The islands of South Karnataka -​ Part 01 – The Isles of St. Mary

A few miles off the west coast of India, in south Karnataka lies a string of beautiful islands surrounded by cobalt blue waters. The islands themselves are not far from the coast, in fact, in the distant past, about a million years ago they were all connected by a sliver of rocky joints. However, a few of them lie out at sea, isolated by a distance of 10 miles or more from the mainland they resemble large rugged rocks. Besides tuffs of hardy seagrass, the islands are devoid of any vegetation. In the monsoons, the turbid sea rises up to nearly cover them, and then save for the reckless seagulls who stop over to rest their weary wings, no one dares to approach them. As for the islands that are closer to the coast, it is quite a different story. These are almost complete ecosystems, containing their own little springs of water, which in turn support lush vegetation. The terrain consists of a mix of Basalt and lava rocks; toppled over they lay strewn all around, making the terrain rather difficult and at certain points outright treacherous.

Overview of the islands closer to land

On certain islands besides the dense flora there is also some rather unique fauna; like a few feral bulls and peacocks, I have personally seen a rather large Rock Boa with coils as thick as a man’s waist. Large rats infest the islands, especially the one with the lighthouse, they seem to fear nothing and like all island predators given the opportunity, these rats will even attack and eat an incapacitated man. Isolated on an island, you must eat when can, whatever you can. Hence, be careful where and how you thread in these places, a false move, and you could land in a rather precarious predicament.

St Mary’s Isle
St Mary’s Isle is the first in this chain of rocky islets and is the most hospitable of the lot. Being further out, it is surrounded by the most pristine waters that sport an abundance of sea life. Geologist recognizes it for its distinctive hexagonal shaped, basalt rock formation and amounts its result of sub-volcanic activity caused by the rifting of Madagascar, which took place around 88 million years ago. But when you see it, you know better, that this is an island that was meant to be, designed by the magicians of the Gods and a paradise for every island seeking adventurer.

St. Mary’s Island

When seen from the top the island appears uniquely shaped like a small continent, etched out of the blue waters and capped by coconut trees. On the ground its a different story, the rocks are naturally shaped into hexagonally shaped pillars, extending straight out of the earth. The hexagonal shaped rocks are everywhere, strewn around in different forms and patterns, some completed to perfection while others left halfway. Many have toppled over like an old temple left in decay, the sculptors having long gone. The coconut trees with its the distinctive windswept undergrowth create an almost park-like feeling as if nature has landscaped this place to perfection.

The Hexagonally shaped Basalt rock pillars

St Mary’s sports some memorable historic events, early European navigators used to call the area just south of St. Mary’s “Sacrifice Rock” in-lieu-of a bloody battle that took place between the Portuguese and locals. The battle ended in the literal slaughter of all the Portuguese sailors. In 1498, on his way down the coast, Vasco da Gama landed on this Island naming it ‘EI Padron de Santa Maria’. This is where the islands got its present name St Mary’s Island – in dedication to Mother Mary. A cross was also built in memory of those lost lives, and it still stands upended on the southern end of the island.

A boat ride to St Mary’s Island

The coconut groves and sparse undergrowth have made it an ideal picnic spot, locals along with tourist attend its shores in droves. There is a boat service that plies to the island every day. One can explore the rock formations, which lends themselves beautifully to some still life photography. Each rock is unique with its own hexagonal pattern carved in by nature, some of them towering up to 20 feet and above. To the north-west of the island are finger-like rock formations that project out to sea, a bit of mild climbing and you will be rewarded with a breathtaking view of the ocean, where there are chances of spotting some dolphins in the deep waters off the rocks.

Little coves nestled along the islands

The crystal clear waters that surround the island are perfect for snorkeling and swimming. A fishing rod makes for some adventurous pastime, as chances of hooking into something big is quite high. In recent time an overload of tourism has taken a toll on the islands, where Man goes, destruction follows and the remains of picnics manifest themselves in an assortment of plastic bags, cups, and a paraphilia of rubbish.

On dark nights when the island is bathed in the nebulous glow of the moon, you can still hear those bloody cries from those unfortunate sailors, while the phantom hexagonal rocks loom large in the shadows, watching and waiting as they have done over the last millennia.