Rocks and Water

Hogenakkal in Tamil Nadu bordering Karnataka is a place where rocks and water interplay to produce a unique symphony of nature.  Water keeps gushing from all around into a lake in which coracles (small round rafts) carrying tourists dance blissfully to the rhythms of the nature’s symphony.  

I visited the place the other day with a group of students.  It was an awesome experience.  The rocks that tower all around you like a mammoth fortress look like a phenomenal sculpture.  Water has created its own unique artwork in those carbonatite rocks.  One can spend hours admiring the beauty of those rocks.  You can admire the waterfalls all around if you prefer.  The place is also described as the Niagara Falls of India because of the number of waterfalls that straddle the rocks. 

I love water.  In fact, it’s quite a love affair that I share with water.  Water embraces you totally.  It engulfs you.  It swallows you.  But love affairs are private and I didn’t jump into the waters of Hogenakkal precisely for that reason.  Moreover, I was put off quite much by the waste thrown by tourists into the water in certain places.  With a little effort from the government’s side, the place can be converted into a mesmerising tourist spot. 

Hogenekkal is a rare work of nature’s art.  Rocks and water create a distinctive magic there.

Some pictures from the place: 

Getting ready for the coracle ride

Let's go.

 

Get, Set, Go

 Rocks and Water

Rocks tell stories

Did the carving hurt you, Rock?

Even the coracle man knows when to stop rowing

Carve me too, Waters

Not rocks only

Wow!
Did you notice that little white spot against the greenery?

Have a splash before we wind off