Ananthagiri – A Piece Of Heaven In Andhra Pradesh

My trip to Ananthagiri was a kind of an awakening to me. I always thought that Andhra Pradesh wasn’t beautiful. I had lived in Hyderabad for a couple of years before moving to Mumbai, and that was my only experience of this southern state of India. Now I know how ignorant I was as a traveler. But, I thank God that I could visit this beautiful part of Vishakhapatnam district and know the truth. So yes, travel never ceases to amaze you!

Besides being awestruck by the eastern hills and the countryside charms of Andhra Pradesh, I was also moved by the lives of farmers and villagers of the tribal communities. It was an educative experience for me. We live in a progressive country, but we also have regressive lives that we need to be mindful of. I realized there are many unheard stories in the rural communities of India that we need to render our hearts for.

Ananthagiri is popularly known to be part of Araku Valley, which is 40 km ahead. I’d suggest that you should spend all of your time in Ananthagiri and not bother about Araku Valley at all, as it’s too commercial. There are many govt. and private resorts in Ananthagiri as well. So yes, even Ananthagiri is quite commercial and touristic on the surface. There are certain “tourist” sites, such as Borra Caves, which I’d suggest you should avoid like the plague. Let’s be conscious travelers and not add to the crowd. The better idea would be to go deep into the interiors and get awestruck by the untainted bucolic beauty.

Ananthagiri – A Piece Of Heaven In Andhra Pradesh

The evocative stories of tribal communities

The weekly mart at Kasipatnam was my first brush with the various tribal communities of the region. It was sad to discover that behind those vivid displays of fruits and vegetables hides a lot of pain, which these tribal folks undergo every day. I had a chat with a tribal woman who walked all the way from her village, which was 15-20 km away, just to sell off a basket of custard apples for mere 50 bucks!

Another revelation that came to me was at Bangarammapeta, where a village lady called Mallamma transformed her entire community into a non-alcoholic village. Isn’t that commendable? This beautiful lady has her own farm, where she grows various crops; and she sells them off, too. She works actively towards the betterment of her community by teaching them how to have small-scheme savings and be self-resilient. After meeting Mallamma, I realized life could be so peaceful and whole if you would just make your surroundings better.

Also read: My Peek Into Padavedu

Exploring the tribal communities of Ananthagiri was one of the most evocative experiences for me. I take pride in being a traveler, because I get to know so many realms of life. I also get to realize in a much deeper way that I’m so fortunate. The experience of visiting these villages in Ananthagiri opened my eyes to so many ‘painful’ truths. When I met the folks of Kondadorra tribal community of Korraguda village, I came to terms with their hardships, such as lack of clean water, toilets, and bathing space for women. The govt. built hand pumps are dry and useless. They still have to walk up to a spring to fetch water!

Also read: 12 Reasons To Escape To Villages

But, the beauty of the community is in the peace and harmony that they share amongst themselves. Even though they suffer and struggle for the basics of life, they don’t forget to extend the graciousness of smile and hospitality to their guests.

The carefree vibe of the villages, the joy of a childlike rendezvous with nature

After quite a lot of awakening and education, I had an effervescent ‘feet dipping in flowing water’ experience in store for me, in Chimidipalli village. We had started descending towards the ‘Kallam’ – a place where all the produce is dumped, and the sound of gushing waters resonated in my ears. I just couldn’t resist the idea of sitting on a rock and dipping my feet into the flowing water. While I was making my way to the slippery pebbles and rocks, the village children were already jumping from one rock to another! Within no time, everybody had become a kid and taken a trip down their childhoods.

Also read: Indulge In An Idyllic Farm Life Near Nagpur

My ‘Coffee’ Escape

My journey through Ananthagiri was bedecked with serendipity. While I had barely recovered from some heart-wrenching and some inspiring stories of the villagers, I was spellbound by the yellow carpets of mustard flowers. You will pass by a lot of mustard fields and honey plantations through Ananthagiri and Araku Valley.

Also read: Pumpkins, Mustard Fields, Cows, Calves And Faces Of Suhelwa – A Photo Essay

I have never been to Coorg (Karnataka), the renowned coffee destination of India. But, I have found my coffee escape in Ananthagiri. Yes, it’s a place for true-blue coffee drinkers. Although there are coffee plantations designated for tourists to visit, I explored the coffee plantations of Ananthagiri in the natural. It was so much fun to pluck the coffee bean of the early stage and taste it.

If you want to buy the authentic ‘Ananthagiri’ coffee, make sure to stop at one of the many stalls on the highway. They sell locally produced coffee and spices, which are reasonably priced. 

Well, it just doesn’t stop at coffee, spices and honey. Ananthagiri is a land of yields. I happened to sneak into the farms of mango, guava and sapodilla trees. Also, the farms of Ananthagiri grow a lot of millets, ragi, maize, all kinds of pulses and quite a lot of vegetables.

Postcard fields and picture-perfect mountains

Just when I thought it was the end of serendipity, I had Jamuguda village to amaze me! It was like one of those ‘postcard’ scenes – too much of prettiness to savor! Yellows, pinks, violets and shades of greens spread across the vast fields with the rolling mountains as the backdrop. I mean it was just like a piece of heaven. I really don’t know how to put it in words.

Well, there’s still more to share from ‘my bag of memories’ from Ananthagiri – Kondiba village, a model village, which is developed in terms of water and basic comforts of daily living. It’s a lovely village, which is surrounded by the mountains. It’s also quite close to Tyada railway station, which is connected to Araku Valley and the city of Vishakhapatnam.

Also read: 10 Most Photographable Places In India

Oh, the sunsets are going to make you go crazy     

And, I have to mention that Ananthagiri is also a place of spectacular sunsets. Yes, it’s like reveling in the madness of the sky! It was definitely a sensory experience. It was not just visual, but it was a divine bath of hues. 

The only concern I have for Ananthagiri, and it’s a major one, is that there’s lack of sustainable tourism practices in the region. As I mentioned earlier, it is quite touristic, and therefore, there’s a lot of garbage and plastic seen at various places.

Also read: How To Be A Responsible Traveler?

There is an imperative need of eco-tourism concepts to be implemented in Ananthagiri. Sadly, a place of slow travel indulgences is being ruined by foolish tourism.

How to reach Ananthagiri: It’s easily accessible from Vishakhapatnam aka Vizag via train and road. It’s barely a two and a half hours drive by car.

Where is your favorite place to gaze the mountains?

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