Treading through the sandy country road, we reached Thirichitta Para aka Thirichittoor Rock, the peak near Thannimoodu at Anadu panchayat, Nedumangad. Not a single human being was spotted in the vicinity for a long time until a middle-aged man was seen on his way down the hill. As directed by him, we started climbing the so called ‘steps’. Suddenly, a sound from the top took our attention away. The nimble footed monkeys were having a nice time in the thick tree cover easily and effortlessly. They drove us crazy for a while and were unmindful to our attempts to catch them on camera.
So far, we have not reached half-the-way. Again we had to seek the help of a three-member family whom we met on the way to find the exact route that leads to the top where there is a Hanuman temple. Finally we reached the destination and Gopalakrishna Swamy, the temple priest who lives there in an ‘ashram’ named Jyothipeetam gave us a warm welcome. From him, we came to know about the history of the place and its significance. “It is believed that, this rock was once lifted by Hanuman for ‘Sethubandhanam’. But he left it behind on finding a ‘Shivalingam’ marking the presence of Lord Shiva. Thus, the place got the name ‘thirichittapara’,” he explained. The present Anjaneya Swamy Temple here was established by him 16 years ago on the first day in the month of ‘Chingam’. From then onwards, an annual festival is held on ‘Chingam’ first, and people hailing from various places come here to offer ‘pongala’. A seven-day festival beginning from Ramanavami to Chitrapournami is also celebrated in April.
The presence of various medicinal herbs and trees is yet another noteworthy feature of the hilltop. Gopalakrishna Swamy starts naming them one after the other. Neem, sandalwood, rudraksha tree, athi, ithi, the list goes on. On a small pond, ornamental fish is reared.Keeping our satchel and backpack on the rock, we got ready to see the temple and its premises. Saraswathy Ammal, the temple help alerts us at this point that the mischievous monkey troop may grab them and disappear into the thick vegetation any moment. She also informs us that since the monkeys keep uprooting tapioca plants they have stopped cultivating tuber crops there.
The panoramic view from the top is simply amazing and the sight of wide greenery can captivate any nature lover in quick seconds. Roaming around the place in barefoot we enjoyed nature at its best.