The morning sun shines through the canopy as Vishnu BS climbs up the steep rock face, carefully holding and stepping on artificial grips fixed on the rock, while his buddies hold on to the belay rope from the ground. He climbs up some 30 ft and then climbs down. Although drenched in sweat, he enthusiastically rushes up the stairs that leads to the top of the large rocks and deftly rappels down more than 40 ft moments later, leaping up to 10-15 ft in between. Then off he goes to the next activity.
Vishnu is one of the youngsters instructing visitors and helping them with safety measures at the all-new Jatayu Adventure Centre, a part of the Jatayu Earth’s Centre that’s shaping up at Chadayamangalam in Kollam district, about 50 km from Thiruvananthapuram. “All of us are from around these parts. Apart from familiarising ourselves with the facilities here, we attended a rigorous 10-day basic training camp at Nehru College of Mountaineering in Uttarakhand,” says Vishnu. Opened for trials in April, the centre is a hub for adventurers.
Visitors are welcome to attempt every single one of the 20 different, gruelling activities. “We want visitors who are willing to sweat it out. You’ll have aching muscles and joints after a day’s adventure here. It will be totally worth every penny for those who are into such activities,” says Ajithkumar B, chief executive officer of the Earth’s Centre and one of the main investors in the Jatayu project.
Valley crossing
The centre is spread over three acres of rocky hillside on the south eastern end of Jatayupara (Jatayu rock). Sylvan slopes of the rock have been carefully landscaped to keep it wild enough for visitors to enjoy their tryst with nature and also be an interesting space for adventurers too.
Archery, rappelling, ladder climbing, jumaring and chimney climbing are some of the activities at the centre. All the climbing activities are designed around the natural rock formations on the hillside. Wooden stairs or rock-textured concrete stairs connect points of different elevations.
The park is split into two sections. While the first section focusses on climbing activities, the second portion covers activities such as Burma bridge crossing, valley crossing and paintball. Bouldering too comes in the latter part.
The entire project has been conceptualised and designed by Rajiv Anchal. “It is like a movie set and it needs to look like an extension of a landscape, just like an artificial set created for a story,” says Rajiv. The renowned filmmaker, art director and sculptor has been working on the project for more than 10 years. Rajiv considers all of it including the Jatayu sculpture, which will be the largest bird sculpture in the world upon completion, on top of Jatayupara, as one big film set that will never be taken down.
Rajiv Anchal
He adds: “The government gave the whole 65 acres of Jatayupara area and asked me to develop it. I am creating whatever that comes to my mind. The adventure park is one of them.”
Those who have taken part in the trials have been bowled over by the park. Bhavana R Nair, an HR executive, who was part of the trial team from Technopark, gushes: “It is wonderful to have an adventure park like this very near to the city. We were a team of 45 and most of us attempted all the activities. I have a fear of heights. But I rappelled anyway with the help of the experienced and confident trainers.”
Lunch, drinks and snacks will be provided to visitors. The food court inside the centre is built on a flat space between two huge rock cliff faces and a large boulder.
The adventure centre was opened on April 22. Only groups can make bookings. A group should have at least 20 people and all must be aged above 14. There are discounts for large groups. Prices start at ₹ 3,500 per head for a group of 20 to 39 members.
Check http://www.jatayuearthscenter.com/ or contact +91 4844066688, +91 9497717353 for more information. Online booking is available.
How to get there
Take a detour to the left from Jatayu junction on MC Road, just before reaching Chadayamangalam, if you are travelling from Thiruvananthapuram. The adventure centre is 500 m from MC Road.
What is Jatayu Earth’s Centre?
A tourism project has been built around the myth of Jatayupara, the place where the great bird Jatayu is said to have died after being struck down by Ravana. The bird sculpture on top of Jatayupara will house a museum as well as a multi-dimensional theatre.
A cable car ride will be available to the top of the 1,000 ft peak. An Ayurveda Wellness Centre is also a part of the project. The Earth’s Centre is scheduled to open in August.
