Agastya Mala

About

Agasthyamala (or Agasthyarkoodam) is one of the peaks of the Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve in the Western Ghats that lies between the districts of Tirunelveli District of Tamil Nadu and Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala, India. This peak is specifically located in the Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala, near the Tamil Nadu border. It is 1,868-metres (6,129 ft) tall.. The perennial Thamirabarani River originates from the eastern side of the range and flows into the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. The rivers flowing westwards through the district of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala are the Karamana River and the Neyyar river. Agasthyarkoodam is a major trekking spot in the southern end of the Western Ghats. It is also considered as a pilgrimage spot for devotees of the Hindu sage Agastya, who is considered to be one of the seven rishis (Saptarishi) of Hindu Puranas. In Tamil traditions, Agastya is considered as the father of the Tamil language and the compiler of the first Tamil grammar called Agattiyam or Akattiyam. There is a small stone statue of sage Agastya at the top of the peak where one can offer flowers as offerings to the mystical sage considered as a “Chiranjeevi” which means immortal. Agasthyamala Biosphere Reserve is among 20 new sites added by UNESCO to its World Network of Biosphere Reserves in March 2016. The International Co-ordinating Council added the new sites during a two-day meeting on 19 March 2016 in Lima, bringing the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 sites in 120 countries, including 16 transboundary sites. The biosphere reserve includes close to 300 rare bird species and more than 200 medicinal plants endemic to this region.

Named after the sage Agastya, the official Survey of India name for the mountain is Agastya Malai (Malayalam: അഗസ്ത്യമല, lit. Mount Agastya). The mountain is also known as Agasthyarkoodam (Malayalam: അഗസ്ത്യാർകൂടം , lit. the abode of Agastya) and Agastya Malai (Tamil: அகத்தியமலை, lit. Agastya Hill).

Agasthyamala is 32 km from Neyyar Dam and 22 km from Bonacaud, near Vithura & Ponmudi. The major city and airport nearest to Agasthyarkoodam is Thiruvananthapuram and its Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, around 61 km away. The nearest railway stations are Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and Ambasamudram, Tirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu. The trekking path, nearly 22 km, is from Bonacaud. Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve is part of the Agasthyarkoodam range. Part of the peak can be seen from the Upper Kodayar region.

Other major rivers which originate from the mountain are the Karamana River, which flows through the Thiruvananthapuram district and is the major source of drinking water to the city, and the Neyyar River (also in the Thiruvananthapuram district).

The peak of Agasthyarkoodam can be reached only by trekking up to it. Trekking is allowed based on strict guidelines and is open to pilgrims during January to mid-March. Trekking passes are issued by Kerala Forest Department from the district office at Trivandrum. The trekking route starts from Bonacaud. The route "Neyyar-Agasthyakoodam" is not open to the public. Vehicles reach only till Bonacaud which is around 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram. The trek to the peak is 20 km long from Bonacaud and requires two days. The first part of the trek can be started from the Bonacaud Picket Station in the early morning and is 14 km through the forest to the Athirumala base camp. Elephants and wild bulls are in abundance in this part, especially in the evenings. The final stretch, an arduous 6KM trek, begins from the camp on the second day. The second leg of the journey from Athirumala base camp to the peak is more difficult and requires one to scale about 3600ft. The trail crosses the state border into Tamil Nadu and leads to the summit of Agasthyarkoodam.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.