Stairway to heaven

Believed to be camping shelters of the Neolithic community, the petroglyphs in Edakkal caves are a testament to the culture of those who lived in the caves years ago, writes Sudha Balachandran

When we visited Wayanad in God’s Own Country, Kerala, we were absolutely taken in by the greenery — lush growth of trees and shrubs all around us. Green is certainly a soothing colour and Wayanad has plenty of it.

We stayed in the Kalpetta region and visited popular spots like the Kuruva Island, an uninhabited island on the backwaters of River Kabini, the beautiful Thirunelli Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, is surrounded by green hills on all sides, and the Matunga Forest Reserve — home to many wild animals like tigers, leopards, elephants, bison, deer and other fauna. Next on our itinerary was the Edakkal Caves, about 25 km from Kalpetta. Our curiosity was piqued thanks to Putanna Kanagal’s Kannada movie Edakallu Guddada Mele (meaning, atop the Edakkal Caves) that was filmed here. We were certainly not disappointed.

We started our climb. Initially, it was just walking up a slope with lovely greenery — coffee plants, pepper vines growing on tall trees — dotting both sides of the path. But then the gradient increased and our leg muscles could actually feel the climb. We clambered up a series of several rocky steps that seemed to go on and on, sometimes turning left, sometimes going up straight and suddenly careening to the right. We were actually climbing up the side of Ambukuthi Hill and certainly, this was no cakewalk! As we climbed, the view of the craggy rock surface jutting out here and there amid the lush green growth was a beautiful sight. The Led Zeppelin song, Stairway to Heaven, came to our minds. Indeed, this being a part of the Western Ghats, it is absolutely picturesque.

We puffed and panted our way up, and after several minutes of intense climbing, holding the staircase railing for support, we thankfully reached the top and walked through the mouth of the cave. We were dumbstruck by the sheer size of the inside of the cave. It appeared as though two steep rocks are actually holding up their hands and reaching out to each other. And where their hands did not actually meet, we saw sunlight filtering in and partially lighting up the cave. The cave is nearly 29m tall. It was formed by a cleft or shift in the huge rock structure. One piece of the rock moved away slightly from the main body causing a fissure or opening. A big stone lodged between the opening and hence got the name Edakkal — meaning rock in between in Malayalam.

Inside, some parts of the huge walls are covered with intricate drawings and patterns. It is believed that some of these drawings are indications of an ancient settlement (pre-historic) who lived in the rocky shelter. These pictorial rock carvings and paintings are certainly remarkable — considering the time when they were done, with bare hands and no proper tools! The petroglyphs found on these walls are a huge attraction, both to visitors and historians. Several boulders lay strewn inside — clearly, these had fallen off the main rock structure when the fissure was created. We saw several visitors taking pictures atop these rocks, their hands forming the victory sign — like warriors who have conquered the climb! A trek to the caves combined so many aspects — a place of historic significance with beautiful pictorial paintings, a slightly arduous but certainly fun climb, a natural wonder set amidst greenery — it fulfilled our desire for adventure!