Nilgiris – Western Ghats – Kotagiri
The forests are sacred, it’s where the earth gives birth, there is no better shrine or sanctum than where you feel nature is alive, where you can hear your own breath
We experienced the sacredness of nature while walking in the ancient forests inhabited by the Kota tribes in the Kotagiri hills who pledged their lives to protect the forests because they believe in the divinity of nature.
Temple:
This forest is a living cathedral. This temple dates from more than 1000 years back, it is a vegetative temple offering milk and millet. They still do not use matchsticks for making the fire, they will churr ropes to make fire, than start to lit the lamps – going back to first time –
They celebrate every 2 years.
The ways of the tribal people are mystifying, they are in tune with nature and wilderness.
By walking here one can get a faint feel about the richness of their ancestry. Here is a megalithic site, probably of pre Vedic times, more than 5000BC.
And shapes in the trees remind us that they have long memories and in their own unique ways they express, sculpt what they saw, feel…they reach out branches, bend, carve their faces, their friends…
In these dense forest interspersed with grassland renders a beautiful undulated landscape.
Here and there the powerful bizons who graze gracefully, and almost ‘seemed’ tamed…
The sound of rare birds, crickets and giant squirrels intensifies the being in the now…
And here Satprem lived and rests now… making a way through the inner jungles touching deep down guided by the diamond light.
An hour further down we find the same sacredness with painted sacred trees, boulders, rock paintings… nature responds to our careful steps, to our offerings.
We heard the trumpeting elephants acknowledging their presence, we saw fresh tiger spoor and bear droppings…how excited to know they are just near us! My heart rejoices knowing they are still around…
The human animal conflict is tough on both sides but as a young friend said ‘who was here first’? Can we remember times of living in harmony from heart to heart in service?
