Are you a person who is fascinated by the thrilling, terrific rides in amusement parks? Then travel to Kolli hills is the right choice for you. With 70 hairpin bends to reach the hill top, the experience is nothing short of the giant roller coaster rides. Of course, the duration is longer, lasting 45 to 60 minutes.
Kolli hills is a small mountain range located in Namakkal district of Central Tamil Nadu. It is around 350 km from Chennai and 65 Km from Salem. Planning for a 2 days vacation getaway to a serene location that is not much commercialised by tourists , we started to Kolli hills from Chennai on a Friday morning by car. Though much smaller than Ooty/Kodaikanal , the winding ride to the mountain could evoke dizziness and nausea for anyone. Better to be prepared with some fizzy drinks/lemon. We reached the hill top around 1 pm and took rest for few hours after taking lunch in the restaurant attached to the resort. We started for sightseeing after sipping our evening tea enjoying the scenic beauty around.
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| Scenic View of Kolli from View Point |
The
Kolli View point is at few km distance from the resort. As it was almost twilight, we could get only glimpse of the wading sun beside the mountain. We felt as if the sun was red hot with anger and it tried to hide its face, as we got late. However, the misty mountains engulfed in canopy of green trees was a picturesque one. To get a better view of the never ending beauty of the towering mountains, we climbed on the watch tower. As darkness engulfed us, we returned back to the resort brimming with energy, capturing the scenery in both our eye and camera lens.
There are only a handful of resorts in kolli , as tourism has just picked up. We stayed in Nallathambi resort, which is ideal for a family stay. Though not a Posh one, it has all the basic facilities and is clean. Powered by solar water heaters, there is 24 hrs hot water supply.
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| Jack fruits |
You can wake up to see Jack fruits hanging, pepper climbers and red hibiscus and other beautiful flowers greeting u a good morning. What more is required than having a meals with home made touch in an open to sky environment with cool breeze and mild sun? As it is December., we expected the weather to be cold and packed up our winter clothes but the weather was neither cold nor hot but very pleasant.
The next day, we woke up early and started for
Arappaleeswarar temple, which is around 12 kms from the resort, It is an ancient small temple believed to have been built by Valvil Ori in the 1st or 2nd century. Though there has been lot of renovations since the time it was built , it did not lose its heritage and ancient glory. We could sense it as we stood in the main Karpagriha to pray the lord.
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| Agaya Ganga from a distance |
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| Agaya Ganga |
With blessings of lord Shiva, we proceeded to the majestic
Agaya Ganga waterfalls. It is just a stone throw away from the temple. With full of energy to see the falls, we climbed down the 1000 steps. At about half the distance, we can hear the giant roar of the waterfall. Nearing the falls, you are sure to feel that it is worth the effort. With its rapid speed and height, it gives a feel of water falling from the sky justifying its name. But we cannot get closer to the fall as we get wet by the fall shower few metres before. It is nearly comparable to the famous Kutralam in Thenkasi. The view of Agaya Ganga amidst the mountain range and greeneries is breathtaking. It turned out to be actually breathtaking for me as I nearly passed out while climbing back. Probably, it is either because of the low oxygen levels at high altitude or because I climbed in empty stomach. So, make sure that you are in good health and carry essential glucose drinks to visit this majestic waterfall.
Don't be disappointed that you could not take bath in Agaya Ganga. There are many other waterfalls in Kolli hills, among which is Masila falls.As
Masila falls is wide and the water pace is relatively low, we can take bath in this fall. Hats off to Tamil Nadu tourism department , there are toilets, waiting rooms and children's play area in all the locations. There are also many temples in Kolli but as were short of time, we returned to the resort for lunch after visiting and worshiping
Ettukai Amman temple.
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| Pepper Climber |
Post lunch, we went to
boat house. Pepper climbers lined up all through the way embracing the trees like lovers hugging each other closely. The boat house is small , yet it is very scenic with ferns and evergreen trees lining up its shore. Pedaling the boat, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery with cool breeze embracing us. There is also a children's park adjacent to the boat house.
We got refreshed to drive back to Chennai.
As Kolli hills is not commercialized like other hill stations, it still retains its natural beauty. But in spite of the several sign boards, we could see plastics and bottles littered in some places threatening the survival of forest animals. Isn't it human beings' duty to preserve God's creations?
Encompassing magnificent waterfalls, ancient temples, boat house, botanical gardens, Kolli hills is a perfect hill station. No wonder, it is the top choice for nature lovers, trekking enthusiasts and meditation practitioners.
