Thiruvananthapuram: Munnar, one of Kerala’s better-known tourism destinations that was battered by the recent floods and landslips, continues to lie in devastation, but it has a new attraction.
A stone in the middle of a river — in the form of a human palm — apparently sculpted by the gushing waters, is attracting plenty of local attention.
The stone, which resembles a human right palm, has water flowing all around it. The naturally-carved attraction was revealed when the waters of the Muthirapuzha river receded after the floods.
Large crowds are now thronging the bypass bridge on the Muthirapuzha river to have a look at the natural sculpture, and some of them are calling it the ‘hand of God’. None of the local residents remembers such a rock before the floods hit Munnar.
The development happens at a time when Munnar is facing a bleak tourist season after the ravages caused by the floods and landslips. Nearly all of Munnar’s tourism activities have ground to a halt after the floods, primarily owing to the roads heading to the destination being destroyed.
This year should have been particularly special for Munnar, because of the flowering of the Neelakurinji (Strobilanthes Kunthiana), a flower that blooms all over the Nilgris region only once in 12 years. Tourism players were hoping to cash in on this rare phenomenon this year.
A recent survey had shown that the population of the Nilgiri tahr, an endangered mountain goat, had increased 18 per cent, crossing the 500-mark in Mukurthi National Park. This was another reason for tourists to be attracted to the Nilgiris this year, but the floods have nipped these opportunities.
