PICHAVARAM
Introduction
Pichavaram the second largest Mangrove forest in the world, near the temple town
of Chidambaram, is one of the unique Eco-tourism spots in South India. The
backwaters, inter connected by the Vellar and Coleroon river systems, offer
abundant scope for water sports, rowing, Kayak and canoeing.
Ø
Boat ride witnessing the Irula Tribes catching
prawns and Crabs.
Ø
Enjoying Folk and traditional instrumental music
performances on a "Floating stage "from boats.
Ø
Night dinner (Sea food festival).
Ø
Viewing 'sun rise' in the back ground of South
Indian instrumental music and yoga demonstration.
Ø
Early morning Bird watch and Boating through the
mangroves
Dawn fest offers a unique experience to
international and domestic tourists at very nominal. This rare Eco-Tourism
event also offers an opportunity to written the devastation of Tsunami and the
spectacular recovery. We look forward to receiving the international and
domestic guests for this greatest Eco-Tourism-Cum Ethnic event in South India.
This information may kindly be paned on to the international and domestic
tourists so that they have a chance to enjoy “Dawn Fest" which is nothing
but a real feast to their eyes and ears.
Activities to Do
There are just two things to do in Pichavaram —
drift along the waterways in a boat and take photographs. The forest officer on
duty will say that you can't take pictures, but no one really seems to pay
attention to him.
Pichavaram is known for its unique mangrove
ecosystem, found in areas such as the Sunder bans in West Bengal and in
Australia. The mangroves are trees rooted in a few feet of water and the whole
area stretches to over 3,000 acres comprising more than 1,700 islets. A
two-hour boat ride (Rs.125 per hour) through the forest is both soothing and
exciting.
The boat meanders through overhanging branches and
dark channels. The waterways are fascinating — one can see egrets, spiders,
terns and other creatures that would require a pocket encyclopedia for
identification. The boatman assures you that the mangroves are home to water
snakes, water dogs, foxes, turtles, crustaceans, waterfowl and more — a
naturalist's dream come true.
Amateur photographers would also freak out on the
overhanging trees, the birds and creatures and scenic beauty of the place. For
the ordinary mortal though, after a couple of hours of floating along
tranquilly, there is nothing much to do after finishing one roll of film,
peering into all the channels at the delicately large spider webs, identifying
the few birds you know and marveling at the rest and looking around hopefully
for snakes.
The boatman also tells stories of fascinating boat
chases and "cinema scenes" that have been shot along the waterways —
the place shot to fame with MGR's "Idayakanni". Since then, Sharath
Kumar has shot there for "Sooryan", Prabhu has been there and
miscellaneous governors, bureaucrats and politicians.
Pichavaram consists of a number of islands
interspersing a vast expanse of water and covered with green trees. The area is
about 2800 acres and is separated from the sea by a sand bar, which is a patch
of extraordinary loveliness. To a botanist, rare species like Avicennia and
Rhizophora will present a special attraction; to a zoologist, no doubt, the
sight of numerous birds like Water snipes, Cormorants, Egrets, Storks, Herons,
Spoonbills and Pelicans holds great interest.
TTDC offers boating facilities to the visiting
tourists. Pichavaram can be visited at any time of the year.
It is better to avoid this place during summer. Best time to visit is
after Monsoon.
Location: 16-km from Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu
Water Sports: Boating, Rowing, Kayak & Canoeing
My Experience
My experience about this spot, I heard about this
spot from my friends and I went there on a Saturday. From Pondicherry some 7 of
our friends went to pichavaram in bikes. Reached Chidambaram at 7 am and
reached pichavaram by 8 am this one hr we spent in photo sessions on the way to
pichavaram.
About a stone’s throw away are the mangrove swamps
of Pichavaram, great for boating, mangrove watching, bird watching, with a
picturesque island thrown in. Another world Pichavaram is all green and blue
and white as we set off in the boat.
Ahead are the mangroves in shades of emerald,
reflected in blue water against an even blue sky. On the sand bar, thousands of
gulls in a long stretch of white glint silver against the sun as they take off
en masse.
We slow down as we enter a narrow creek, with
aerial roots brushing us lightly as we drift by. A lone egret feeds in the
shallows. It’s another world out here, where the tidal backwaters mix with
fresh river water from the Velar and the Coleroon to create a unique estuarine
ecosystem and some of the most amazing and adaptable life forms.
Most amazing is the mangrove plant itself, growing
in a few feet of shallow water, yet able to withstand the constant ebb and flow
of tidal water with the aid of its aerial roots that also enable it to absorb
oxygen from the air. One of the earliest eco-systems of the world, mangroves
fascinate wherever they occur.
Of around eighty species worldwide, Pichavaram is
home to 14 species, chief among them being Avicennia and Rhizophoro. The Pichavaram
swamps are one of the healthiest occurrences in the world, and act as a nursery
for a variety of finfish and shell fish. They also effectively demonstrated
their role as a bio-shield in the recent Indian Ocean Tsunami; there was no
loss of life in communities living next to the mangroves.
As the sun climbs higher, it’s time to get back to
terra firma. The Chinnavaikal island has shady coconut groves where you can
relax, eat a picnic lunch (no foil or plastic, please), and watch the gulls
squabble as they roost on the mangroves in the evening. Or spend the day with
the enthusiastic people of Killai town panchayat, who are proud to show the
world the stuff they are made of, as resilient as the mangrove that is so much
part of their lives.
If you're looking for a semi-Amazonian experience
to liven up a weekend on a budget of Rs. 3,000, try Pichavaram. The road from
Chennai to Chidambaram is fairly smooth and the driving is easy except for the
out of control buses and pedestrians that treat the road as an extension of
their backyard. It takes about four-and-a-half hours to reach the outskirts of
Chidambaram. A turn-off to the left leads to the 16-km. stretch that takes you
to Pichavaram. At this point, the State Government decides to take revenge for
the 240-odd km of smooth road — the track to Pichavaram is a lot of stones and
potholes held together with bits of tar. If you love your little car very much,
park it safely at the hotel in Chidambaram and take the bus, which runs every
hour.
There's no place to stay at present, but there
would hardly be reason to stay overnight at Pichavaram unless one wants to
study the mangroves extensively or try to commune with nature. The TTDC
guesthouse on one of the many islands is closed for renovation, when open rooms
are available for Rs. 200 a night.
At present one has to stay at Chidambaram and take
the well-beaten road to Pichavaram — which actually has a rope strung across it
for a toll-gate, with a boy collecting Rs. 15 for "road upkeep." The
road by itself is interesting — the water laps against the road in places, boys
dive off an ancient barrage, actor Senthil endorses fertilizer from the walls
of a ramshackle post office and statues of politicians painted gold stand at
every other corner.
Connectivity
Pichavaram is located at a distance of 16-km from
Chidambaram and 75-km to the south from Pondicherry. It ranks among the most
exquisite scenic spot with abundant and varied tourism resources. The
backwaters, which are interconnected by the Vallar and Coleroon system, offer
abundant scope for water sports - rowing, kayaking and canoeing.
Frequent Buses are plying from Chidambaram &
Chidambaram is well connected to rest of the state by bus.
Air: The nearest airport is at Trichy (168-km)
Rail: The nearest railway station is at Chidambaram,
which is on the Chennai Thiruchirappalli main line, between Villuppuram and
Thanjavur and is well connected by rail with Trichy, Madurai, Chennai, etc.
Road: Bus routes connect Chidambaram to various places
in Tamil Nadu like Thanjavur, Madurai, Chennai, Thanjavur, Kumbakonam,
Nagapattinam, etc & Pondicherry also. From Chidambaram there are regular
buses to Pichavaram.
General Information:
- Getting there:
Pichavaram is 16km from Chidambaram and best accessed by road.
- Accommodation:
Arignar Anna Tourism Complex, Pichavaram, Rs.250 per room. Ph:
04144-249536/249232. Or hotels in Chidambaram with rooms at Rs.390
upwards.
- Contact:
Tourism office Chidambaram: 04144-238739. Row boats are available at Rs.30
per head per hour, and can take up to five per boat.
- Don’t miss:
The Nataraja temple at Chidambaram. Also interesting is the historical
Porto Nova at Devapattinam, three km from Cuddalore.
· TTDC’s Arignar Anna Tourist Complexes houses, cottages and a restaurant
catering to the needs of tourists. Bus, Auto-rickshaw, taxi, available Ph:
89232 (Killai Exchange)
Hotel List:
No Good Hotels are available in Pichavaram. At present, people have to stay in Chidambaram or Cuddalore and take the well-beaten road to Pichavaram. Here I have listed out the List of
Hotels in Chidambaram & Cuddalore along with its contact details for your easy reference.
Chidambaram
Hotels:
Cuddalore
Hotels:
http://tamilnadu-favtourism.blogspot.com/2015/09/cuddalore-hotels-list.html
Boating Charges:
ROW
BOAT
|
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NO.
OF PERSONS
|
DISTANCE
(KMS)
|
BOAT
HIRING CHARGES (RS)
|
DURATION
(HR)
|
|||
2
|
1
|
160
|
1
HR
|
|||
4
|
1
|
240
|
1
HR
|
|||
5
|
1
|
275
|
1
HR
|
|||
2
|
2
|
320
|
2
HR
|
|||
4
|
2
|
480
|
2
HR
|
|||
5
|
2
|
650
|
2
HR
|
|||
MOTOR
BOAT
|
||||||
8
|
2
|
1100
|
40
MIN
|
|||
8
|
3
|
1500
|
1
HR
|
|||
FOREST
AREA & BEACH
|
||||||
5
|
6
|
1100
|
4
HR
|
|||
Inclusive of
Rest at Beach for 1 Hr
|
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8
|
6
|
2300
|
2
HR
|
|||
Inclusive of
Rest at Beach for 30 Min
|
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*Forest
Entry Fees & Camera Fee Extra
|
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Working
Hours: 8 AM to 5.00 PM
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