Kayaar Ka Rasta offers the excitement of opening a nesting gift box, each passing signpost raising the expectations of the gift, being closed tantalizingly. However, an overly hopeful attitude about the last box will be reiterated once again by something our species is much more prone to: being destination-focused and ignoring gentle signs from the road. The long road is sealed in the destination, a fact which is unacceptable on the drive to Kayar. Although the Kayaar Journey (in Tamil, Kayar is pronounced with a draw, and best put down as ‘kayar’) takes the wheels towards an endpoint, it covers most of its attractions by 13 km. Receives non-stop pauses along the course.
The experience begins at Chenganmal on the old Mahabalipuram road, where it gracefully follows the road leading first to Thayyur Lake, Periya Kayar and then to Chinna Kayar. As regulars will tell you, the end point of the experience goes beyond Chinna Kaward, to Vembedu. The road trip runs on a hill. It has a literal meaning: the winding route allows vehicles to move uphill.
time matters
Morning is the time to get in the coward’s way, as the rising sun adds just the right spark of romance to the drive. Being at the starting point of Chenganmal in OMR, at or around 5 a.m., should provide the visitor enough time to explore the landscape with a gentle sun as the searchlight. Kayar is a hidden trail, lacking fancy eateries and lodging, and is therefore best explored when nature is an ally and not a harsh torment.
In Chenganmal, since the OMR is just a reflection on the rear view mirror, they are likely to be crushed by the feeling of not leaving the still bustling metro behind. Gated communities sometimes lag behind. The trip slips into delicious rusticity as Lake Thayyur comes into view. If that experience is interpreted truthfully, it is not Lake Thiyur, but one who embraces it in an act of possessiveness and undying love: the dreadlocks of swaying trees. The trees form a green curtain, which overlooks the lake with eyes. Don’t be surprised to run into a resident who views the swaying trees as a shield against flooding while the lake swells. Since the last time this writer visited Thayyur Lake, screwpine trees have grown as thick as Rip Van Winkle’s mane. A long, raised concrete walkway leads to the lake. This time, it seemed to have disappeared into the overgrowth.
The drive continues on a narrow strip of winding road through Thiyur Reserve Forest, which falls under the Thirupur range. Along with eucalyptus plantations, there are thorny shrubs and small trees characteristic of the forests in these parts. Do not step into forest areas; They are out of bounds for you, and that is how they should be kept. There are enough quiet and golden places ahead in both villages, two cowards. In the meantime, drive and soak in the road that unlocks for you. On more than one occasion, a pair of wheels were being taken away by what looked like Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s boa constrictor, which had an elephant in its bowels. A conversation with a man riding a two-wheeler like that revealed a social side to the area’s two cowards and other villages: how the residents are a market for peripatetic traders selling combs, mirrors and many tricks. Pillars riding the pile, wrapped in huge banners that were thrown, contained these items.
Agriculture still takes the lead in pride, in both cases, offering paddy, brinjal, chilli and sugarcane fields. Casuarina groves also dot the landscape. However, agriculture is losing its appeal for the younger generation moving towards the IT corridor, many of them looking for employment as support staff in IT companies.
The bustling metro leans towards these cowards as much as its residents are towards the metro. Occasional portals to the gated community – still being built – greet the visitor. However, Kayars is still the perfect place to hang out with friendly farmers, which lets you stop near their whereabouts.
The road to Kayar logically ends at Vembedu on a hill, on which is situated a Bairavar temple. Cycling enthusiasts are known to end their journey on the hill.
A word of caution: The coward’s path is narrow, a factor a cyclist should take into account before hitting his pedals. During recent travel, although narrow, the road (maintained by highways) seemed to be sufficiently bitumen-topped to cushion the drive.
(Hidden Trails, a column showing how to be a tourist in your city, is introducing Coward to its readers before the long weekend.)