Masinagudi

Masinagudi

An exotic locale situated a few kilometers before Ooty, on the Karnataka – Tamil Nadu Border. Masinagudi is a beautiful place on the foothills of Nilgiris just after the Bandipur Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka. The place is lush green, peaceful and adventurous at the same time with a lot of trekking and hiking options available for one and all.

The Mudumalai Sanctuary is as an important wildlife habitat due to its strategic position as a Wildlife corridor between several other protected areas that are a part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. To the north is the Bandipur National Park and Nagarhole National Park. To the west is the Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary and in the south are Mukurthi National Park and Silent Valley National Park. To the east is the Segur plateau which connects to the Sathyamangalam Reserve Forest and Biligirirangan Hills Wildlife Sanctuary.

Natural beauty in the lay of the land is best left as is! Seasons come and go and we continue to let nature work her magic….

History

Until late 18th century, the forests of the sanctuary were under the control of the Nilambar Tirumalapad religious sect (Tirumalapad Kovilagam). In 1927 the area was declared a reserved forest. The park was created in 1940 to become the first wildlife sanctuary in South India.

Atractions

Scenic spots in the sanctuary are the Chief Minister’s Watchtower, the view point at Kargudi, the Ombetta Lake and the Safari Van rides on Sand Road, Circular Road, Manradiar Road, Jayadev Avenue and Bombax Road. The public roads: Kakkanalli – Torapalli road, Teppakkadu – Masanagudi road and Moyar – Masanagudi road are also rewarding places to see wild life in the Sanctuary.

Moyar River running through the dense forest is a good place to see animals when they come to drink water from the river

Moyar River Gorge, also called the Moyar Canyon, is a dramatic 20 km (12 mi) long gorge dug out by Moyar River, which plunges into the gorge below Theppakadu in a roaring water-fall popularly known as Moyar falls.

India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO) is a proposed particle physics research project to primarily study atmospheric neutrinos in a 1,300 meters (4,265 ft) deep cave under Ino Peak near Thevaram, Tamil Nadu, India. This project is notable in that it is anticipated to provide a precise of measurement of neutrino mixing parameters. The project is a multi-institute collaboration and one of the biggest experimental particle physics projects undertaken in India.

The location of the site is Singara 11°32′N 76°36′E 5.5 kilometers (3 mi) southwest of Masinagudi in the Nilgiri Hills of South India. The INO will tunnel 2.4 kilometers (1.49 mi) into the 2,207 meters (7,241 ft) Ino Peak to house the project. The entrance to the tunnel is next to the entrance to the Pykara Ultimate Stage Hyrdo Electric Project tunnel. It will be located 1,300 meters (4,265 ft) under the mountain. There are three airports (two international) located at Bangalore, Coimbatore and Calicut within a few hours of driving distance. Situated in the southern peninsular shield, the rock is extremely dense, and offers a good tunnelling medium for the creation of an underground facility.

WE…….

On Saturday afternoon12 of us embarked on a journey to Masinagudi. Little did we know that our fun trip would turn out to be an experience of a lifetime. The crowded Bangalore roads gave way to the fine Mysore road towards Bandipur National Park.  The polluted air of the city was suddenly replaced by fresh clean air of the hills. The transformation was reliving and refreshing.

We had hardly stopped anywhere in between. We had to rush because it was race against time. We had to reach before 9pm the check post of Bandipur, because it closes at 9pm and opens next day early morning 6:30am. If we would have been late then we had to spend the night in the forest. The ride inside the dense forest was adventurous& thrilling.

Around 9:30pm we reached Glen View Resort (Any other resort would have been better choice because it didn’t have a good ambience though its food was good and the staff members were cooperative). The surrounding of the resort was full of Bamboo bushes, it seemed as if we are in the middle of the forest. The feel was too good. After keeping our luggage in our respective rooms, we headed for a campfire arranged by the resort guys for us. The campfire gave a feeling as if we are not staying in a resort, but camping in the forest itself. We had a gala time with full on Masti, drinks, snacks, dance and a peek outside the fencing of the resort to explore if there are any elephants. SEE HOW WACKO WE ARE. WE CAN BE CALLED THE BUNCH OF WACKOS.

Morning had never looked as beautiful as it looked in Masinagudi. For a change we woke up to the chirping of the birds instead of the shrill of car horns or shrill of doorbells. In the morning some of us went for a small morning walk to feel the fresh air and the quite atmosphere. After breakfast we all headed for a small trek. The trek in the area around the resort was the best activity to get involved in. There were a number of water falls and streams around the resort where one could trek. We bathed in the waterfalls, stood underneath the falls and felt the full pressure of water on our backs (WOW IT WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD FEELING). Every step we took brought us closer to nature. The beauty of the Blue Mountains was spell-binding. We could see hill tops covered with fog and clouds. The SUPERB VIEW was captured in our cameras and our minds. There was something special in everything attached to the place. Be it the plants, the wild flowers, or the hill, each of the elements was in perfect harmony making the entire place a feast for the eye.

Late afternoon we were back in the resort. We had our lunch and checked out of the resort. Taking wonderful memories and a heart full of togetherness back to the usual daily life in Bangalore. The simplicity, warmth and the ambience of the place was so overwhelming that it took away all our pain and filled us with a sense of joy and peace. We realized we were smiling to ourselves.

Our one night stay in the lap of Mother Nature brought us closer to our roots and helped us rekindle the flame of life which seemed to have gone dim in the hectic city life that we dwelled in each day. We realized we didn’t need to die to see heaven; as we had just witnessed it with open eyes. And without making a mistake we captured each frame of it in our camera. Needless to say each snap was “Picture Perfect” just like the place.