March 2nd, 2009
Pandavas Paradise – Part 2
(…continued from Part 1)
Pandavas Paradise is a 400 hectare (almost 1000 acres) retreat centre/nature reserve/temple situated in the Cerrado, the vast tropical savanna ecoregion of Brazil. The Cerrado is known as the world´s most biodiverse savanna with about 10,000 different species of vascular plants, over 160 mammal species, 867 bird species, thousands of species of butterfly, and much more. Of course, the Cerrado covers a huge area (about 2 million square kilometers) and not all of those species of plant and animal species exist in Pandavas Paradise, but the huge biodiversity is obvious. It is estimated that in each hectare of Cerrado you will find about 400 different species of plants. Every time I visit I find so many new plants and animals that I hadn´t seen before. Everywhere I look I see so many different species living side by side. It gives me great opportunity to wonder at Krishna´s creation, and remember that this is just a spark of his splendor.
In Pandavas Paradise we have a lot of field arnica (the Cerrado endemic, Lychnophora ericoides, not the other arnica):
We pick some and use it to make tea. It is used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory. The bees like it too when it is in bloom:
Here are just a few of the other interesting species I photographed during a recent visit as I walked around the various trails:
This frog was sitting on the deck outside our chalet:
“…the most alluring illusory material energy is His smile. This great ocean of material creation is but the casting of His glance over us.” (Srimad Bhagavatam 2.1.31)
Pandavas Paradise has only been operational for three years and, for now, it is mainly used for retreats and festivals . I will write more later about how we plan to develop its other aspects – a bigger temple and a devotional community.
