A sanctuary for reptiles

Crocodile park (Officially Madras Crocodile Bank Trust) in chennai is famous for the wide variety of reptile species it houses. Conceived as a 'Bank' which is a home for endangered species, it holds more than 10 species of crocodiles and turtles amounting to  over 2000 animals. The park is located in Vadanemmeli, around 40 km from Chennai. 

I have been there for four to five times. The last visit which I did was the best one. It was in June 2011. It rained the previous day. Normally, it is hard to see them out of their comfort zone 'home'. Often I could see disheartened visitors with sad faces going out of the sanctuary, since they couldn't get even get a peek of the animals for which they came for. To my surprise, I saw that all the reptiles were basking on the land in broad day light; away from the water. I didn't understand the reason for this behavior. Well, leaving that to the speculation of the reader, I will take you through few photos which I took during my visit...

A trip to Mahabalipuram

I am not going to go to the history of Mahabalipuram aka Mamallapuram... Google or Wikipedia can share the same with you. So, what am I doing here instructing you? Ah, cut the crap. This trip dates back to May 2011...

I had thought about taking my wife to Mahabalipuram. I shared the same thought with Savin; who seemed to be interested in joining us with his partner. So, that was a 'family' trip. My wife volunteered to cook Idly and chutney for the breakfast. We set off at morning 5.30 in Savin's car and reached Mahabalipuram after a 50km drive. 

First place of visit was the Shore temple. Shore temple is a real sight to see. Built in granite, the temple stays alongside Bay of Bengal and enchants the visitors with its history dated back to 8th century AD. 

From there, we moved on to the site of Pancha Rathas, named after the pandavas and draupadi. 
The interesting fact is that, each of the temple dedicated to the icons is a monolith built out of granite.

On the way back we stepped out to see the 'Arjuna's Penance'. Associated with the site is the Krishna Mandapam monument. The giant rock which defies gravity; called Krishna's butter ball is also visible from there.

We started our way back from Mahabalipuram. Next destination was the Crocodile park, officially called Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology, located in Vadanemmeli near to the Muthukad lake. The CrocBank serves as home for numerous endangered species of crocodiles, snakes and turtles. It is a must visit place indeed; Of-course, for those who doesn't fear reptiles.

Very much pre-occupied to give me a shot...

Three Musketeers :)

We started our way back from the park at around 1pm. Signing off, the trip was a successful one except for the hard sun Chennai always sprays on its visitors. 

One tip I could offer for Mahabalipuram visitors is to plan Shore Temple visit after evening 5.30 PM. The monuments there will offer perfect visual treat in association with sunset, for you.