Amboli in the Monsoon - Abode in the Clouds

The quietitude of Amboli in the monsoon is only disturbed by groups of nature lovers, mainly those looking for frogs and snakes to possibly photograph.  These groups have burgeoned but not to the point of being disturbing. I too had gone to see and  photograph the flora and fauna of Amboli, but I find that I was photographing the same flowers and animals repeatedly.  Besides, now I have grown more hydrophobic, I do not want to get wet in the rain.  The crowds drawn by the waterfalls are more intrusive, it seems that many people want to put their head under flowing water and the sellers with their kiosks are there to pander to every taste!!

A spiders web as we go on a night trail

Amboli in the monsoon is known for its herping, animals and flora. having been amidst this lush green environment four times earlier, on each trip I find a lot of change and now I have to contend with guides and fees and entrances to this and that.  Not many of us go there for the lesser-known sights in the rains. The sunsets amongst the clouds, a temple standing proud on the plateau and my personal favourite, the summer palace of the erstwhile Maharajas of Sawantwadi.

The summer residence of the Maharaja's of Sawantwadi.
Notice the basalt edges to the laterite construction. One of the stairs to the upper bedroom suites is visible. The laterite has moss
whereas the basalt does not have any.

Despite the fog and rain, on this trip I got a fleeting glimpse of the sunset amongst the lowering clouds, it hadn’t rained for a while but the sky was pregnant with rain.   Maybe the last four times I came here I was so intent on photographing the fauna that I did not look for the sun…

The sun sets at Amboli, 
See the majestic clouds and a watery sun

The temple atop the plateau.
Being on the top of gentle slopes, it is visible for great distances.

There is a plateau near Amboli and here the flora and fauna is plentiful and sometimes unique, perhaps that is why I and others give just a passing glance to the temple on top. 

The archway and bell at the entrance and the plateau in the background

As far as temples go, it is absolutely nondescript, a modern building used only on festivals I suspect.  What is unique is the location of this temple, visible from great distances, and it was a useful direction finder.

Branches beseeching heaven.

Everywhere in Amboli there is dense forest, very dense and since the laterite is close to the surface the trees are usually very stunted but the branches have interesting shapes. There is mostly old growth but some of it is new growth, the bushes at about waist height are where the snakes are.

Another view of the summer palace. Here one can clearly see that moss does not
grow on the basalt, making a neat mossy pattern on the façade of the building.

And now we come to my piece-de-resistance, the summer palace of the Maharajas of Sawantwadi, (I choose to call it a palace, it could be a mansion).  Sawantwadi, in the plains, is just an hour or so away from this lovely hill-station.

A lovely art-deco window.  It is intact because it
is sheltered from the violent monsoon. 

This is an art deco construction indicating that it was built in about early 1900’s.  The construction is mainly laterite covered in cement (or plaster?), with basalt on the outside edges and the portico.  Downstairs there is a foyer, sitting room, dining room and (guest?) bathroom, with servants’ quarters a discreet (bell call?) distance away. 

The embossed inscription above the main doorway

The main doorway opening onto the porch has “Jaishambhu” inscribed in Devnagari script. Upstairs there seem to be two bedroom suites, each with its own staircase from outside and one (grand?) staircase from inside. Replete with fireplaces and ornate decorations it was a cosy but stately home for the Maharajas.

The ruins of the state guest house/stables/servants quarters

 Some distance away seems to be the guest house, the stables, additional servant’s quarters. Sadly, the whole is in ruins and though I had been up to the first floor in the main house on earlier trips,  it is in such disrepair now that going up is very dangerous.

Like all things regal, it must have been really grand in its day, now but a sad legacy of what was.

Amboli - Dancing in the Rain

"life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass,
It's learning to dance in the rain."
 Amboli is a deluge in June, (it rains an average of seven metres per year) and coupled with lush forests, it is the ideal environment for a host of insects, amphibians and snakes. All celebrating the monsoon in their own way, quite literally singing, dancing, mating and eating in the rain. About an hour from Sawantwadi station on the Goa/Maharashtra border, probably the resort is protected by its inaccessibility as one can only get up by road. 

Room with a view
We stayed at Mrugaya, a small but very comfortable homestay run by Parag Rangnekar.  It has three rooms, very neat and clean, with a large verandah and sit out. The Parag is also a very talented nature guide with prodigious knowledge of the local flora, fauna and trails.  His patience and pleasant demeanour add to the experience. Eat at the many restaurants in the town, if you are non-veg the fish thali is particularly delectable and ....cheap. 

Nature's cycle

The monsoon in Amboli is a time of great amphibious activity, There are frogs and toads everywhere, they congregate around the tiniest of puddles in the forest, attracting mates and feeding. Though mainly in puddles, they also climb trees sitting on wet leaves and singing. I had been here last year, later in the season, and saw a very different stage in the lives of denizens of the forest.

The Malabar Gliding Frog is arguably the star of the show. This is the time for mating and they do so lustily.  A fountain in the forest department park nearby is a haven for this brilliant green and red frog. Many naturalists who come this time of year do so for the Malabar Gliding Frog, they are easily seen and the mating ritual is on.  They first mate, then foam and finally lay eggs in the slightly sticky foam, usually on leaves or trees.  

In full cry..
Every puddle, bush or tree has frogs calling in them, their chorus is jungle music, from tiny typewriter clicks, to guttural cries of the toads and the eerie, almost bird-like, call of the night frog or nyctibatrachus.  The pouring rain drains along the side of the road and into ponds and streams, each populated with its frogs or toads.  Most males have a vocal sac which gets distended when they call, some of them, like the one in the lower picture above, have two sacs.  This enables them to serenade prospective mates and make a sound far greater than their size would suggest.

Petitioning the Lord....
About 45 minutes from Amboli there is a very scenic and beautiful plateau, a vast expanse of laterite rocks, interspersed with grass and water bodies. The plateau is dominated by a solitary temple and the drive to the area is attractive in all seasons particularly monsoons and winter. On the way there the road meanders along a river, paddy fields, tracts of karvi plants and expanses of laterite rock.Towards the end of the monsoon, the entire area is carpeted with tiny flowers making a beautiful sight.

Tadpoles feeding
This is a time for fertility, and every puddle, even the tiny ones, are teeming with life.  These tiny tadpoles, barely the size of one's thumbnail are busy feeding in a roadside puddle. There are myriads of them, initially shy they would skitter away under water plants, however, they soon got used to our presence and continued their non-stop feeding. They need a constant food supply to enable them to be adult frogs before the end of the monsoon.

The Amboli Toad or Tiger Toad
Arguably unique to this area, particularly the plateau, the Amboli Toad is a timid but beautifully striped amphibian. Due to the limited geographic spread of this toad a special effort needs to be made to ensure it's preservation. One can see them almost at every step, from small juveniles to larger ones, the best place to see these beautiful creatures is around the water puddles in the laterite rock of the plateau.

Colourful rain protection
It rains very heavily at this time of year, almost a non-stop deluge with very brief  lulls in between. The wind too is violent, particularly in open spaces around the plateau. The locals make traditional rain protection from leaves, to which have been added a modern and colourful twist of plastic sheeting, the result is a dry and warm protection.  These ladies are herding buffaloes which are feeding off to the left of the picture.

The hunter and the hunted
Here is a leaf-nosed bat, a grasshopper on the laterite plateau and an inquisitive frog that climbed a stump to get a better view of us....  Amboli abounds in interesting nature, The entire food chain is beautifully existent, from the hunter to the hunted. Insects are plentiful, on them feed the frogs and others (geckos, calotes etc), these in turn are rich pickings for the snakes and bats. 

Snakes and scorpions
A herpetologists delight, the forest has many different types of snakes visible at this time of year. Drawn by an abundant food supply, This time we saw the Malabar Pit Viper in  (green and brown morph here)and the Green Vine Snake.  On my last trip I saw a catsnake envenomating a calotes (for a picture see my Flickr album The Eyes of Nature).  Scorpions too feed on the many small frogs, tadpoles and the insects found here.

Interesting insectsThere are insects of many shapes, sizes, colours and stages of their lives here. A walk in the scrub and ruins around is always rewarding in the beautiful sights and sightings. The rulers of Sawantwadi, the Bhosale's, have a decrepit summer home here, it is in ruins.  But in these ruins and forest around there are bats, geckos and many insects.   Sometimes just walking around the mansion and its grounds, imagining things as they would have been in their heyday, is therapeutic.

Rain...
As Dolly Parton famously said:
"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
It rains heavily in Amboli but it also offers a rainbow of colours, in its flora, fauna and seasons.  There is something for everyone all the time.