Tiruvannamalai: Holy Hill city of Tamil Nadu

If you are looking for a religious and peaceful spot then there is no better option than Tiruvannamalai. This district of Tamil Nadu State is very famous for the glory of Lord Arunachaleshwara. There are many sacred temples and other tourist experiencing places like caves, churches, dams, forts, museums, lakes and ashrams that are worth visiting. 

If you want to realize what complete peace is? Then there is no other destination other than Tiruvannamalai. This place was founded in the year 1989. This place is situated on the hills, there are mountains and valleys all around. Here, you can find a great atmosphere for meditation. This district is also termed as a place of god. Where, you can sense divinity.

This place is mainly popular for temples. It is a well-known pilgrimage.  If you look at the temples from a distance. You can see the mountains as the background. The complete image is so astonishing that you cannot stop gazing this nature’s splendor. If you love archaeological than this is the destination that you must not miss out. The sculptures are designed very modestly. The beauty of the temples and ashrams cannot be defined in words. 

Well stating the place completely is not possible in this niche. There are around eight important destinations that cannot be ignored.

• Arunachaleshwara Temple
• Sri Ramana Ashram
• Skandashramam
• Virupashaka Cave
• Seshadri Swamigal Ashram
• Mamara Guhai
• Sattanur Dam
• Sathanur Reservoir

It is said that Lord Shiva subsists in five various appearances in Annamalai. The foremost is the hill. Second is the Linga shape.

Third in the sand form, therefore people do wear footwear’s while visiting temples and other holy places. Fourth in the form of fire. Fifth is in all five elements, which is also termed as paanch bootha in human form. The residents of this place have a belief that Lord Shiva is residing in between them in a human figure.

If you want to feel how heaven can be? Then this the destinations that you must definitely visit at least once in your lifetime.  

How to reach Tiruvanamalai?

You can reach the destination by rail or road. There is a train for Tiruvannamalai from all big cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Bangalore, Vellore, Kochi and many others. If you are travelling from Southern cities then you can also use the road mode that is buses and taxis. There are many hotels and guest houses near by the bus stop and railway stations so accommodation will not be a problem. There are many travel agencies that are offering a complete tour package that will include accommodation, traveling, sightseeing and visit to holy places.

If you are traveling from a long distance then it would be good to hire a city tour guide by contacting a nearby travel agency.

Courtallam - Waterfall City Of Tamil Nadu

Do you love to visit the place of waterfalls? 

If you are looking for the location that is famous for natural spa, then reach Courtallam the spa town of Tamil Nadu, also known as Kutralam. Courtallam is basically a Panchayat town at good altitude of 160 meters. Tirunelveli Ghats are closer to this town and that are amazing tourism spots as well. However, most of the rivers in this area are seasonal so you will enjoy more if you visit the spot in monsoon. Among other seasonal rivers Chittar, Pachaiyar River, Manimuthar River and Tambaraparani River are main originate from such region.

The interesting part of Courtallam is there are countless small, big waterfalls and springs with amazing health resorts. Because of quality service the place is also recognized as South Indian Spa Town. Though this is seasonal town so best time to visit is from June till September. At such duration the temperature of city is cool with some breeze mild wind flow. You can visit the spot from October - December as the weather conditions are cool and you might see heavy rainfall as well.

It is the small town with natural beauties and the population strength is less too. Population for male and female is almost same and the literacy is nearly 80 %. Frankly speaking the town is closer to several other best tourist destinations like the border of Courtallam is touched to Kerala.

Location:

The place is full of Ghats and covered with charming scenic surroundings. The hilly area Agasthiarmalai is another best place to visit in the region. Some of the nearby towns to Courtallam are Tenkasi and Sengottai at equal distance of 5 km.

Waterfalls in Courtallam:

As discussed town is famous for waterfalls and natural spa areas, there are nearly 9 big and small waterfalls. We will try to cover maximum falls in this note but you might not get complete info related to such areas due to lack of information:

Palaruvi: This is one of the main falls of the town falls from good height of 60 meter. There are several ponds at this spot as the water flow is interrupted by 19 meter deep crater at Pongumakadal. Area is safe for bath, though experts suggest not to use in heavy rain fall conditions.

Chitraruvi: Small but very impressive fall of the town covered with beautiful surrounding scenic beauties. Finest feature of this tourist place is you will find the separate areas for women and men both to bathe.

Shenbagadevi falls: Next waterfall, special for Shenbaga trees (Shenbaga means Michaelia champak). A temple of Shenbagadevi Amman is special too in this place.

Thenaruvi: Located at 3 km distance from central town area. Famous as honey falls, having good height of 40 meters. Water flows from the two big stones and the empty areas of waterfall are covered with big honeycombs. This waterfall is listed as most dangerous area and public is not allowed to enter the pond spots at this place. However, some small ponds are available too to take bath and public is visiting those area to enjoy the natural spa.

Aintharuvi: There is a place famous for small and attractive five falls known as Aintharuvi.

Pazhathottam Aruvi (VIP falls): This is something different that I never heard for. This place is especially for VIP's only and normal public is not allowed to visit the waterfall area. As per local rule the area require more attention and that’s the reason it is protected for special people only.

Pazhaya Aruvi: One of the oldest falls of the town, falls in a valley from two rocks. However, the tourism department did some changes in the valley and they closed the area for some time. They broke the rocks and changed the course to make the bath easier for visitors.

Puli Aruvi: Also known as Tiger Falls, though it is artificial waterfall having moderate water flow. The structure is designed by collecting the water from different rivers and diverted to this area. The top feature of Puli Aruvi is visits of tigers at pond area for drinking water. You need to be very careful in this region because it is the tiger reserve area of Courtallam town.

There are several other small and big waterfalls such as Horticulture Park, etc. Trekkers are also getting some portion to trek so we can say this place is completely tourism and adventure spot for the travelers.

Some more attractions of Courtallam:

Therkumalai Estate at 2000 feet altitude located at 1 hour distance from central town, Boat Houses closer to Five Falls, Boat Houses at Old Courtallam Falls, Snake Park closer to Main Falls, Aquarium closer to Main Falls and Children's Park.

Courtallam is bordered with Kerala India, which means there are many more tourism places users will get once they reach the town. Few of the nearby tourist locations are:

Tenkasi: located closer to Western Ghats foothills near Courtallam Waterfalls. This town includes best accommodation areas so travelers prefer to attain to Tenkasi town if they are reaching to Courtallam town.

Temple town: South India people are having huge religious values. You will find the finest structured temples at almost every portion of towns in Tamil Nadu. Chitra Sabha, Rathna Sabha (at Thiruvalangadu), Kanaka Sabha (Chidambaram), Velli Sabha (Madurai) and Thamira Sabha (Tirunelveli) are some wonder temples to visit in this region.

Thirukutraalanaadhar Kovil, Kumaran Kovil, Thirumalai Kovil, Kasivishuwanathar Kovil, Papanasam Ulagaambihai, Dhakshinamoorthy Kovil, Sivan Kovil and Ariyankavu Iyappan Kovil are few amazing temples located at nearby areas of Courtallam.

How to reach Courtallam?

By Air: The closest airport is Madurai connected to Chennai, Delhi and many more cities. Private taxi and buses are available from outer part of Airport to Courtallam. Distance between Courtallam and Madurai can be covered in 3 hours. The closest international airport is Thiruvananthapuram located at 3 hour distance too.

By Rail: Closest railway station is Tenkasi connected directly to Chennai, Tirunelveli and many big cities of India.

By Road: Tamil Nadu Roadways is having direct buses for Courtallam. However, for frequent services you can reach to Kuttralam at 200 km distance from Madurai. Buses for Tenkasi are available from almost every corner of the state.

Yelagiri - Hill Station of Tamil Nadu

Are you looking for best hill station of South India? If yes, they are going to tell you one of the secret Indian tourist place named as Yelagiri. It is the hill station of Vellore region, Tamil Nadu. This amazing hill area is located on Vaniyambadi to Tirupattur road at good altitude of 1410.6 meters from the sea level. It is the small town spread in 30 km2 area. Some people recognize this place as Elagiri. The surrounded of this place is covered with orchards, green valleys and rose-garden.

 

History: town is not having big history because people are not much aware of this place. Yelagiri is the village comes on the route of Vaniyambadi to Jolarpettai. The town was established by British colonial for their summer vacations.

 

In ancient period the town was the private property of Zamindar Yelagiri. In 1950 Indian government take over the town and announced as Yelagiri city. Family members of Yelagiri Zamindar still exist in Reddiyur city.

 

Summer Festival: the most special occasion for the village is Yelagiri Summer festival. It is conducted in May by the TNTD (Tamil Nadu Tourism Development) Board. Some special events in the fest are different Stalls, cultural programs, Flowers show and Dog Show. Large number of people reaches Yelagiri at this time to enjoy the festival.

 

Tourist attraction in Yelagiri:
Trekking: As Yelagiri is the hill station you can take pleasure of trekking. There are many areas where you can do trekking, though some places are difficult and dangerous so be careful if you are planning for such event. 

 

Punganoor Artificial Lake: It is the park as well as lake area for picnic of local people. We can say it is the most impressive landmark of Yelagiri. Tamil Nadu tourism department is taking care of park as well as the lake.

 

Jalagamparai Waterfalls: Do you love waterfalls then visit a short distance place known as Jalagamparai falls located at only gap of 14 km from city Tirupattur. The river Attaru is flowing from this region and there countless areas where the water flows with high speed. Nature made waterfalls is best in this location. You have to travel for one hour to reach the spot as it is only 5 km away but the path is not easy to move free. You have to get downhill to reach the spot. This place is added in the list of most adventurous places of Tamil Nadu.

 

Swamimalai Hills: Next destination for travelers is Swamimalai hills which is one of the peaks of Yelagiri village. Swami hills are in shape of a cake and its high altitude makes it impressive destination for travelers. Hard trekking of 3 km is equal to 7 kms of other trekking areas of Tamil Nadu state.

 

Telescope observatory: If you want have closer look of nearby spots of this hill then reach telescope observatory located closer to Yelagiri hill. However, news is gathered that this observatory is closed for some reason.

 YMCA Centre: This is the non-profit organization offering loading, dormitory stay, trekking and few more camp activities.

 

YASA Club: You are getting a chance to enjoy adventure sports, paragliding and many other events offered by YASA club.

 

How to reach Yelagiri?
By Road: Tamil Nadu state transport is having buses for Yelagiri from different cities. However, the town is not much popular so travelers might face some difficulties to get booking in local transport. Direct buses for Yelagiri are available from Bangalore, Chennai, Jolarpet, Hosur, Tirupattur and Salem.

 

By Air: closest airport to reach Yelagiri is Chennai located at 219 km distance. Chennai is the international as well as domestic airport so you can easily get the flights from your special destination. Flights for Chennai are available from Bangalore, Delhi and almost every big city of India.

 

By Train: closest railway station is Jolarpettai junction connected directly through train to Bangalore, Coimbatore, Chennai and some more cities.

Masinagudi - Wildlife Park of Tamil Nadu

As there are countless places to visit in India, today we are going to discuss about the town that is having one of the best national park of India. This Wildlife Sanctuary is house of Tiger. We all know that wildlife parks are full of greenery and thick forest, though jungle of Masinagudi is covered with Nilgiri Hills. You have to reach Nilgiri region that is just 150 km away from Coimbatore City of Tamil Nadu State, India. The park is spread in 321 km² area and their registered office phone number is 0423-2445971.

 

Detail study on Masinagudi:
After a deep search about this place we came to know some valuable facts that make this place special for the tourism. Its not easy to describe each feature of Masinagudi in this short note but we are trying to put some best information collected by our executives.

 

Few things that people like most about Masinagudi are jungle lodges, available resorts, thick forest, lodging in forest and bird watching. You will get surprised and will live the original wildlife in this city. The best thing is hiring guide to enjoy the wildlife of Masinagudi.

Tiger Reserve Forest:
The most important about Jungle of Masinagudi is you are not allowed to walk in reserve forest. You will be advised to stay in resorts or lodgings of forest department. Tiger reserve forest is dangerous part of the city. For safety measurement you are not allowed to enter jungle alone. Because of thick forest the day time is dark as well so the risk factor is always there in the jungle.

 

Safaris Van:
You will be getting a chance to watch animals in jungle as the forest department is having safaris for voyagers. Safari van is designed for the tourist, though you have to reach the office by morning 6 o’clock. Safari timing is from 6:30 am to 8.30 am and 3 pm to 6 pm. Duration for safari is 45 minutes to 1 hour. The basic reason behind limited time safari is the jungle is full of wild animals and department don’t want to disturb the animals so that voyagers can enjoy the forest properly. The common viewing animals are spotted deer, bear, elephant and tigers. Forest office is having elephant ride as well so enjoy watching live animals like in Mowgli style.

 

Elephant Camp:
Whichever national park you visit you will find the elephant camp there. The reason is elephant is comfortable to walk any path of the jungle. They are safe and even wild animals also scared of elephant attacks so you are safe once you go for elephant ride.

 

Enjoy the coffee plantation and some greener valley areas to make your holidays special.

 

Nearby tourist places of Masinagudi:
Ooty: One of the best tourist places of India such as Ooty is few kms away from this spot. You have to complete a day trip to reach this best Indian tourist place Ooty. It is the hill station discovered by British government during their ruling period. Few major spots of Ooty are botanical gardens, lake, boating, Toda museum, coffee plantations, etc.

 

Gopalaswamy Betta: One closer destination for travelers in Masinagudi is Gopalaswamy Betta, though Bandipur and Mudumalai are other two closest sanctuary point in this region. Historic temple at peak is best experience for voyagers in this region.

 

Gauribara: Nilgiri ranges are famous for adventure lovers. Gauribara is the place closer to Mudumalai sanctuary. People also recognize this place as Gauri nestles. The word Gauri Bara means honey cleft that is located at 5 ½ hour journey distance from Bangalore. This coffee estate is covered with white snow in winter season.

 

Kallikudi: In ancient period Kallikudi was the town of rubber estates. However, today people are doing plantation of tea, spices and pepper. Private wildlife reserve is attraction of Kallikudi. Get the Mettupalayam to Kotagiri Road to reach the spot. However, its located at 90 minutes distance from Coimbatore. If you are coming from Bangalore then you will reach spot in 6½ hours. Nature view, forest visit and wild animals view is best thing for voyagers in this area.

 

Bird Watching: Masinagudi is full of greenery areas so birds are reaching this place at large level. You can enjoy watching around 320 types of birds in park. Some common but impressive birds of jungle are Grey Head Bulbul, Minivet, Lark, Woodpecker, Piculet, Hornbill, Quail, Pigeon and many more.

Camping spots closer to Masinagudi: If you love camping then visit Malabar Hornbill, Blue Rock Thrush and Rufus Babbler.

 

Best period to reach Masinagudi:
June - September: The city is having moderate climate all the time so reaching the spot anytime is not problem for voyagers. Lust forest becomes more impressive in rainy season. Reach the spot between June to September is best period. Wear quality shoes for comfortable walk in the jungle of Masinagudi.

 

How to reach Masinagudi?
By Air: The closest International Airport for Masinagudi is Coimbatore located at 123 Kms distance. Flights for Coimbatore are available from almost every city of India. Frequent flights for destination are available from Bhubaneswar, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Mumbai, Ahmadabad, Kochi/Cochin and Pune. International flights are available from Sharjah, Singapore and Bangkok.

 

By Road: Road trip to Masinagudi is best mode to enjoy the nature. Get the private or government buses for Masinagudi from Mudumalai City that is 20 Kms away from destination. Ooty located at 29 km distance is also the best way to reach spot. If you get the transport from Mettupalayam city then you have to cover the distance of 81 Kms.

 

By Train: closest big railway station Coimbatore connected with large amount of trains from major cities of India. This Indian tourist place Masinagudi is easily reachable through Coimbatore.

Palani - Hill Station of Tamil Nadu

Are you in need of place where you can spend you holidays? Do you want your holidays to be memorable? Reach Palani a wonderful place on earth that is popular for its greenery, hills and forest life. However, the town is containing lots of other tourist destinations so overall this place is going to make you happiest person on the earth. Many people link the Palani hills to Palani town which is not exactly correct thinking. The town is having countless spots for travelers whereas the hill area contains valleys and dense forest. 

When we talk about the hill area of Palani this oldest hill range is dated of prehistoric Pre-Cambrian era. The mount of Palani is made of gneisses, schist’s and charnockites. 

Palani is located in south India comes under the state Tamil Nadu. Palani city is positioned under Dindigul region of TN (Tamil Nadu) and famous religious city Madurai is 100 km away from Palani. Coimbatore City is just 60 kms far from the city. Experts say Palani is the home of god Kartikeya. Approximately 7 million followers are reaching Palani every year.

Attraction of Palani: 

Ayakudi: First place for travelers of Palani is Ayakudi that is Gram Panchayat town. Here the popular thing is guava cultivation and local markets. Ayakudi is also recognized for sugarcane, paddy, cotton, lime and farming of mango. The top feature of town is their productive items are exported to the different nations. 

Keeranur: Next location is Keeranur that is also a small village lies between Palani and Dharapuram. Don’t miss to visit the Hindu temples in Keeranur like Karuppanna Swamy Shrine, Mariamman Temple, Semmandi Amman and Pappathi Amman Temple. 

Palani Hills: Wonderful spot of Palani town is their hill area spread in 2068 square km area. The hill is housing rarest type of birds, amphibians, plants and butterflies. Coffee plantation gives different view to voyagers because the complete slope area of the hill is covered with coffee farming. You must attain to two streams of Palani hills such as Vaigai and Amaravathi. 

Palani Murugan Temple: A shrine where you can take blessings of God Murugan is our next destination in Palani. However, you have to climb nearly 670 steps of the hilltop to reach temple. People who have difficulty in walk or not able to move freely can take help of Haulage Winch or the small rope cabin. Its a kind of rope car available for the voyagers to reach the hilltop. 

Palani Hill Temple: Hilly areas are always favorite destinations for adventure lovers and if the place is linked to religion then it becomes more interesting spot. Palani Hill shrine is positioned on hills of Palani devoted to God Murugan. The idol is in the form of Dhandayutha Pani. The average height of temple is 1500 feet from the sea level. Two more spots reachable from Palani Hill temple are Tiruchirappalli/Trichy and Madurai. Here you can take a dip in holy pool Saravana Poigai. 

There are many more holy and attractive destinations in Palani such as Mariamman Temple, Madattukkulam, Aivarmalai, Bison Wells, Tiru Avinankudi Temple, Dhandayuthapani Temple, LNPT (Laxmi Narayana Perumal Temple), Saravana Poigai, Varathamanathi Dam, Periya Nayaki Temple, Idumban Temple, Bhogar Samadhi, Palar Dam, Thekkanthottam, Kuthiraiyar Dam Falls, Shanmuga Nadi Temples, Kannadi Perumal Temple, etc. 

General Traveling Tips for Palani: This small town is having good accommodation facility, but as people are reaching Palani in large amount you should book your hotel in advance. Get the stay facility before you start your journey. 

Attaining to Palani:

By Air: Nearest airport for Palani is Coimbatore located at 100 km distance. Coimbatore is properly linked to major cities of India such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Kochi /Cochin, Ahmadabad, Bangalore and Chennai.

By Road: To reach any hill station road is the major transport mode. Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation is having frequent buses for Palani from Trivandrum, Madurai, Kanyakumari, Coimbatore and Chennai. If you are coming from Madurai you have to travel for 112 km, though Tiruchirappalli/Trichy is 152 km away and Kodaikanal is 65.4 km far. 

By Train: Railway station of Palani is available for you. Direct trains for Palani are available from Palakkadu, Madurai and Coimbatore.