Past the small dusty towns of Chamarajanagar, and under the blazing sun I stopped by a few waterbodies, before speeding my way into the lush greens of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. A couple of forest check points later I was in Gopinatham, a tiny hamlet near Hoganekkal Waterfalls, and within the fringes of the sanctuary.
The secluded village of Gopinatham along the borders of
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu has been away from the limelight for almost 20 years
after the death of Koose Munusamy Veerappan. Now, that name might strike a chord, as
Veerappan was one of the most notorious bandits who ruled these forests of
Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and was born in the village of Gopinatham. Though his
notoriety and name linger over the village and the surroundings, life has moved
on for the people here.
My intent of visiting Gopinatham wasn’t to delve into the stories of this place, but instead explore Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Jungle Lodges and Resorts owns a wonderful property here, Gopinatham Mystery Trails, which gives you the access to explore the wildlife and nature trails bordering Gopinatham. Nestled next to a sprawling waterbody, the property has rooms which are large tents built in the shape of domes, giving it a feel of camping in the wild.
After a yummy lunch I strolled through the premises of the
property and along the fringes of the waterbody. It was all calm until one of
the workers hollered that there are elephants on the other bank of the
waterbody, and all guests ran to catch a glimpse of the same. A mother and a
baby elephant were happily enjoying their afternoon drink. With zoomed in lenses and
binoculars, we gazed at the pachyderms while they peacefully quenched their
thirst. As they trudged their way back into the woods, I changed the angle of
my camera to capture some cormorants, storks and egrets. Peacefully perched on
protruding wooden stumps, they darted off directionless and randomly came back
to the same stump. As most of the birds wandered off, I noticed the beautiful
frame of lush green hills juxtaposed in the backdrop. It slowly dawned upon me
that I was indeed in the middle of a forest.
A hot cup of coffee later, went on jeep safari with other
guests into the wilderness of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary. Muddy red pathway
meandered its way through the greenery, and the jeep left a puff of dust as we
rolled deeper into the forest. We waded past a couple of streams and then
paused at the memorial of the IFS officer P. Srinivas, who was assassinated by the
dacoits of this region in early 1990s. Further ahead, we slowed down multiple times to spot many
species of birds such as Indian Roller, Serpent Eagle, Lapwings, peacocks and
many others. As we kept gazing at the branches of the trees in search of more
birds, the vehicle suddenly halted, as ahead of us lay an exhausted and weak wild boar making its
way across the road. A little later, the jeep braked again as there was a
tusker behind the trees. With bated breath we waited for that moment for the
pachyderm to turn up from the woods, but unluckily despite the long wait it didn't, and instead disappeared further into the thicket. We rumbled on
the muddy pathway as the sun set, and along the way we also startled a family of gaurs, including a
calf that kept staring at us for long.
Next day the naturalist knocked on my door at 6 AM, and we
were out in the woods shortly going past the fringes of the lake, and into the
wilderness of Gopinatham. The unclear path led us up the adjacent hill, which
was scattered with boulders, and where trails abruptly ended in the middle of nowhere.
As we neared the top of the hill, the naturalist was quick to point out the
call of a few monkeys, which conveyed there could be a possibility of sighting
some wildlife. Since it also didn’t feel too safe loitering around with those
alarm calls, we trudged down another trail. Further ahead, the beautiful frames of the panoramic
views of the village of Gopinatham and the lake showed up
on our way back to the breakfast table.
As I headed out of Gopinatham, stopped by at a small shrine, and the traditions and their culture was quite evident with quintessential customs followed at any Hindu temple. The village has moved on from what it was notoriously famous for until a few decades ago, with schools, houses, temples and the modernity slowly wrapping it and taking it forward to help it merge with the outside world.
How to reach Gopinatham:
The nearest major town is Kollegala, 105 kms away. The nearest airprot is at Mysore, 168 kms away, and the closest major railway station is at Salem, 95 kms away. It is recommended to visit Gopinatham in a private vehicle as the public services are not frequent.
Food and Accommodation:
Gopinatham Mystery Trails owned by Jungle Lodges and Resorts (a Govt. of Karnataka promoted enterprise) is the only accommodation option in Gopinatham. The package includes stay, meals and activities such as jeep safari and nature walk.
