A surprisingly scenic train
journey from Cherukara, a small sleepy town about 20km from Shoranur, Palghat
where I was housed took us to Nilambur. A sleepy town housed among the clouds
atop a rather normal looking town. Little can we tell by looks of the town that
it housed one of the natural wonders of the world and it would never cross your
mind even once that this is the city whose woods furnish the regal halls of the
Buckingham Palace. The railway station is beautiful in its own respect, the
woods, the people they are different unlike our concrete jungles. But one thing
I mush stress that I cannot tell of any particular time that will be just
perfect to visit Nilambur, every season has its own small advantages and the
bitter misses, but I can tell you this from experience , never visit Nilambur
on a Monday.
There are three magnificent
places that are worth seeing in Nilambur, The only Teak museum in India; the
first of its kind in India, Cannoli Plot which
is home to the teak that furnished the Buckingham Palace, The Addiyanpara
waterfalls. On Monday the first two of the lot does not open, so not on a
Monday as I said earlier.
The Teak Museum
The Tree shaped direction boards along
the sides of the road is sure to take you to the right place, However if you
could arrange yourself a taxi for the whole day its sure to lift the luggage of
your back and you could finish off Nilambur in a day and move on and just one
more thing, please don’t may more than Rs. 4000 for a day. The teak museum is
the oldest of its kind in the world and the only one of its kind in India. The
Teak museum houses a spectacular Teak Trump that greats the visitors to the
mystery that shrouds the majestic tree called Teak. There are many answers to
the many questions about teak that you might ever have, this wonderful place
even has about 300 species of butterflies that live among the Teak trees. There
are many exhibits in the museum that speaks volumes about the mysterious plant
and its many property and the historical significance of the place and rich
history that spans over 150 years.
Cannoli Plot
It is an adobe for the nature
enthusiasts in you, Located as a part of the forest departments reserve land,
this place offers a unique and unparalleled view of the worlds oldest teak
plantation, which was established way back in 1840’s. The plantation has the
world’s oldest teak tree and a suspension bridge across the Challiyar River.
The plantation has an 800 meter long scenic path way among the oldest teak trees
in the worlds. The preferred time to visit here is in the evening as there will
be many butterflies.
Addiyanparra Waterfalls
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Unlike the places I mentioned
above I call talk more authoritatively on this place as I actually went here as
I visited Nilambur on a Monday, The place is an exquisite locale located some
10-15km away from the city and is very beautiful. The thing about this place is
you can visit here in two times either during the rainy season when there will
be lot of water in the river and it will be a mammoth phenomenon to watch or
you could view it during the dry season when you could really explore the path
of the river, climb over boulders and play with water as much as you like, I
personally prefer the dry season, there will be lot to do than just watch. The
beauty of this spot is that the stream and the fall can be easily divided into
two, the upper part and the lower part, the upper part consists of boulders and
the shushing stream that passes through its passes and the lower part is mostly
water ponds and everything a fall has to offer. Beware of whirlpools and deep
holes there are a few such holes that can suck you down and drown you. I prefer
you don’t go anywhere near the rapids for a swim. The place is treacherous to
the core.
Accommodation and travel
Reaching Nilambur is easy by air
land and rail, the nearest airport is Karipur International terminal Malapuram,
Buses are frequently available to Nilambur, but the most preferred mode of
transport is the train as it will take you to the core of the city with ease.
Accommodation can be availed in
any of these places, I could not find any better accommodation in Nilambur.
1. Hotel
Mahendrapuri
2. Peeves
Nilambur Manor
3. KTDC
Tamarind
