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Markazhi

Anangan Mala , grand father of the days

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA


Anangan mala or Anangan hills can be taken as a  land form that extends  above the surrounding terrains of Kizhur.Melur, Ambalappara. Kothakkurissi .Chunangad and Ananganadi situated just ten kms away from Ottappalam towards north .Though the land form is called mountain or mala by the local people,we can not  take it as a mountain. Mountain is a large land form that stretches above the surrounding land in a limited area with the form of a peak. It should be steeper than a hill.as per the Oxford dictionary  definition  mountain  should  have more than 600 meters height.When we define a mountain  we should also take into account of mass elevation,volume,steepness,relief,spacing,continuityetc. Anangan mala is 1293 feet high at the peak just above Ananganadi.Authorities  consider eminences above 2000 feet high as mountains. . .however local people have accepted it as a magnificent mountain.

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA


Anangan mala is situated in  the Ambalappara panjayath of Ottappalam taluk .We classify the district in terms of physical features, Anangan mala region falls in the category of Palakkad pass region category of physical feature..As we climb up from the Kizhoor ,we go upward along the rocky mountain trail.,we see the  stuff that greyed over the distant azure sky,the western ghats  the mountaim ranges that  guard  Kerala.

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA


Anangan mala stretching  about 18kms seems to have been detached from western ghats.We can see the black bluish shade of Kalladikodan mala when we go upward along the hill tracks. 30 –40 km wide Palakkad pass breaks the stretch of  western ghats into two. On the northern side, there appears the Nilagiri hills ,and the Kalladikkodan mala .Kalladikkodan mala was a centre were the witch craft flourished in the past.Cheruneeliyamma or Malavarathamma is believed to  dwell upon theKalladikkodan mountains stretching her legs into the sea gazing the west.

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA


Still[that cannot be moved]the word  Anagan mala might be a shortend form of Anangaa mala.The allusion goes back to Ramayana ,where lord Hanuman brings Dhronagiri to enliven lord Lakshmana and lordRama who had fallen into an unconscious state.Mruthasanjjivani, the life rejuvenating  plant was upon this sacred mountain.While crossing this region, part of the mountain fell downand it stuck to the ground of this upper midland..Powerful Hanuman tried his best to take it back,the mountain part remained stationary[anangaa  mala]. Later it might be shortened to call Anangan mala.If you trace the reality behind the myth you reach Hanumanadi of Ambalapara. Some historians take it as  Jain influence  while some consider it as a proof to  substantiate  the myth.

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA


The mountain stretching  500acreas is a real storehouse of precious exceptional herbs.The rain water that comes through the herbs of Anangan mala are stored in the wetlands of Chunangad where Chunangadan rice grows..Chunangadan pazhayari[unboiled rice of chunngad] was the most unique rice variety of kerala which was recognised earlier by the king of Travancore.When the goldenripe rice  fields along the coast of Bharathappuzha at koodallur  starts wavering in the wind people of old generation used to say that if the wind that comes from anganmala reaches the basins of Bharathapuzha in kudallur,  the yield will be maximum there.

ANANGAN MALA

ANANGAN MALA


The entire property of Anganmala was once belonged toVarikkumancherimana[Varikkasseri mana of Manisseri]Bhaskarettan,a veteran household worker has located the vessels used to collect the oozing kanmadam from the age old granite rocks of Anganmala.It is believed that the ancient rocks of Angan mala sweated kanmadam, a sticky substance with unique medicinal properties.

sight from anangan

sight from anangan


As Emily said,

The mountain sat upon the plain

In his eternal chair

His observation omnifold

His enquest everywhere

The seasons prayed around his knees

Like children around a sire.

The grand father of the days is he

of dawn  the ancestor,

sight from anangan

sight from anangan


Hills and mountains loom large in cultural imagination.locals have weaved myth aound the mountain also. The wells that provided gushing water around the year .another well  with unfathomable depth and on and on.Anangan rises up and breaks the spacing of our mind.It would be right to say that as Himavan inculcated a rich and varied culture. The the sublime majesty of Anangan and  sublime beauty of Nila a inspired and augumented the rich Valluvanadan culture.

sight from anangan

sight from anangan


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