At 975 feet(297 meters), Thalaiyar falls/Rat tail falls is the third highest single drop waterfall in India.
We started our trek at Moolayar near Kodaikanal and trekked along coffee plantations for close to an hour. After some time, we reached dolmen sites that were covered in bushes. The view from here was amazing and we took a brief halt here.
We reached the tribal settlement of Vellangulam where we met a few lovely people. They showed us the way and we proceeded to trek along that route. The trail soon disappeared and we were now fighting through 6-8 feet high grass and bushes that made sure we get featured in the next 'Itch-Guard' advertisement.
We reached the top of the falls about two hours after we started our trek. We could see the water fall to the base of the fall and we could also see the Manjalar dam at a distance.
Our plan was to descend to the base from there but fresh bison dung and very badly overgrown bushes made us reconsider our decision. After checking for a good way to descend for about an hour, we turned back after fresh bison dung appeared in places where there was nothing sometime back.
During our return trek, all of a sudden, we heard bisons running towards us. The grass in front of us was shaking badly and we could clearly hear the sound of its powerful legs hitting the rocks. After a moment of silence, we could hear its huge breath. We waited there without movements for sometime and them got out of there as soon as possible. We called the tribals who were staying nearby for help and they came with us till we reached the dolmens again. We are grateful to them for immediately coming to our rescue. They showed us a lot of things on the way including Kal Paasi(Black Stone Flower) which is used as a spice in Indian cuisine. We also had a nice chat with them and it was an honour to spend some time with these lovely people.
After we exited the jungle, we met a few people taking their produce to sell it in the markets. As we were very hungry, we approached them and enquired the price of orange. They told us these lines:
"We are not bothered about money. You have come here alone without any help all the way from Chennai."
and gave us more than 10 oranges for free. They even dropped us at the nearest bus stop from where we caught a bus to Madurai.
More than the bison encounter or the exhilarating feeling of standing on the top of a huge falls, I feel proud that I have met these amazing people. They reminded me of all the false feelings that a city life provides and how rich these people are in spite of having so little.
We reached the tribal settlement of Vellangulam where we met a few lovely people. They showed us the way and we proceeded to trek along that route. The trail soon disappeared and we were now fighting through 6-8 feet high grass and bushes that made sure we get featured in the next 'Itch-Guard' advertisement.
During our return trek, all of a sudden, we heard bisons running towards us. The grass in front of us was shaking badly and we could clearly hear the sound of its powerful legs hitting the rocks. After a moment of silence, we could hear its huge breath. We waited there without movements for sometime and them got out of there as soon as possible. We called the tribals who were staying nearby for help and they came with us till we reached the dolmens again. We are grateful to them for immediately coming to our rescue. They showed us a lot of things on the way including Kal Paasi(Black Stone Flower) which is used as a spice in Indian cuisine. We also had a nice chat with them and it was an honour to spend some time with these lovely people.
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| Kal Paasi(Black Stone Flower) |
After we exited the jungle, we met a few people taking their produce to sell it in the markets. As we were very hungry, we approached them and enquired the price of orange. They told us these lines:
"We are not bothered about money. You have come here alone without any help all the way from Chennai."
and gave us more than 10 oranges for free. They even dropped us at the nearest bus stop from where we caught a bus to Madurai.
More than the bison encounter or the exhilarating feeling of standing on the top of a huge falls, I feel proud that I have met these amazing people. They reminded me of all the false feelings that a city life provides and how rich these people are in spite of having so little.
the last line is an epic _/\_ !!
ReplyDeletedude !!
ReplyDeleteSivaa !! is it possible to trek to the falls on the bottom end ?? from Amma machi temple ???
of-course, You can reach via Manjalar Dam!
DeleteCan you kindly share the route youve taken littel eloborately!
ReplyDelete