Idukki: Vellappara, the mystic beauty spot of Rajakumari in Idukki leaves no chance unturned to mesmerise the visitors with its unique honey treasure trove called Thenpara (literally meaning honey rock). Situated about one-and-a-half kilometres away from Rajakumari North, Thenpara is one of the major sources of natural and wild honey in Kerala.
With an empire of wild honey bees built on the steep rock faces of Thenpara, this astonishing treasure trove has more than hundred honeycombs hanging from the precipices and cliff-like rock faces of the 200 feet tall rock. Visitors are enthralled by the aroma of honey in the air even from a kilometre away.
Earlier, the rock faces had housed thousands of honey bees and combs but due to severe climate change these numbers have come down drastically. Unrestrained use of chemical pesticides in the fields and farmlands have also impacted the count of combs.
Fascinated by this wonderland, the sight of these honey-filled combs hanging from the rock faces serve as a major attraction for the tourists. However, extracting honey from these combs along the dangling rocks is a risky business altogether which demands special skills. It's a challenge for the locals to extract and collect honey from these honeycombs.
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A group of people from a tribal community in Tamil Nadu have been extracting honey from Thenpara since long. About ten of the Tamil tribal people reach along with their families and stay near the rock for days together to collect wild honey from here.
In the night, they tie a large rope to a tree on top of the hill and hang it down to reach the combs. One of them swings down the rope with a knife. He would also hold a big fire torch to shoo off the bees. While swinging on the rope precariously, he drives away the bees and cuts the combs with his knife. His teammates standing under the precipices of the rock would get hold of the honey-filled combs in the large basin-like utensil. These men also have special herbal medicines with them to prevent bee stings if they need it.
The group extracts up to 15 litres of wild honey from one comb and they sell it in the local market at excellent prices. There is a huge demand for unadulterated wild honey in the market. The masterly skills and expertise of the members of this Tamil tribal community in wild honey extraction fetch them good money for their tremendous efforts.
