Iringole kaavu- A temple in the woods

Wanderlust. And a team of wanderers. Women of Appoopanthaadi, from 6 to 60 years of age. All bitten by the travel bug.

We started off to the serene Iringole kaavu early in the morning. A  temple in the woods. Can't believe that such a calm place exists so close to Cochin. The lungs of Perumbavoor. Greenery. Darkness of the woods. Gentle breeze. A chill in the air. Rays of sun peeping through the leaves. Positive vibes spread across 65 acres. And lot of appoopanthaadis (milk weeds) and manjadikkurus(red seeds) all over the place.

There is a belief that the woods belong to  the diety and it should not be removed from the premises, even the fallen ones. The belief helped the creation or rather preservation of a natural forest in the middle of a crowded city. The unwritten rule at Kaavu is that you need to be silent, to enjoy the serenity and the voices of nature.

We walked through the narrow paths among woods listening to the chirping of the birds, wading away the climbers and  without disturbing the  nature. We peeped into the pond which is a home for tortises and the big fishes. We picked up appoopanthaadis and manjadikkurus. After enjoying our 'We-time' in the woods, away from all the noises of the city, we left for the next destination.

*Iringole kaavu-  https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iringole_Kavu