From Anchetty, I started to ride to Geratti, first few kilometers through the village area. Then the forest began. I always wanted to cover slowly along with some music. I had read and heard a lot about Anchetty ghat section, curves and above all greenery. I had lost quite some time due to the fall earlier. I inquired with locals about how far Hogenekal was and whether I could make it to sunset. Many of them were positive about me making it to Hogenakkal by sunset.
(Disclaimer: This is not an authentic study. I may be wrong by 100 percentage in relating the places in the stories to the actual places. Reader's discretion is expected.)
Click on the pic for enlarged images.
Please read the story of Kenneth Andersons's The Crossed Tusker of Gerhetti and the Strange case of Gerhetti Leopard.
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| The road from Anchetty towards Gerhetti |
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| After the border of the forest, First stream and water hole |
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| It's the corresponding point on Google Map |
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| The Roads are smooth now |
After passed some stretch of the forest I exclaimed the look of the new road to Pennagram from Anchetti. It is smooth and both sides are blushed in green colour. Looking into my right side I checked any point or side roads to penetrate into the scrub forest.I wanted to reach the lake no.1 somehow. But the complete absence of such roads and the bad experience in the same morning happened in Gundalam forest pushed me back. I didn't have any guides to help me here too.
Within a kilometre, I spotted a water pool on the right side of the road. This must be the one which the local people told. Build at the roadside in a nullah for wild animals to quench their thirst. It looks made by long ago because I saw the liberal the use of square stones. There is only a little water on the pool. As this pool was not my focus, I continued through the dense greenery. I remembered this was the same track which KA drove his car several trips for his adventurous journeys to his favorite spots like Kempaekare, Geratti, Pennagram Natrampalayam and spider valley. He mentioned this road on the story a Strange case of Gerhatti leopard. It was somewhere here his model Ford T refused to climb a hill but when put in reverse gear it climbs easily. Somewhere along the same road near to Geratti, the man eater was sitting above the road on a branch of a slanted tree and jumped on Anderson's car and tore the resin of hood.
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| Probable lake (No.1)where fishes trapped in summer and Tusker killed its first victim, |
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| I was alone and need somebody to cover the forest to the lake No.1 |
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| After reading carefully, there are other possible pools nearby, on the course of the main river. so I avoided the first pool |
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| My route of a failed Attempt to reach the pools, from the bridge |
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The old Cart road and the river crossing. At KAs time it was a ford only. Then probably there was a weak bridge and destroyed by currents.
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There were ascends, curves and descends all over the way. I stopped at a bridge and assumed that I reached the same area of the ford mentioned in the story the Crossed Tusker of Gerhetti. Gollamuthi River flows across the forest and the road. There is a newly constructed bridge located by a little down instead of the old Ford. Still, there are remains of the old road. In the riverbed and its sides, you can see the evidence of the old road which is partially open to see the cross sections, due to the strong current of flowing water.
Here, in the very same point, Anderson shot the wild elephant who was a rogue, probably at the other end of the road from Geratti. The tusker was a man hater and I could imagine that he came up from the thick forest through the river after hearing Anderson and Ranga at the Ford.
The tusker was on right side of the car and in that dense darkness of night Ranga has shown the spotlight and Anderson's rifle spoke to the charging elephant.
In a strange coincidence, I saw footprints of a lone big elephant on the riverbed when looking from the bridge. I walked to the other side of the bridge and went down to the riverbed for a close investigation.
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| Probable spot of the shooting of the Crossed Tusker of Gerhetti. The New Bridge and Old road can be seen |
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| Probable spot of shooting marked in google map |
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| Incidentally, I saw footprints of a lone elephant, in the riverbed. The photo was directly taken above ( from the Bridge) |
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| The dried river bed of Gollamuthi |
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| My bike is parked at almost the same place as KA's Car parked while waiting for the tusker in a dark evening. Time was mid noon, in summer, but note the darkness along the road |
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| Indeed its is a new bridge,See the Date. |
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| Enjoying last drops of water. |
Self-made Fear!
The Gollamuthi River lies like a silver anklet in the green forest but presently dried up. But there were scores of white sand and small pools of dampness in the river bed. I have read in the story that there are big pools of water formed as small lakes up above the river. On my imagination, still, there will be some fishes trapped in the summer season and villagers will come to net them. During such an operation, the Crossed Tusker slammed one villager to earth and thus started his cowardliness to the human race. I calculated it will have a distance within 1 kilometer from the road if you dare to walk through the riverbed. I tempted to go there, even it has some risks.
Firstly, I am alone and safety will be widely compromised. Secondly, I have no permission to go to the forest and there was no local guide with me. I don't want to be an intruder. I wished I could have some company. A careful examination of the footprints revealed that the tusker was coming up from the hills may be in last night and tried to cross the bridge through the large opening under it. He was alone, and his height didn't permit him to pass under the bridge to downstream. He returned the same way. Maybe he circumvents the whole area and gone to downhill.
I felt to go up to the hills and the water pool in a short walk and come back to the safety of the road as soon as s possible. I calculated if I started to walk along the river it will take about half an hour to reach there. I decided to move forward and stalk about 50 meters. I found more boulders and more elephant footprints along the riverbed.
Suddenly I felt something unusual. An Uncanny silence spread around me and I felt something is wrong or somebody as watching me. I remembered the footprints of the elephant went back to the forest which I am proceeding. Maybe he is lurking in the forest up to to the hill and hidden by natural forest cover. By all rules of the forest, if an elephant is alone and if he hears or sees my approach, I will be in danger of charging.
It was mid noon of summer under the scorching sun. All I knew that water being scarcer day by day, even in the river and wild animals may come to quench their thirst in the riverside. In worst cases, even big cats may found in this green and shadow patches made by the river. As in a Wild thought, I liked to imagine a rare possibility. Maybe a wounded leopard or an old tiger resting in the boulders, which is unable to catch their natural preys. Now one man is coming on the way and why couldn't he hesitate to kill and devour the lean man? So he can start a career as man-eater by today. It's possible that I could be that unlucky man.
Other thoughts of risks, I have told earlier like forest officials, suspected poachers and bandits also deeply buried in me.
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| The low headroom didn't allow our elephant to cross the under-bridge. |
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| Bridge in google map |
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| Follow an elephant's footprints were never in my wild dreams... |
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| The riverbed stretches along the hills, dried up. |
So I stopped at the centre of the river looking around and tried to hear some noise like our great hunter did but in vain. You may laugh on this because being a city dweller it is impossible for me to get access to any sort of jungle sounds. I have now between two questions; proceed or go back.
While thinking this, I saw some branches of a leafy tree is swaying at a distance. I stared 10 seconds to the spot there. But couldn't see anything below the tree due to thick undergrowth. Maybe a harsh blow of wind caused that. But at that moment, I liked to believe that was an elephant’s work.
I knew my thoughts were unreasonable and without logic. But still, I have a feeling of somebody watching me.
So afraid, I retreat my footsteps towards the road through another side of the riverbed and directly to the bike. Slowly walking became a stroll and then to a full speed a bolt. I don't know what behind me but could hear some more unexplainable sounds, which I felt like a tearing sound of a falling tree. Later on, I discovered that actually it may be my imagination or it happened due to my own running on the sands of the riverbed. I jumped on my bike and now I relaxed and slowly started to ride on. Truly I had shivering hands and legs, but the self-starter helped me to a fast move on. I should say thanks for that self-starter...
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| Presence of an elephant ? |
More curves and beautiful roadsides were appealed to me. Within less than 15 minutes I came to a junction then only I realised I reached near Geratti. As Anderson said the road from Anchetti to Pennagram forked here and now the place is called Sivalingapuram. The straight road goes to Pennagram and was the main cart road at Anderson's time. Other road goes to Geratti Natrampalayam, Biligundlu, Hogenakkal and then to Pennagram. Even today's Google map marked as the first road is known as Anchetty Pennagram road. But I wouldn't recommend anybody to go through that route. A perfect no no to families and cars. Travellers in the bike can go to Pennagram by this route but beware of the condition of the road in monsoon. Especially all bridges are destroyed by torrential rains and their maintenance is very bad. There are so many river crosses and bridges made up of concrete were destroyed by the great force of torrential rainwater in Monsoon. Absence of bridges and dense forest plants on both sides makes the travelling a terrible one. And in rainy season a complete closure of the road is advisable in the wake of safety.
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| Road forking at Sivalingapuram |
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| Sivalingapuram |
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| Geratti, check the spelling. |
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| 3rd board within short distance. |
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| Relation of three villages with Waterhole. Blue-Sivalingapuranm, Red- Geratti, Purple-Bharadhiayar Nagar. |
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| Groundnuts |
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| Trench Made by Forest Dept |
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| And its relation |
KA mentioned he had noticed the leopard 3 times before it became a man-eater at nearby places of Gerhatti. I have already told one instance on the cart road between Anchetty to Gerhetty. KA spotted the leopard as the first time in the same waterhole when he causally resting at forest bungalow and looking to the pool. Here I noted the distance between the pool and forest bungalow is more than 500 meters and so many houses in the straight line. There are some trees too to obscure the view of the waterhole. I wondered how KA could see the man eater at the waterhole at this distant. Maybe at his time, there were no houses and no trees.
The road connecting between the main road and the pool is narrow and muddy. I parked my bike under a tree. Two village ladies are engaged in their work there.
The trench made to avoid wild animals to enter the village is deepened now. Passing a small footbridge I walked up to the edge of the pool. I could see a lot of village ladies sitting beside the bund.
In a close examination of the pool, I found it's about 5 acres in area and adjacent to the forest. It's evident that both animals and villagers benefit from the pool. Now it's dried up. Only a few patches of water collected in the rectangular depths made by locals. Must be by national employment scheme. Because I noted everybody is gathered at the tree shadows and the progress of the work seems sluggish may be due to the scorching heat of midday. The village women came around me with lots of questions. Primarily they want to know that I were a government official to check their work. After confronted them I used this opportunity to ask about the animal conflict then diverted to any stories available of man lifting. At this point I lost hope to get any clues of KA'S adventures and man-eaters. Because everybody seems ignorant about such things.
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| First view of the waterhole.Manchimalai in background |
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| View of Waterhole when looking to the village side. |
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| Deepening work going on. |
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| Explaining anxiety. |
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A short break..
The Gerhetti leopard had taken a boy from near the bank of the pool. He also has taken a lady who gone to take water from the pool with her two-year-old son, sparing the boy and devouring the mother. Even I went that much in descriptive to the villagers, I could not gather any details. So I stopped my questions in this regard.
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| Waterhole and Geratty |
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| Near to the Forest Bungalow |
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| Forest quarters |
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| My return journey starts |
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| Geratty village street view |
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| Signboards everywhere. Just wanted to point out the spelling of Geratti is written differently in deferent places, and I assume all is correct. |
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| The low hill described by KA |
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| View of the low hill described by KA in his stories around Gerhetti. Photo was taken from Village. |
I wanted to describe the story of The strange case of Gerhatti leopard in future, but for now, let me tell about Crossed Tusker of Gerhetti.
The Crossed Tusker of Gerhetti is a story written by Kenneth Anderson in the book Man-Eaters and Jungle Killers is the second book of jungle tales and man-eaters written by Kenneth Anderson, first published in 1957 by George Allen & Unwin. His love for Indian jungle led him to big game hunting and eventually to writing real-life adventure stories. His Books are hailed as classics of jungle lore.
A rogue elephant with distinctive overlapping tusks plagues the Gerhetti area, killing a number of people. Anderson arrives and his first days are wasted in tracking the wrong elephants before he finally finds the distinctive crossed tusks he's looking for. Anderson killed the tusker without more effort but I love his breathtaking method of storytelling.
My focus turned into studying the pool and its surroundings. obviously, it served a vital part of jungle history and the source of water for all kind of animals. It was here the crossed tusker and another elephant fought for several hours, thus made him a rogue. It was here Anderson started to track each elephant's footprints one by one to locate the crossed tusker.
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| Anderson stalked in this route for the first elephant |
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| The hill straight back to the pool in the centre. or RHS,Manchi hills |
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| The low hill near Gerhetti described by both Andersons stories. The 2nd elephant gone through this hills, tracked by KA and Ranga within a few hours of gap. |
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| Geratti -Natrupalayam-biligundlu road |
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| Natrampalayam |
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| Road, Geratty to Billigundulu in 2014 |
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| The progress of elephant track towards Kavery. The long Elephant Tracking; for the 2nd elephant, through a small hill opposite to Geratti, Thalvady brook and then the riverbed to Kaveri riverside. |
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| View of Kavery from Geratty to Billigundulu road. Probable choice of walk by the elephant. |
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| Billgundala T section when coming from Anchetti. Left takes you to Hogenakkal and right turn takes you to Billgundala. From here the elephant turned towards downstream of Kavery to Ootaimalai and ended at "Katripallam" |
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The Tarred road proceeds to Ootaimalai as Tusker proceeded. Mud road goes to Biligundalu Village
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| Bank of Kavey and low hills on TN side, probable way of tracking. |
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| Probable place of Kartripallam , Though I could not make out the correct spot. |
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| Kavery and near to Katripallam, I could not locate a specific spot as per the descriptions. |
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| Biligundalu Village |
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| Biliguntalu |
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| My return from the village |
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| Evening at the planes, same as the team did, I returned. Photo from the road from Biligundalu Village |
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| Towards Natrampalayam in an evening. |
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| Little eerie, alone. |
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| Kavery near Biligundalu |
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| Probable spot of shooting |
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| Ford and new bridge. Imagine,He emerged from this riverbed in darkness |
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| Minutes of silence followed, and then Anderson heard a light rustling in the undergrowth from the bank of river nearest to the car. It was a faint sound, apparently made by a small body in the bushes. |
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| A file image of a crossed Tusker |
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| Imagine the scene of, crack of trodden bamboo came suddenly. Silence again, deep and enveloping. Even the breeze seemed to have died, to allow the full opportunity for the next event. |
FINAL MOMENTS
While awaiting in this spot, Andrson and Ranga heard the ear-splitting scream of a charging elephant, mingled with the crashing of bamboos and undergrowth before the monster that rushed towards them.
Ranga switched the spotlight. Andersons torch-beam showed an enormous tusker, his trunk curled upwards and, with two white tusks that were crossed at the tip, thundering upon them
At 50 yards range, the bullet took him in the throat. He stopped with the impact, screaming with rage. The explosion, the pain and the lights confirm, and he half-turned into the jungle. KA's second bullet aimed hastily at the temple, struck on the side of the head. He rushed into the jungle sand disappeared in the bamboos as Anderson's third shot struck somewhere in the body. For quite fifteen minutes they could hear heavy crashes in the jungle as the elephant smashing, collapsed and then recovered, to continue his run.
Next day after two miles KA found him, half-kneeling, half-lying against a tree-trunk, and KA honoured him.
A big thanks to Kenneth Anderson who given a perfect story to do a walk back, as he takes us along with him. My journey continued to his next favourite place, Kempakare.
KA has written about Gerhatti forest bungalow and it was wonder ful in winter.is that so.?how is it now?
ReplyDeleteGeraty Forest Bungalow which situated just opposite to the Water pond on the other side of main road is no more.
DeleteI have gone to betta mugilalam,aiyur and ancient...could not proceed further...thanks for your journal....will follow it in my next visit...
ReplyDeleteHave just visited Gerhatty.Kennath was very accurate. Even modern car like mine struggled in the tar winding roads and the steep climbing.
ReplyDeleteAppreciate your efforts to trace the events, places and path written by Kenneth Anderson few decades ago. Rapid changes have taken place in the landscape of India from the year 2000 onwards. You have put satellite maps available on internet and personally gone to those places and click photographs to give your viewers of your blogs total experience and visualisation of events and places. Thank you.
ReplyDelete