We were a group of 39 people assembled at Iringole Kaavu beating the heat of March.
Iringole Kavu, a sacred grove, is a temple dedicated to Goddess Durga in the midst of forest and is situated just 2.5 km from Perumbavoor in Ernakulam district, in the Indian State of Kerala. Sacred groves are known as 'Kaavu' in Malayalam language.
We assembled near to the Kavu at around 9'o clock. The breakfast was already arranged by the coordinators. After breakfast , we started the walk along with two biologists. There are three entrances and a small pathway through the forest to reach the temple. We spotted various butterflies, birds and orchides in the Kaavu. Cottonia peduncularis, Artocarpus hirsutus were few that we spotted during our walk. The information provided by the biologists was really helpful to understand the multiple flora and fauna in the the forest.
We split into five groups and each group collected plastics and bottles, left behind by other visitors / tourists , in a polythene bag. This was our small attempt to help create an eco-friendly environment and preserve nature .
It was around 1'o clock , when we reached the Durga temple. By that time the temple was closed. The temple is surrounded by 50 acres of thick forest. There are many ponds in the area. The 'theerthakulam' or temple pond here is lush throughout the year.
We had a traditional Sadya in platain leaf in the Oottupura located near to the temple. After lunch , we had a workshop to make paper pen from waste paper and at the bottom of each pen a seed of a tree was placed that would eventually grow into trees. The seeds were collected from the forest around the Kaavu.
It was time for some entertainments. We sat on the steps infront of the temple. We had a wonderful time for group activities by singing songs. The theme of the song was Vanchipattu. It was already 4'0 clock and some of our group members were coming from distant places and we decided to bid goodbye.
Next day I returned back to the Kavu with my wife. Had darshan and took prasadam. They offer Jaggery( Sarkara in Malayalam language) as prasadam. Had sometme near the pond reminiscing last day events.
Then we moved towards the car looking for any given opportunity to return back to Iringole Kaavu.
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