Gurukula Botanical Sanctuary
Features
Small and cosy as the Sanctuary is, there are a number of features that are enjoyed and valued by its residents and visitors alike.
Here are some of them:
- A mosaic of habitats and niches: riparian forest, old growth (but selectively felled) forest, secondary forest of many vintages (regrown under our collective care), garden areas representing different forest types from the Western Ghats, forest-farm areas, ornamental areas, swampy valley fields, and about-to-be-removed tea plantations.
- 2,000-3,000 species of plants, of which 400-600 belong to this land, are here of their own accord; another 1,600-2,000 species of plants, belonging to these mountains, are brought here as part of a search and rescue ex-situ plant conservation programme; and some 50-100 different edible crop species and varieties. (The Sanctuary may be one of the most life-diverse places in the country for this reason: a lot of plants live here, and plants, as we know, are the basis for the rest of life).
- Amazing animals: at least 240 species of birds; 30 species of snakes; 20 species of mammals; 30 species of frogs, toads and caecilians; several thousand species of insects, arachnids, annelids, and nematodes.
- Plant conservation and garden areas, including several greenhouses or rain season sheds; display and walk through sections; outdoor habitats; and a number of beautiful aquatic displays.
- An exotic and ornamental section with several hundred unusual tropical and semi-tropical plants from around the world. Special groups: carnivorous plants, bromeliads and aroids.
- Contiguity with natural forest (the Peria Reserve Forest held by the Kerala Forest Department), where elephants, lion-tailed macaques, otters, Nilgiri langurs, Malabar trogons and king cobras live.
- Farm and food production areas: rice is grown in one of the two swampy valley fields. Coffee and pepper plantation intermingled with fruit and native trees. We even have a few acres under tea, but these will be largely pulled out so that forest can grow instead. There are scattered vegetable and spice patches and a small dairy for milk, manure and biogas.
- Community kitchen which feeds upto 50 persons at a time and like kitchens everywhere, it is the hub of human (and canine) life at the Sanctuary.
- A library with a lovely selection of fiction and non-fiction books, put together by the eclectic tastes of a few of us. Plant texts dominate the shelves! The library includes a computer, a telephone and internet connection. Slide presentations, documentaries and films are shown here regularly.
- With the exception of the diesel water pump, the whole place runs on alternative energy systems: solar, biogas and wood. We still cook with firewood despite the numbers we feed. Recently we made the hard decision to get a connection to the mainline electrical supply for the dark monsoon months when we run the risk of running out of solar power, and for usage of power machines in the workshop.
- A small but well-equipped workshop for carpentry, masonry, metal work, plumbing and the numerous odd jobs that need doing on a daily basis.
- Two guest rooms, as well as various kinds of simple sleeping arrangements such as plant sheds, hammocks, verandahs, tents and thatch dwellings for a maximum of ten visitors at a time. Shared bathrooms. Contributions towards overnight visits or programmes determined individually.
- An elaborate water system: featuring natural springs flowing into an open stone-walled tank in the rice valley, a water tower for storage on the hill top and gravity-fed supply pipelines to the garden and building areas.
- The musical water tower, one of the most cherished features of the Sanctuary. In fact, it is one of the largest musical instruments known to us, played by children and accomplished musicians alike. With its 14-second resonance when half-full of water, the tower is a venue for improvising haunting melodies and harmonic effects. Many concerts have been held here.
It is important to note that the Sanctuary is not a tourist destination. It is neither a resort nor a hotel, nor a homestay nor a conference centre. Nor is it an institution catering to mass education. The Sanctuary is first and foremost a community (of plants, animals and humans!), and a place of enquiry and discovery for all.
This being said, more than 3,000 visitors a year come to the Sanctuary during the dry season to learn about native plants and forest conservation, and living-in-nature. The garden is open to the public, mostly local people from north Kerala come for daytime guided tours free of charge.