Samudram Land

Occasionally I will post news of land for sale, in the hope that the land will be acquired by a single owner (or independent group) who intends using the land for his/their own purpose, and thereby prevent it from being cut up and sold as individual housing plots which will eventually become densely packed urban areas. LAND AT ARUNACHALA IS SACRED AND DEVOTEES NEED TO HELP PROTECT AND REVERE IT.

The below land is approximately 7 acres and is currently owned by a private individual who wishes to sell. In the course of a year this is the fourth person who has owned the land. It started off in the hands of a Jeweller, who owned and maintained it for some years, from there it went to a local Guru who surprisingly let it go into other hands and from there to the current owner.

As one would expect in the last year the land has increased in cost fourfold and doubtedlessly with the vertical increase in land prices, this same land will be double its current cost within one year.

Over the last years I have often visited this particular land on my way through the Samudram area. It is a VERY special, sacred place.

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The first photograph is inside the land compound facing the gate. My dogs are having a good root around.

In the second photograph we are facing north towards Arunachala and are in a central part of the land.

The third photograph is a view of the land facing west. The concrete posts in all the pictures are the perimeter boundary of the 7 acre enclosure.

The below is from the land facing north.

The trees have been planted around a nice open agricultural tank and the small house on the left is the pumphouse for the tank.





Below, the well maintained tank with a high water table; so no question of having to make borewells 400'+ deep like other areas in Tiruvannamalai. Water shortage can be a serious problem in some areas around Tiruvannamalai.

The next picture is facing east and towards the Samudram Lake, of which this land is adjacent and has direct access.

Below the view to the south.

In the last photograph; west the front and north the right.

This land is adjacent and with direct access, to the 600 acre Samudram Lake. The lake is a natural water reservoir for this area so it cannot be converted or used for housing development. It is also hoped that Samudram Lake may soon be turned into a protected area for migratory birds. So this land is ideal for an ashram, retreat centre, spa, or animal sanctuary.

To find out more about Samudram, the current position and the hopes for the future, check here, here and here.

If you wish to find out more about this land please get in touch with:
arunachalameenakshi@rediffmail.com

Bird Sanctuary

Happily great emphasis is nowadays being placed on the reforestation of Arunachala, however attention also needs to be focused on the great swathes of agricultural land surrounding the sacred Hill. As Arunachala was denuded of its natural vegetation, so too surrounding land was stripped of natural plant life in order to support intensive farming with crop cultivation of up to four times a year. Some of these farms have already been sold to property developers for densely packed housing estates, and undoubtedly this trend will escalate over the coming years.

In this respect there is a need to create and maintain sanctuaries around Arunachala providing safe haven for migratory birdlife and other wildlife, thereby adding to the rich diversity of life around the sacred Hill. During the rainy season, several natural reservoirs around Arunachala fill with water and attract a profusion of different types of migratory birds. Including; Cormorants, Egrets, Herons, Ibises, Spoonbills, Grebes, Pintails, Stilts, Teals, White Storks and Painted Storks. Further to this matter at a recent meeting of the Tiruvannamalai Development Board, presided over by the Honourable Justice Venkattasami, and District Collector Sathyabratha Sahoo, ideas were put forward in connection with creating a bird sanctuary at Samudram Erie.

In conjunction with other animal welfare programmes, Arunachala Grace Network is working to raise funding to purchase pristine agricultural land adjacent to Samudram Lake, and return it to its natural state providing sanctuary for migratory water birds in the rainy season, and in the rest of the year offer protected glades and nesting areas for such local birds as; Koels, Mynas, Barbets, Green Parrots and also other wildlife.

By the end of the year's rainy season, the 550 acre Samudram is completely submerged under water and has effectively been transformed into a lake. But over the months and coinciding with the beginning of summer, the water table dramatically recedes, until most of the Samudram area converts into nice, peaceful, undeveloped wasteland. It is during this period that goat and cow herders daily bring their flocks to graze on the rich shrubland.

It seems that groups dedicated to protecting migratory birds are also being set up in other places around Tamil Nadu. And one such group is working to restore Pallikaranai Marshland at Chennai. In this respect, it was announced yesterday that 3 male poachers are being held for killing birds in Pallikaranai Marshland

The men, belonging to the 'narikurava' (gypsy) community, apparently shot down the birds for a celebration in their community. A total of 57 birds, some of them rare and protected species, were allegedly shot before officials were able to apprehend the poachers who have now been remanded in custody.

In a recent posting I mentioned that a local Tiruvannamalai woman faced down a group of similar tribal hunters and confiscated their stash. The birds were later identified to be Siberian Cranes; a rare bird that had made a long and perilous journey from Siberia to spend warmer days here at Tiruvannamalai.

In previous times authorities would have ignored tribal and village poachers thereby allowing the hunting to continue. The important thing now, is that a start has been made and an increasingly larger number of people are focusing on the fact that its time to ‘PROTECT WILDLIFE’.

We have now introduced a PayPal facility on this Blog for the support of Arunachala Grace Network and its dedication to many aspects of animal welfare. In this respect we welcome help and support from friends of Arunachala and from friends of Nature so that together we may provide a safe haven for migratory birds and other wildlife and also address on every level the subject of animal welfare. For more information and details on how to help please use the email facility at the left hand side column of this Blog.

Bird Sanctuary

Over the last few years there has definitely been a shift in consciousness in the area regarding our animal brethren. Many good people have taken up the mantle of promoting animal welfare and are participating in improving the quality of animals' lives in Tiruvannamalai. An example of this is the great courage shown by the young woman, of the previous posting, when facing down a group of very angry hunters. Also such people as Lesley from the U.S. have greatly benefited the quality of life of cats and dogs of the area, by their excellent work in setting up the newly opened, very successful Animal Shelter and aligning it to the Karuna Society of Puttaparthi.

Arunachala Grace Network is also very active with its work dedicated to animal welfare. And in this respect we have been engaged over the last few years in both feeding numerous homeless dogs in the Lake area and also in ensuring all plastic, trash and other animal hazards around the Lake is regularly picked up. Its been our dream for many years to participate in the development of a Bird Sanctuary around the Lake and now that the Municipality is beginning to express an interest in this venture, we hope that only sincere animal lovers will be selected to undertake work on behalf of the Municipality.

So, I have talked alot about Samudram Lake, and here is a spectacular view of the lake from the embankment with its magnificent view of Arunachala.

These photographs are also taken from the Lake embankment and show the proximity of Arunachala and gives one an idea of what a blessing it would be to maintain and ensure a pristine area dedicated to the joyful simplicity of the welfare of birds, both migratory and local.

Lots more news on all aspects of animal welfare to come.

No Fishing!

The below is a photograph of something I never hope to see by the side of Samudram Lake after this year. It is a hut for fishing folk that are trawling the gradually receding Lake for fish. Currently there are three such huts around the Lake. Last year the Municipality issued fishing permits giving rights to fishermen to stock and thereafter fish the lake. Sadly what was a lucrative business for them, was chaos and madness for the many visiting birds. Because the lake had many fish and freshwater shrimps and crabs, many hitherto unseen birds were attracted to visit and stay at Samudram Lake.

As is usually the case in man versus animal in food competition; man won and many birds were hunted, killed and frightened to prevent them eating the fish stock of Samudram Lake. This year the Lake was not stocked as before, but there is still a residual harvest left over from the previous year, hence several fishing huts have appeared around Samudram Lake.

While I was visiting at the Animal Shelter this afternoon, a young lady brought in a bag filled of 'dead' endangered migratory waterbirds that she had taken from some hunters who where loitering near her home. Wishing to bring the extent of the hunting of endangered birds to the notice of officials, she brought the bag filled with the 'dead' birds to the Animal Shelter for their advice and support. It was very brave of her to face down several hunters in order to confiscate the evidence of the dead birds. Hopefully the protection of birds and wildlife in this area can now start on an 'official level'.

What was particularly distressing to learn is that it is the fisherman and local agriculturalists who are calling in hunters in order to destroy the competition to the food chain.

Samudram Lake is about 550 acres and gets fully flooded and filled during the rainy season. For about 3 months the lake is filled to overflowing and then after the rainy season is over, increasingly the hot, sunny days and demands on the Muncipal water table, slowly lower the Lake. Eventually it dries out to just a watery puddle.

The Collector (the person in charge of the Local Municipality and its major decision maker) was recently approached regarding turning Samudram Lake into a protected bird sanctuary. He is currently considering proposals, but seems to be quite interested. Eventually all the farms around the lake will be sold to developers and adjacent lands will get built up with houses and flats; at that time having the Samudram Lake, well maintained and protected for migratory and local water-birds will be like New York with its park right in the middle. [Central Park in New York is 843 acres, and Hyde Park in London 608 acres].

However as Indians are generally not as 'health conscious' as Westerners, Samudram Lake won't need bicycle or jogging tracks around the perimeter! That's a relief!

The below picture is taken last year from high up, when the water of the Lake had receded from the trees skirting the perimeter of Municipal land. As Samudram Lake is a natural water catchment for water during the rainy season, it cannot be developed; or at least not in our life-time, maybe later when land will be HUGELY EXPENSIVE, all of a sudden like Bangalore, things will change and some bright spark will decide to try converting some of the lake land into building tracts!

The below is of a nice sunny day at the lakeside.

Lots and lots more information and posting about Samudram Lake to come. So keep checking back.