Velliangiri Mountains - An insidious and insightful trek

                                               

   This is an amateur attempt to compile my accounts with the sacred and holy vellaingiri hills. The events seem to be more of based on the concept "synchronocity". It all started when I planned to explore the city of Coimbatore during my internship days, so as a typical googler found few places to visit. The search started with the abode of the son of my lord Mahadeva, Subramanya in Marudamalai hills. After the visit to Marudamalai hills, It was just around noon and I felt why should I waste rest of the day in my stupid dorm. I asked my friend of his willingness, he half-heartedly said 'yes' and we started off to the Isha foundation located at the foothills of Vellianigiri.We were completely ignorant of what Vellianigiri is and Isha foundation.
                                                              I have this sense of observing things very keenly while travelling. I just noticed a road diverting left to the road leading to Isha foundation and it denoted "velliangiri andavar temple" in tamil and was having an idea to visit the temple if at all I have few hours before leaving to dorm. After roaming around inside Isha foundation, it was almost time for the last bus from Isha to Gandhipuram, so dropped off the plan to velliangiri andavar temple and went back to dorm.
                                      The next day, it was sunday and just remembered my friend studying in coimbatore, to whom I rang up to ask if he can join us to kovai kutralam falls. He had no other options other than joining us and he arranged for bikes which made the travel comfortable. Firstly, we went to the falls and had a bath afterwhich my friend insisted on visiting Isha because he had never been there before though he was staying in coimbatore for the past 3 years. I agreed to his plead as my wish to visit the velliangiri andavar temple would be fulfilled now. I told him that we shall visit the temple first and rode our bikes to the road leading to it. So as a normal temple visit, went around all the shrines, had darshan of the deities and we were preparing ourselves to leave the temple. My friend took notice of steps behind the temple leading to somehwere and there were no one to enquire about, thus making us to step in, to explore what it is. This is the moment which almost gave a few hundreds in my friend's circle an extraordinary experience to cherish in their life. After climbing few hundred steps, we just noticed a man gazing at the trees all around . He was puzzled on seeing us climbing up empty handed (waterbottles and snacks need to be taken as there is no supply of water and food in the hills) and enquired about us. He laughed at our ignorance about the hills and went about explaining that this path leads to velliangiri andavar shrine which is 7 hills far way and need to trek day and night to reach there which almost frightened us to the core. But then the man was saying it is all the lord's will that you came all the way from somewhere to know about the hills and should definitely visit it keeping apart the treachearous journey.

Man gazing at the trees and my friend in shock

Also I have this habit of visiting holy places without fail even if one thought arises about visiting that place, which you would agree on my upcoming posts. I started searching day in and day out about the trek and was almost in a shock, the whole week. I decided to visit by next weekend and was calling each and everyone in my contacts list who could possibly turn up for the trek. All my attempts went in vain. Finally one of  my school friend came up with yes for the trek for he doesnt know what the trek is all about. He made it to the temple foothills in the evening of the day we planned to trek. I was few hours late and the plan by then was trekking the hills with my friend alone. I was in a shocked, confused and bizzare state chanting 'Om namah shivaya'  until reaching the foothills. Meanwhile my friend gathered up a random group of seven and pleaded them to wait until I reach the foothills. I reached by 10 P.M. to the foothills, took up the trekking stick which my friend bought for me, clicked few photographs and started the trek which turned out to be one unforgettable experience of my life. The nature of the trek can always be googled and found out in  number of blogs. This is one experience of its kind wherein one is put through physical penance which can be driven by mental strength. Personally this trek taught me how hard I can push myself physically and mentally. Trekking through various terrains and rocks with the chanting in the background, I almost felt something beyond this 5 feet 8 inches body is pumping up all the way throughout this trek.We were the only 9 people in the whole of mountains in the utter darkness. On reaching the 6th hill, there comes an ice cold pond and to describe it in a detailed way, surrounded by forest in the shiny moonlight, a stagnant still pond been filled up by the droplets rolling down the hills in its prisitine form. There was only one guy in that random group who knew about the pond and was asking us to take bath in it. It was 3 A.M. in the morning and I thought how crazy it would be to take bath in an ice cold pond in the mid of the forest without having a pair of dresses to change. But then an experience which i dont want to miss, jumped into the pond afterwhich my heart almost stopped. Heart throbbing experience to be precise. After the bath, filled my forehead with the sacred ash, started the trek with the determination to have darshan of velliangiri andavar. The 7th hill is the most difficult part of trek wherein i almost went up with 4 limbs. The weather was bad hitting us with rain . Finally we reached the top and had darshan and my fellow trekkers went to sleep while i stayed awake gazing at the the shiva linga and the fog emerging out as if some god is gonna flash as shown in cinemas. After few hours, we trekked down with the fulfillment in heart, tiredness in the body and mind full of memories.
                                                             Almost after an year, when I was having a random discussion with my professor, suddenly came up this topic of velliangiri hills and we were sharing our experiences. A few of my classmates who heard this were eager about the hills and showed interest in trekking the hills. I managed to gather a group of 5 including me, may be the destined ones and we fixed a date. The kind of bonding I felt with this group after the trek is undescribable. Started our journey by shatabdi train from trichy to coimbatore and reached the foothills by an auto. Filled with insecurity and the responsibility of 4 other lives, I was panicked by the trek to undergo. To add fuel to the fire, the auto driver was scaring us further with the possible animal encounters. But then I was calming down the group as in I didnt see any in the previous trek. The only hope the group had was my previous experience.We reached the foothills. My memories flashed back and i was trying to find out the trekking sticks but then i could not find any. So we prepared ourselves to start the trek with a conch blow, damroo beats and ashes on our foreheads determined to finish the trek at any cost.

 I was literally bluffing my friends that we have reached so and so milestones to push them up as I knew it's almost near to impossible for the first time trekkers. We went on and on with one of my friend shouting " Hara Hara Mahadev" now and then which pumped our energy levels to the peak. We took frequent breaks and photoshoots and trekked gradually unlike my first trek. We almost went to a disoriented state of mind but all that could bind was the determination to reach the top. I sensed that we were nearing the pond and was able to hear the movement of the water. We all jumped into the pond after which we shouted " Hara Hara Mahadev" the memory of which is deeply burried down into the muscles, a very strong memory of my life which I am sure I could recollect even after many lives . An intense experience it was.We didnt realise that we spent almost an hour in the pond. Started the trek again and I was scaring my friends that the whole struggle starts here from the 7th hill. We managed to climb up the 7th hill and reached the shrine. After a brief darshan and few photoclicks, I witnessed my first ever sunrise which opened a new dimension to my life. The scene is beyond my verbal description and one has to witness it for himself to feel it.

         After this incident , I witnessed 5 sunrises in 5 different places which gave deep revelations in my life and I hope to witness more and practise as a meditation technique. I felt the downtrek is still more alive than trekking up. I didnt take a break and just jumped down the rocks focussing very strongly on the next step to take. I never witnessed my mind to be this much focussed in my life ever before. The second trek gave me alltogether different experiences from the first one.We posted photos in facebook and a friend of mine wrote a note which inspired lot of people from my batch to take up the trek and it almost turned out to be a trend to visit velliangiri. Hope it continues with the next batch too.
                                                                     The third encounter I had was the fastest trek in which I realised I have become in tune with the mountains and could trek swiflty up and down . I didnt feel bored though I came here again after a month's break. My body rejuvanates whenever I trek the velliangiri hills. I came down in 2 hours which I felt is a remarkable achievement in my life. I got confidence over my body and felt blessed to be bestowed with this body. After this third trek, I got the confidence that I can trek the himalayas which I am planning to do so in the near future.
                                                   Velliangiri hills gave a new dimension to my life. I have become a traveller in search of experiences from then on. The initiation to the exploration of life started with this hills. I always feel gratified by the rememberance of these encounters with velliangiri and the group of people with whom I undertook the trek.