Nallamala beckons nature lovers

Giddalur: The Nallamala forest area is mostly hilly, with altitudes ranging from 100 m to 1,000 m. As part of the Eastern Ghats, the western hills of the sanctuary provide rich experiences for nature lovers, especially those who love trekking.

Thanks to incessant rains over the past few days in the area, the Nallamala forest has got a natural makeover. With lush green hills helping the formation of milky white waterfalls, nature lovers are trekking into the woods to visit Ranganayaka Swami temple at Nemaligundla as well as the Bhairaveswara and Sarvamangala temples at Papulaveedu in the forest.

The Nemaligundla Ranganayaka Temple, located 7 km from JP Cheruvu, is a major attraction for tourists on the Giddalur to Nandhyala highway. People who come here get to see dusky clouds through green trees amid the sky-high hills. The waterfalls, cascading down rocks, fills lakes and passes through Ramanna Kathuva, Chinaganipalle, Chillaveedu, Akaveedu, Tudimella, feeding tanks in the villages before reaching the Cumbum tank -- the second largest tank in Asia.

The Bhairaveswara and Sarvamangala temples at the Papulaveedu aka Papiledu, about 8 km from Giddalur. The age-old Koneru in the temple has been a tourist draw for decades. After paying a visit to the nearby Adilakshmi temple and the Lakshmamma vanam, people forget themselves in the sylvan surroundings, marked by high tamarind trees, bamboo bushes and flowering trees.

Witnessing the long railway track and the curvy roadway passing through the Nallamala is a great experience for people visiting the forest. Those lucky can get glimpses of wild animals like wild dog, pangolin, spotted deer, sambar, mouse deer, black buck, chinkara, chowsinga, porcupine, mugger crocodile, python, cobra, peafowl.

Besides, they bask in nature’s glory underneath trees like axle wood, vodisa, cluster leaf, Malabar kino, Indian black wood, Indian olibanum, teak, coral tree and Persian silk tree, which spreads an aroma of wilderness.

Birds like white-shouldered kite, golden oriole, flame-backed woodpecker, yellow-vented bulbul, red- vented bulbul, emerald dove, cuckoo, grey hornbill, paradise flycatcher, humming bird, green bee-eater, Indian roller, kingfisher, crimson sunbird, peacock, rose-ringed parakeet and crested serpent eagle are always there to give tourists a surprise.

By Naresh Nandam & PY Khan