Nxg

ECOTRAIL Head to the mangrove swamps and look up an amazing estuarine ecosystem. KALYANI CANDADE

If you’re looking for excitement beyond that weekend dash to Pondicherry, try stepping out a little further to Chidambaram. And if you thought Chidambaram was all about temples, try this.

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 bluer sky. On the sand bar, thousands of gulls in a long stretch of white, glintsilver 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 Vellar 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 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…

• 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.

Popularity: 21% [?]