The year was 1290 . A crowd had gathered around a clearing, where broken down pillars marked the presence of an ancient temple, now long gone. A young boy, just 14 years old, leaned against one of those pillars, deep in thought. Then, he began speaking, and the crowd fell silent, listening to his every word. He spoke without any notes, translating the Bhagavat Gita, from Sanskrit, which only the pundits knew, to the language everyone in the village knew and spoke – a variety of Prakrit which developed into the Marathi language. Even as he spoke, one of the men in the audience realized how momentous this event was, and how important this composition would be. He began writing down the words the young boy spoke, and this composition was named by its author and composer, the Bhavartha Deepika – the enlightening meaning (of the Bhagavat Gita). Now, the ancient, holy text, was no longer restricted to the pundits, but accessible to all, understood easily by them, composed as it was, in their...
Over a foot long, it was longer than any centipede I had ever seen. Yet, it was certainly a centipede. That was the only thing I was sure of.
It did resemble the centipedes I had seen, except that those were tiny, compared to this. Those had bright colours too, but the red and black of this, coupled with its size, added a scary touch. It would surely be poisonous!
We saw this one at Jog Falls. Taking a break from watching the falls, we were walking around in the mist, when we saw a couple of people staring at something on the wall... and there it was. The thought that it was poisonous, plus its size, ensured that people didn't go near. The growing crowd brought a guard to the scene, and he then ensured that it was left alone, and that no one poked a stick, trying to make sure it was alive.
There was no doubt that it was alive, when, after a while, it seemed to become aware that it was drawing more attention than the falls, and moved, disappearing almost immediately into a crevice with an agility one wouldn't really imagine from its size!
From what I found on the net, this is a tropical giant centipede, called the Indian Tiger Centipede. The name obviously comes from its colour, and from what I could find, it seems to be a common resident of the Western Ghats. Unfortunately, there is very little information available about it. If you know anything more, please do enlighten us!
Wow! Amazing!! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Deepak. You are welcome.
DeleteFrom what I know or remember, these are poisonous and good that you did not touch. Some people have also begun to keep them as exotic pets. One of the biggest centipedes and definitely the most beautiful found in the world. So lucky you got to see it. Samhith must have been super excited...:)
ReplyDeleteoh yes, Atula. He was super excited, but just for a while. He did realise it was poisonous, and didnt even try to touch it, but that, and the fact that it wasnt moving around, made it rather boring for him after a while. and i so cant imagine keeping something like this as a pet. I was so surprised when, while searching for information about this one, came across so many websites with information about these as pets!!!
DeleteWhat a capture! What a beauty.
ReplyDeleteThanks Mridula!
DeleteVery colorful, but scary.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, Indrani!
DeleteThe creature you saw was Scolopendra hardwicki, sometimes known as the Indian Tiger centipede, or as the Coral centipede. It is common in the Western Ghats and is extremely venomous. Under the head in your picture you can see its two enormous claws, or forciples, which are actually the first pair of legs which have become adapted to be venom reservoirs. The bite is extremely painful and could be seriously dangerous for a small or ill child. Each leg is tipped with a needle claw which can scratcn and leave traces of venom, so it is most unwise to touch them. They are also extraordinarily bad tempered. You can see some pics and a bit of info about S. hardwickei and other centipedes at http://tinyurl.com/hng3g8a
ReplyDeleteI saw one, or a similar one, at a temple in South India. The one I saw had the bright coral legs, but the body stripes looked more bright yellow and black. So I'm not sure it's the very same type? But it was large and really frightening !! I have always wondered what it was. Now I know more about it from your posting here. Thank you so much for sharing !
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