How about witnessing the relics of life back from 2000 BC. . Porivarai cave paintings located in the heart of Nilgiris is the largest pre-historic cave paintings in South India. it is a one and half hours long moderate trek bypassing through different terrains .Porivari is 53 m long and 15 m wide, with cave paintings that co-exist with modern tribal graffiti. There are about 500 cave paintings, created with white and red ochre and kaolin. The masterpiece art is that of a herd of bison. Major themes are animal figures, archers in training, a battle scene, strange spiral shapes.
The rock art offers insights into how life must have been back then. The sight of local honey gatherers harnessing honey from the steep rocks is an amazing sight to behold.
KEY ATTRACTIONS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Maximum Elevation: 1500 MSL(Approx.) Meters
Forest Type: Moist Deciduous Forest
Nearby Medical Facility: Sholurmattam PHC - 11 km
Nearby Bus Stand: Kotagiri - 25 km
Nearby Airport: Coimbatore - 90 km
Nearby Railway Station: Mettupalayam - 54 km
Parking Facilities: Yes
Excellent trek. Thyagraj, Prakash, Kanna and Mayakrishna were helpful experts and very considerate guides who knew the terrain very well. Fantastic feeling seeing 5000+ year-old rock-paintings, treading the same path our first ancestors did. View of Bhavanisagar Dam surroundings was breathtaking. Some suggesstions: (1) Keep Office at Kil Kotagiri open till last visitor into the jungle returns and signs out (2) Provide 4WD vehicle to transport trekkers to Karikayur village, where trek starts (3) Provide nourishment for diabetics and BP sufferers -- Plain Buttermilk, Unsweetended Apple juice, Rusk/Cracker biscuit (4) Clear trail a bit, put in handrails and (maybe) cut steps into some steep slopes to make trek friendly and safe for ALL people -- school and college students who learn about rock-paintings, general public who maynot be trekkers but are interested in culture and history, even people above 70 years of age if they are not infirm. This trek was a wonderful experience. From the view point of nature and cultural history. I hope the TN Forest Dept will find a balance so that this site can be popularised amongst schools, colleges and abroad. India is a country rich in culture and traditions. It would be good to let the world come and see it, without them fearing for their safety or inability to experience any of this.