and family. |
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From Priya Davidar's book: Whispers from the Wild: Writings by E.R.C. Davidar...Strangely Anderson also remembers the place in connection with Christmas. Anderson's words: |
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| Forest Rest house Anaikatty. The nights are then so intensely cold that one is invariably confined to the bungalow itself, in all the rooms of which fire-places have been provided. |
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| Wild Dogs (Cuon alpinus), in Masinagudi:Photo by Tigertracks Wild dogs, which hunt in packs in India, varying in numbers from three to thirty, sometimes invade these forests from over the boundaries of Mysore and Coimbatore, where they are very numerous, more so in the latter district. These packs are very destructive to all forms of deer, particularly sambar and spotted-deer, which they hunt down inexorably, and tear limb from limb while still alive. |
Anderson describes Three distinct tribes of natives inhabit these areas.
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| The Badagas are indigenous people inhabiting the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, southern India. Their language is Badaga. They are the largest indigenous social group in Nilgiris. |
Many Badagas are under the mistaken impression that if they are brought under the “Scheduled Tribe”, it is a degrading step. I do not think so. Badagas are one of the ‘ORIGINAL’ tribes of the Nilgiris along with Todas, Kothas, and Kurumas.
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| Till the 1931 Census, the Badagas were classified as 'important primitive tribes'. There was no census held in 1941 due to the world war. In 1950, post-independence, the community was deleted from the ST list for reasons unknown. The Badaga people woke up to the matter only in the late 1970s. Since then, they have been fighting for lost ground but in vain |
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| From a Badaga Wedding. |
Anderson Wrote:
There are the Badagas, descendants of long-ago invaders from the state of Mysore, themselves fleeing from Mahommedan conquerors from the north. These Badagas have now become rich; they own lands, vast herds of cattle, and semi-wild buffaloes, with tremendously long, curved horns.
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| Next comes the Kesavas, the greatest in numbers but laziest in disposition, who work under the Badagas as herdsmen and tillers of the soil. Unfortunately, on my search on the net, I understood that there is no tribal community with the name Kesava living in this region. Irulas, Todas, Kothas, and Kurumas (kurubas) are other leading communities. A sub division of Irula,called Kasaba Irular living in masinagudi area. South India has a rich cultural history, greater than our imaginations. the tribal communities and their customs are pointing out this. The World Heritage Committee of the United Nations has deferred India’s request to declare the Western Ghats as a UNESCO World Heritage in the category of natural sites. While making a fresh bid, the authorities would do well to highlight the significance of the Western Ghats as a cultural heritage site too. Nilgiris, at least, qualifies for this heritage tag. Anyway unlike what Anderson said, Only 5 tribal communities prevailed in that area. they are Irulas, Badgas, Kothas, Todas and Kurumbas. Over the last two centuries, scholars, both Western and Indian, have highlighted the unique socio-economic and cultural life of the indigenous people in the Nilgiris with a special focus on the self-sufficient and interdependent economy of these mountain peoples and their peaceful coexistence. I feel, However, these indigenous groups have ended up as ‘development refugees’ thanks to the relentless process of development the hills were subjected to both during and after the colonial rule. Todas The Toda are known by several names like Tudas, Tudavans, and Todar. They are found only in the Nilgiri district. The Government of India has identified the Toda as one of the six Primitive Tribal groups of Tamil Nadu. The name Toda is supposed to be derived from the word 'tud', the sacred tud tree of Todas. The Linguist Emeneau(1958 : 47 - 50) said that "Toda dialect is an independent language of the Dravidian family affiliated with Tamil - Malayalam.  Photograph of two Toda men and a woman. Nilgiri Hills, 1871. They once practiced fraternal polyandry.(Source Wiki)   Toda people are white (fair) in colour, being tall, strong built, and well-shaped. The striking feature of the women is the arrangement of their hair which is dressed in ringlets and flows waving down to the shoulders.  The uniqueness of the half - barrel-shaped houses given speculations regarding their origin ranged from Rome to Sumeria. Note the style of wrapping the cloth  Besides the huts, the mund has another hut with a smaller doorway, called 'Tirierl' or dairy temple. In the vicinity of the mund is the cattle - pen.  The Toda village is called a mund, which means a herd or a cattle - pen. It is usually a collection of three or five half barrel-shaped huts every 18 feet by 9 feet by 10 feet high with a small doorway measuring only 32 inches by 18 inches.  The traditional garment of a Toda is known as put - kuli, is of thick white cotton cloth with red and blue stripes which is embellished further embroidery by the Toda women, is thrown around the body by the men and women like 'Roman toga'. Jewelry is worn by both men and women. The Kothas |
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| The Kothas, live in Seven settlements, generally known as Kotagiri or Kokkal. So the Kesavas noted in the story are not Kothas. They are village artisans, who are good in carpentry, black smithy and pottery. But only a few families are engaged in these skills as a means of living. Most others are engaged in cultivation. Happily, most of the Kota families in all the settlements have their own patta land. Unlike Todas, they do not shy away from personal cultivation and are generally hard-working people. In the field of education also they have stolen a march over other tribal communities. Today, many of them are working in the Governmental departments. Karumbas |
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 From G. Oppert. Original Inhabitants of India—”Kurubas or Kurumbas. the Kurumbas must be regarded as very old inhabitants of this land, who can contest with their Dravidian kinsmen the priority of occupation of the Indian soil. The terms Kuruba and Kurumba are originally identical, though the one form is, in different places, employed for the other, and has thus occasionally assumed a special local meaning. Mr. H. B. Grigg appears to contradict himself when, while speaking of the Kurumbas, he says that ‘in the low country they are called Kurubas or Cūrubāru, and are divided into such families as Ānē or elephant, Nāya or dog, Māle or hill Kurumbas. Such a distinction between mountain Kurumbas and plain Kurumbas cannot be established. The Rev. G. Richter will find it difficult to prove that the Kurubas of Mysore are only called so as shepherds and that no connection exists between these Kurubas and the Kurumbas. Mr. Lewis Rice calls the wild tribes as well as the shepherds Kurubas, but seems to overlook the fact that both terms are identical, and refer to only the ethnological distinction.” |
Irula or Irulas, a Scheduled Tribe, is one of the major tribes of Tamil Nadu and are distributed in twelve districts which includes the Nilgiris. In Tamil Nadu, the Irula are known by several names as Irular, Iruligaru, Iruliga, Iruvan, Villiar, Kadu Poojaris, etc, but the Irula people who are dwelling in Nilgiris district prefer to call themselves "Irulas". The name Irula is supposed to be derived from the Tamil word "Irul" meaning darkness which may refer to their black skin complexion. The Government of India, identified the Irula as one of the six primitive tribal groups of Tamil Nadu.
Update:
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| They speak Irula, a dialect which is a south Dravidian language of the Tamil-Malayalam sub-group. Irula settlement is called as aral, represent many houses built contiguous to each other.courtesy :Yamuna Raju |
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| The typical man wears a short piece of cloth around the waist and a towel on his shoulder, the woman wears thundu, (a piece of cloth) around the waist in combination with a modern blouse. They are non-vegetarians. courtesy :Yamuna Raju |
James Wilkinson Breeks, stated that Rangaswami peak can be called as the headquarters of the Nilgiris Irulas in his book ‘Primitive Tribes and Monuments of the Nilgiris” published in 1873.
Irulars are classified into various subgroups based on linguistic and social variations,
- Malenadu Irular
- Kasaba Irular
- Vettakkara Irular
- Urali Irular
- Villiyan.
The first four subgroups share similar ethnic and linguistic features but with slight variations, and are mostly found in Nilgiris and so-referred to as Nilgiri Irulars.
The Irulas in Nilgiri district have three social divisions known as Mudumars (southern Irulas of Kotagiri base), Kasabas (northern Irulas of Masinagudi base), Urali Irulas of Attapady (Kerala) base.
The possibilities of Irulas have been mentioned as Kesavas in this story is ruled out.
Kasaba Irular has settlements on these tribal villages in the Sigur plateau: They include, from East to West: Sigur, Anaikatti, Chokkanalli, Vazhaithottam, Sholur, Masinagudi, Boothanatham, Mavanhalla, Bokkapuram, Hundi,Moyar, Singhara, Tippakadu,Siriyur, Chamanatham, and Kurumbarpallam.
'Man-eater of Segur'
Having given the reader a little idea of the country in which the adventure took place, Anderson telling the story of the 'Man-eater of Segur'. This tiger was reported to have come originally from the jungles of the Silent Valley Forest Block in the District of Malabar-Wynaad,Kerala.
A few human kills took place in the Silent Valley and then ceased entirely, to recommence at Gudalur, some twenty miles from Tippakadu, at Masinigudi, and finally in all the areas between Segur and Anaikutty. How and why the tiger came so far from its place of origin, encircling the greater portion of the Nilgiri Mountains in doing so, no- body knows. It was midsummer and the tiger had been particularly active, killing at Segur and, within a week, at Anaikutty, when I arrived.
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The last victim had been a Kesava herds- man, tending his herd of semi-wild buffaloes some two miles from Anaikutty along the lower reaches of the river, as it wended its way towards the Moyar. |
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| Buffaloes grazing nearby Anaikatty: The man-eater had stalked and attacked the man, completely ignoring the surrounding grazing buffaloes. It had killed him and was perhaps carrying him away when the buffaloes had become aware of its presence. These animals are only semi-domesticated, and extremely dangerous. Seeing the tiger, they had evidently attacked him , and succeeded in driving him off, leaving the dead man where he had been dropped. It did not take them long to find the dead herdsman, surrounded by his herd of placidly grazing buffaloes, which had effectively prevented the tiger from returning to its prey. |
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| A file photo of a Tiger in Masinagudi area from a Camera Trap: An examination of the corpse, the pug marks of the tiger, and the pursuing hooves of the charging buffaloes, revealed the sequence of happenings. . The kill that had taken place a week earlier at Segur had been that of a woman, as she went down to the Segur River with her water-pot to fetch the daily supply of water for her family. In this case, the tiger had succeeded in carrying off its victim, the only evidence of the occurrence being the mute testimony of the broken water-pot, the pugs of the tiger in the soft mud that bordered the river, a few drops of blood, the torn saree, and a few strands of human hair that had become entangled in the bushes as the tiger made off with its prey. |
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| Reverse 3D view of the valley of anaikatty towards the hills. A lot of protruding points can be seen with yellow arrows, which means probable places of large Rocks.: Returning the next morning to the Anaikutty forest bungalow, where KA had established his headquarters, was informed that a Karumba, who had left the previous morning to gather wild honey from the combs of the giant rock- bee that abounds by the hundred in the region of a place called 'Honey Rock', about four miles from the lower foot- hills of the Nilgiris, had not yet returned. |
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A honey Rock and A kurumba in honey collection: KA went to the spot and found the man had been killed by being bitten through the throat. Beside him lay his empty kerosine tin, in which he had been gathering honey, all of which had spilt on the ground to form a feast for a colony of black-ants, which covered the tin in a black mass.
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Thinking at first that the tiger had killed him, and wondering why it had not devoured him in that quiet, secluded spot, they cast around for tracks but soon discovered that the killer had been a female sloth bear, accompanied by its cub. |
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Honey hunting by Kurumbas check this link for NG Magacine article http://www.natgeotraveller.in/magazine/month/july-2013/sting-in-the-tale/ |
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| A Kurumba colony |
A beautiful Tamil documentary named NAALI can be seen here about the western ghats, Nilgiris, the history of rulers who exploit the forests and tribes by .. It's quite a long video in four parts. But is very useful.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6OVm2xWGUI
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Anderson had no quarrel with this animals and would have regretted having to shoot it and leave the baby an orphan. The human-like imprints of the mother's feet, and the smaller impressions of the cub's, were clearly to be seen in the soft sand that formed the bed of the nala. The she-bear had been asleep with its cub, or perhaps about to cross the nala, when the Karumba, in his search for honey, had suddenly come upon it. When the she-bear, surprised, frightened and irritated, and in defense of her young which she fancied was in danger, had rushed at the Karumba, bitten him through the throat, severing his jugular, and then made off as fast as she could. Anderson did not wish to spend time in hunting a bear which, after all, had only killed in defense of its cub, and was for returning to the bungalow at Anaikutty, when the four Karumbas urged him to track down and shoot the animal. |
Mariamman Temple Anaikatti, Its Believed that Veerappan was a regular visitor here for worship
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| Probable route of the bear hunting: The blue circle has an open place where an old Mariamman temple situates. The red arrow is the stream and the yellow arrows are high points of hills, somewhere there the caves situate. The tracks led along the nullah and then joined a stream, down which bear and her baby had ambled for some distance before breaking back into the jungle. Thence she had climbed upwards towards the many rocks and caves that gave them shelter. |
This cave they declared, was the home of the she-bear and her cub. Standing ten yards from the entrance, and to one side, KA instructed the men to hurl stones into the interior, which they did with unabated vigour for quite twenty minutes. But not a sound did hear. One of the Karumbas came upon an interesting curiosity of the Indian forest, of which KA had heard but never seen, and the existence never believed. He found in a corner what the natives call 'bear's bread', or 'Karadi roti', as it is named in Tamil. This was a roughly circular mass, about ten inches across, an inch thick, and of a dirty blackish-yellow, sticky consistency. A cave, inhabited by a she-bear with her young, is reported to contain sometimes a dozen such cakes. As evidence of the wholesomeness of this 'bread', the four Karumbas offered it to KA for immediate consumption, but he declined with thanks.
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Anderson's motoring route from Anaikutty bungalow : He set out at 8 p.m. that night, motoring slowly to Segur in my Studebaker, a Karumba acting as an assistant by his side and flashing the beams of his 'sealed-beam spotlight along the jungle on both sides. Meeting nothing, They continued for six miles along the north-western road, past Mahvanhalla and Masinigudi, and finally the four miles to the forest chowki at Tippakadu.  |
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| A bison was captured in-camera along the same road between Masinagudi and Theppakkadu.Note in the background the famous Lantana bushes always KA talked about in his several stories.: KA Wrote:At Theppakadu they allowed an hour to pass before returning, this time encountering, three miles from Tippakadu, a of bison along the roadside. These animals crashed away as the car approached closer. Between Masinigudi and Segur they met several spotted-deer, and just after taking the turn to Anaikutty a large bull elephant in the center of the road, his tusks gleaming sharply white in the powerful beams of the spotlight. |
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| A powerful beam on in the same route, |
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| Photo taken cart roads, now jeep roads around Anaikatty |
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| Forest track from Anaikutty to Moyar river, which KA used in his search, is about 7.5 miles as per satellite calculation. The following morning, Anderson set out with a Karumba guide across the forest towards the Moyar River, nine miles to the north. They encountered no trace of the tiger, but came across the pugs of an exceptionally large forest-panther as the land began to dip sharply to the basin of the Moyar. After judging by its tracks, They returned to the bungalow in the late after- noon, tired and somewhat disappointed, after our long and fruitless walk. |
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| Photo from Anaikatty village |
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| Forest rest house and bridge over the Anaikkutty River. The abrupt turnings on both approach roads to the bridge make clear that it was not the original route of the old track and river crossing. The yellow circle denotes the old ford.: Again that night they motored to Tippakadu and back, encountering only a solitary sambar, when returning, at the river crossing before the Anaikutty forest bungalow. |
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| Forest guest house,Anaikutty |
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| Probable wild footpath towards Nilgiris .This route now well tarred up to a place named Siriyur. With dawn, KA undertook another hike, this time in a south-easterly direction and towards the Nilgiris. They found a dead cow-bison in the bush four miles away, an examination of the carcase revealing that the animal had died of rinderpest. |
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| Mavanahalla Bridge near the hamlet. That afternoon a report came in from Mahvanhalla that the tiger had taken a woman near the bridge by which the main road to Tippakadu crosses the Mahvanhalla Stream before it joins the Segur River. Motoring to the spot KA was shown the place where the woman had been a little apart from the rest of the party assembled near the bridge and hidden by the bend the little stream takes just before it passes under the road. She had screamed shrilly and silence had followed. The remaining graziers, five in number, had hastened to Mahvanhalla, gathered reinforcements in the form of six others, including the husband of the unfortunate woman, and turned to the spot to look for her. They had found the basket she had been carrying, and close by in the soft earth, the pug-marks of a tiger; then the whole party had returned to Mahvanhalla. |
A large red-martin, a big species of mongoose that in habits the lower slopes of the Nilgiris, was the first visitor to put in an appearance at the kill. He came at about 5.30 p.m., at first nibbled cautiously, and then began to gobble chunks of the raw meat. By 6 o'clock he had filled himself to bursting-point and made off to pass the night in dreamless contentment, or with a heavy attack of indigestion.
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| The Nilgiri marten is reported from the Nilgiris, parts of southern Kodagu and Travancore Kerala, up to the Charmadi ghats. Very little is known about the Nilgiri marten. It is diurnal, and though arboreal, descends to the ground occasionally. It is reported to prey on birds, small mammals, and insects.Although it looks yellow in this photo Anderson described it as a red marten and it's true. the wiki says:-. It is unmistakable in the field as it is dark above with a bright throat ranging in color from yellow to orange which is the deep brown from head to rump, the forequarters being almost reddish |
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| Tracking of the Tiger.. They went to the place where the woman had been attacked, and with the expert help of Karumba tracker were soon able to pick up the trail of the tiger and its victim. The man-eater was evidently making towards a high hill, an out-spur of the Nilgiri Range, that ran parallel to the road on the west at a distance of about two miles. KA knew its middle slopes were covered with a sea of long spear-grass which gradually thinned out as the higher, and more rocky, levels were reached. |
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Reverse view towards the hill.In that area,KA felt little chance of finding the tiger. After 1 mile:The Kurumba little guide continued faultlessly, and within a mile of the foot of the hill came across the woman's saree, caught in the undergrowth. |
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| Reverse view towards the hill. Shortly after wards the tiger appeared to have changed its mind, in that its trail veered off to the right, parallel to the hill, which now was quite near, and back again towards the bed of the Mahvanhalla Stream. Still following, They eventually reached the stream, which here ran through a deep valley. Scattered bamboo-clumps grew in increasing numbers down this declivity, and the shrill squeal of vultures and the heavy flapping of their wings soon heralded the close of our search. The remains of the woman lay below a clump of bamboo, eaten by the tiger. |
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| Reverse view towards the hill.. not sitting over ..next day KA tied a buffalo, close to the bend in the stream at Mahvanhalla, where the woman had been attacked. The next day runners came to Anaikutty to report that the buffalo had been killed and partly eaten by a tiger. By 3 p.m. his machan was fixed, and he sat overlooking the dead bait, at a height of some fifteen feet. |
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| Masinagudi -Anaikatti road |
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| KA done his motoring along the road to Tippakadu and back, but without seeing any sign of the tiger,next day. Valaitottam Pirivu. |
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This time a small panther jumped off a roadside culvert exactly at the turning point on the road to Anaikutty, and crouched in the ditch, its bright eyes gazing into the spot-light as the car passed by.KA let the little brute alone, to pass its days in happiness.
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| The Culvert(YELLOW CIRCLE),Bus waiting shed (BLUE) and the Arch shaped board,(RED) at the location |
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| Probable place of attack and sitting up: A Badaga boy, the son of a rich cattle-owner at Segur( Red Circle), was carried away by the tiger while taking the midday meal to his father. The tiger had carried the boy across the Segur River(Blue arrow) and into the jungle to the north. Again we followed, without delay, and this time found the body hidden in a nala and only half-eaten. In the vicinity of the body there was no suitable tree or rock in which to conceal Anderson, and eventually it was decided to move the corpse some fifty feet towards a bamboo clump, on the top of which an unstable machan was erected. |
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The nulla and bamboo clumps. somewhere her KA erected his machan,and tiger fled in this direction:KA find the machan is one of the worst he had ever sat on in life. It swayed alarmingly with every current of wind, and my slightest movement caused the bamboos to creak ominously below me. Besides, he did not have a good view of the body, which was over thirty yards away. The bamboo stems growing around him completely obstructed any view at a close range. At 9 p.m.KA became aware of the presence of the tiger by the low moan he emitted from near the spot where he had originally left the corpse. Around and around it travelled for quite an hour, till it finally decided that the kill was forbidden fruit, and the last I heard was its plaintive moaning receding to southwards, as it made for the sheltering hills. |
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| Direction of Tiger from Machan (red).Cart tracks and footpaths in the area (yellow arrows) Gossip with the Karumbas now suggested that the tiger might be met at nights along the many cart-tracks that branched into the forest from Anaikutty, Segur and Mah- vanhalla, rather than along the main roads on which KA had been motoring for several nights. As these cart tracks were unmotorable,KA hired a bullock cart for the next week, and determined to spend each night in it meandering along every possible track in the vicinity of the three places. The driver of this cart, a Kesava, was an unusually doughty fellow, and his two Karumba scouts wereto suggest the most likely tracks. |
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| A hero stone from Anaikatti |
Probabale place of the meeting with an elephant.This is a ford and no such a river crossing anywhere else,soroundeed by Muthee trees. this route is now used to reach the Mariamman temple.:One third night,an elephant, which gave us some anxious moments. It was where the track crossed the Anaikutty River, two miles from the village, that we first met him. He had been standing under a mighty 'Muthee' tree, as motionless as a rock, and quite unnoticed by us. As they were crossing the river, and the cart was about midway in the stream, the bulls struggling valiantly to pull the huge wheels through the soft sand, when the elephant, came splashing at us through the water. Switching on the 'sealed-beam', KA caught him in its brilliant rays about thirty yards away. The bright beam brought him to a halt.They continued these bullock-cart prowls for the next three nights, but without success.
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| An elephant on the way to Mariamman temple to Anaikatty on a Jeep's safety. "Switching on the 'sealed-beam', KA caught him in its brilliant rays about thirty yards away. The bright beam brought him to a halt.They continued these bullock-cart prowls for the next three nights, but without success". |
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| The tragic incident took place here.look for Road village and FB: On the morning of the seventh day, the tiger killed the son of the Forest Guard stationed at Anaikutty. At 9 a.m, and in bright sunlight, he had left his hut in the village and gone a short distance up the path leading to the river and to the bungalow where Anderson lay sleeping after nights in the cart. The boy had gone to call his dog, which was in the habit of wandering between the village and the bungalow, less than a mile away. That boy was never seen alive again. His father, the Forest Guard, thinking he was with KA at the bungalow, took his absence for granted. When noon came, and it was time for the midday meal, the youth had not yet appeared and the Guard decided to come to the bungalow and fetch him.
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| Anaikatty River nearby to the Forest bunglow. |
Trees and Bushes...A medium-sized 'Jumlum' tree overshadowed the plum- bush beneath which the boy lay, and on this tree KA determined to erect a machan. Karumbas were back in under an hour with the machan, which they securely and efficiently tied in the lower branches of the 'Jumlum' tree and soon after noon Anderson climbed into the machan in high hopes of securing a shot. Evening came, and nightfall, without a sign of the tiger.
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| KA would have returned to the bungalow, but impossible owing to the swollen river, which still remained unfordable. It was past 8 o'clock the next morning before Karumbas returned, to find KA almost unconscious and still in a high fever. Somehow they got me across the river and to the bungalow, where he spent the next forty-eight hours in bed in the grip of successive attacks of malarial chills and fever. |
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| Machan , Forest bungalow Rain and chilled night. Then followed a sudden rain-storm, such as sometimes occurs in the midst of a dry summer in India. Within a minute KA was soaked to the skin, as evaporation began in his soaking clothes and blankets, the cold became intense and unbearable. |
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KA's Car parked near the bridge,at Vazhaithottam.That morning, KA decided to follow the course of the Segur River for some miles downstream.He left the car at a large banana plantation and began to put this plan into effect. |
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| The river in a rainy day |
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This must be the swampy area 1 mile away. Hardly a mile downstream is a swampy area, much in- habited by bison in years gone by, and still locally known as 'Bison Swamp". I think This place is near to the resorts Jungle bungalows and Wilk Creek Farm and reserve. |
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| Probable spot according to descriptions below: A half-mile beyond this, a large patch of dense bamboo jungle covers both banks of the stream. These bamboos have always been a favourite haunt of elephant and sambar, tiger occasionally passing through on their way down from the hills. It was 8.30 a.m., and KA had just entered the bamboos, when a sambar doe belled loudly from the opposite bank, to be taken up almost immediately by the hoarser cry of a stag. The Karumbas and KA sank to the ground among the rushes that grew profusely along the river edge at this spot. The two sambar repeated their calls in quick succession, and it was obvious that something had alarmed them. |
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| They lay in the rushes for almost ten minutes.Not a move came from any of us as the anxious moments passed and then, silently, gracefully and boldly, a tiger stepped out of cover from the opposite bamboos and glided down the steeply declining bank to the river's edge. |
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| Last Moments :Without hesitation The tiger walked into the river, ignored the cobbled stones, and when the water had reached his chest, he stopped and commenced lapping. Taking careful aim, KA fired behind his left shoulder. He sprang backwards, emitting a coughing-grunt, and then rolled over on his side, facing away from him and towards the bank from which tiger had just come.Running forwards out of concealment, KA advanced some forty yards, from where he could just see a part of the side of tiger's face, the rest having sunk below the water. File photo John M Uscian. |
Thus another interesting story of Anderson, fully enjoyable for a walk back ends. I would like to inform you that, a visiting of these places for a normal person is little difficult, because these parts are coming under Muthumalai Tiger Reserve and permission is needed. But with proper plannings, it's achievable. Best of luck.
Links to other blogposts related to Kenneth Anderson stories:
The Man-eater-of-crescent-mountains
The Swami Of Valaithothu-A guide for walkback.
Killer-from Hyderabad WB
The-black-panther-of-sivanipalli-
Kankanhalli-town-with-that-alliterative.
Bailurman-and-machine-trip-part-12
Biligundlu-man-and-machine-trip-part.10
Hogenakkalman-and-machine-trip-part-9
Panapatti-man-and-machine-trip-part-8
Kempekaraiman-and-machine-trip-part-7
Gerattiman-and-machine-trip-part-6.
Around-anchettyman-and-machine-5
spotted-devil-of-gummalapur-4
man-and-machine-trip-3-
the-killer-of-wayanad- 2
man-and-beast-trip.html 1
Aalum-bux-walk-back.html
mandur-man-eater-walk-back
Links to other blogposts related to Kenneth Anderson stories:
The Man-eater-of-crescent-mountains
The Swami Of Valaithothu-A guide for walkback.
Killer-from Hyderabad WB
The-black-panther-of-sivanipalli-
Kankanhalli-town-with-that-alliterative.
Bailurman-and-machine-trip-part-12
Biligundlu-man-and-machine-trip-part.10
Hogenakkalman-and-machine-trip-part-9
Panapatti-man-and-machine-trip-part-8
Kempekaraiman-and-machine-trip-part-7
Gerattiman-and-machine-trip-part-6.
Around-anchettyman-and-machine-5
spotted-devil-of-gummalapur-4
man-and-machine-trip-3-
the-killer-of-wayanad- 2
man-and-beast-trip.html 1
Aalum-bux-walk-back.html
mandur-man-eater-walk-back
