Mungilpallam
Mungilpallam (Moongilpallam)
village at 1,080 metres (3,540 ft.), at the headwaters of the Ten Ar, the
third village going up the valley, is a hamlet of just 20 houses of Pulaiyar
people (pop: m-22, f-18), on the north side and above the Kumbaar stream. They
practice some shifting cultivation on their south facing slope. There is a
steep cliff trail from here which leads east to Kumbur village at the end of
the road from Kodaikanal.
There are 24 Muduvan and Paliyan families living there. They were said to have migrated from Manjampatti 200 years ago because of their fear of herds of wild elephants. They originally lived in caves. They eat wild roots, maize, fruits from wild plants, honey and bamboo rice. Their limited income comes from selling bamboo products and lemon grass oil, which they spend to buy rice from other villages.
These people are nature worshippers. They do not worship regularly or have a particular place of worship but have a sacred area in their village. They visit this area to celebrate the harvest festival Pongal and the rain (Mari) festival, during which they sacrifice a goat.
They
believe that diseases are manifestations of punishment inflicted by God. Till
recently they only took native medicines. A witch doctor from the community was
summoned for assessment and further treatment of serious illness. If the witch
doctor’s said the patient would die, food and medicines were withdrawn and the
patient kept in a small hut away other until he or she died. In 2005, more than
50% of the children here suffered from severe chronic malnutrition.
Since
1995, a registered Christian charity "Tribal Education and Medicare
Vision" (Team Vision) has assisted the villagers to get identity cards and
ration cards from the Revenue Department and Civil Supplies Department. Also,
corrugated steel sheets were provided for home roofing. 18 new huts were
erected in a new location in 1999.
The
Forest Department helped the villagers lay stones on the tortuous way to the
village. They also erected two solar lamps. A kindergarten school was started
and 20 children were enrolled in 1998. In 2005, 9 children from Mungilpallam
were attending elementary & secondary school in Kodaikanal.
Maangapaarai is
another remote settlement and highly inaccessible because of bison attacks.
