The trees, fields and plants were all covered with greenery in the vast land of Mukkamala. It was a welcoming sight that fascinated my mind in seconds. Everywhere I looked I couldn’t avoid gazing at the beauty of nature surrounding my vision. The countless species of trees astounded me; it was unforgettable.
Where is Mukkamala?
Mukkamala is a small village located in the Peravali Mandal (an administrative area in parts of India)which is in the West Godavari district that consists of Mukkamala itself and many more villages. The neighbouring district is identified as the East Godavari. These districts are collectively known as the Godavari. Next to the Godavari is the Krishna district. Both of them were recognised to be the 2 districts of Rajahmundry (present name Rajamahendravaram) since 1859. All of this is placed towards the coastal Andra region which is the east of Andra Pradesh. That’s some Geography!
The journey to our destination
We started from the Ongole train station. Litter was lurking around all corners and dirty odours crept into our noses, which wasn’t a fabulous start. My expectation of Mukkamala at that instance was contrasting to the Ongole station. The train was delayed. Minutes drifted past. It was almost an hour of a delay for the train to catch the station. After the prolonged hour, we rested in the train as it was closing into midnight. The beautiful landscapes that slid past the windows boarded my interest. Even in the absence of the sun, my mind was surprised by the wonderful sights. After dawn, the engine’s noise died down faintly as I unlocked my eyes to see a supply of greenery between the bars of the windows. It was where we got off.
Into the fields
The next part of the tour was resumed by travelling in a car. The roads were pretty clean yet rough, however, it didn’t disturb the beauty surrounding us. We abruptly took a turn into a road with two sides of greenery. Not one vehicle was neighbouring us, although, it was quite peaceful noticing all the trees, plants and bushes accompanying us. The long ride into the village had tired us out.
A walk through the pathway of Mother Nature
The twittering of birds, the various species of trees ranging from the towering coconut trees to the enormous leaves of the banana trees sparkling outwards, was where we rejoiced a walk through the pathway of nature. We also saw some houses that appeared to be considerably large and made out of wood. The rain that turned dirt to mud was the path that our feet stuck on to allude the excellence that enclosed us.
Mukkamala Maha Kshetram Temple
After a 30 minute walk through Mother Nature, we visited a temple. It was extremely vibrant to me. The temple was astonishingly designed with a gold plating glittering in a few parts of the structure and bright white paint capping most parts. In addition to the temple there was also a Choultry (locally known as Sathram). It can be seen as a sort of hotel or lodge. In front of the so called ‘Sathram’ was a distinctive pool filled with fresh water and Shiva Lingam’s surrounding the edges.
After sunset, there is a likelihood that snakes can enter the temple therefore, the temple worshippers stay offsite. As always it’s a formality to remove your footwear before entering the temple and doing it in India is quite a challenge(the floor burns). Luckily for us, the sun didn’t emit an extreme amount of heat therefore, we had a nice evening rejoicing this hidden wonder of India.
Inside this building were 108 stacked pillars supporting the ceiling of the formation. In every temple, there is always the main God or Goddess and in most cases, both. I was welcomed to a new Goddess in this one, she is known as ‘Manasa Devi’.
‘Manasa Devi’ is the Hindu folk, ‘Goddess of Snakes’, worshipped mainly in West Bengal and other parts of North and Northeastern India. All gods are acknowledged to have many powers; ‘Manasa Devi’ chiefly cures and prevents snakebites according to the Folklore’s of Bengal.
It was the first time saw a village. I loved it. I’d never imagined nature to be as incredible as it was in the little village of Mukkamala. The colour green was the only thing to fill my mind. The experience had concluded with a moment of calmness in the Manasa temple which we noticed on our way through the incredible nature.
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