Wandering at 60's

Tamirabarani Trails #4

Manimuthar Falls

Manimutharu Falls is about 13 km from Kallidaikurichi. It is in Singampatti forest range, which is one of the places surrounding Kallidaikurichi.  After driving from Kallidaikurichi through Singampatti, the entry point to the forest area can be reached at the foot hills.  This is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you travel by private vehicle you are required to pay parking fee (for car/van), enable the inspection of your vehicle (so that disposable plastics are not taken into the forest) at the forest outpost.  The drive up the hill takes you through the dam area with beautiful scenery.  On our way we encountered peacocks and peahens and a vast dam.  We learned that the dam was put in place from the agricultural land, which was prone to flooding.  The villagers exchanged this land for government land in the vicinity, enabling the storage of water that goes as far as away as Radhapuram through canals for the purpose of agriculture.  After driving few kms the Manimuthar falls can be reached.  It is quite enticing at first sight and one must go down few tens of steps (not so friendly for the physically challenged and seniors) to take a shower.  Manimuthar falls is worth the visit for the eyes and more so if you are interested in cooling yourself down in the physical and mental sense!     

Papanasam

From Manimutham falls, one can reach Papanasam by driving through the villages on the foothills.  Madura Coats constitutes a significant fraction of the foothills.  These villagers do not step out after dark as Panthers and occasionally bears visit the village to take away domesticated animals (and people if they are more easily available).  Papanasam is located at the foothills of one of the hills leading to Kaaryaar.  The temple appeared beautiful with the mountain on the background and gushing Tamirabarani river, few tens of feet below the temple.  The Siva temple is located right at the place where Tamarabarini enters ground zero at Papanasam.  On the day and time that we visited there was a marriage party that had taken up a reasonable fraction of the temple and thereby restricted our free access to the temple.  If you are willing to climb down through fifty odd steps from the temple/road level, then a bath in Tamirabarini is the gift that you would get. 

Agasthiyar Falls

From the Papanasam temple, the road up the mountain (through the regular procedure of checking with the forest department and getting a pass to visit accompanied by payment for vehicle) leads to Agasthiyar Aruvi at first.  To reach the exact location of the Falls, driving about a km from the main road (through a deviation) is required. 

Sorimuthuayynar Temple in Kaaraiyaar (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.)
Further drive, up the hill from Agasthiyar Falls, takes you to Kaarayaar where the temple for Soritmuthu Ayyanar is located.  This is where the drive up the hill stops.  This temple is for Sorimuthyayyanar and Sangili Boothathaar and is quite popular among the people of the surrounding area.    


Points to note along with constraints:
Please check with the locals if there is water flow in the falls at least one day in advance before the visit.  Water flow is not perennial and is especially copious only when it is rainy season. 

When visiting places such as Manimuthar Falls/Dam, Agasthiyar Falls/ Kaaraiyaar take note that they open at 9 a.m. and close at 3 p.m.  An entry fee is required for private vehicles and the Forest Department takes note of the vehicle number and instructs you not to use disposable plastic in the forest area.  The use of plastics (especially carry bags) is strictly forbidden in these places and the vehicle is thoroughly checked by the forest official at the check-post. 
At Manimuthar, private vehicles are allowed to ply only till the Manimuthar Falls and not beyond.  If you wish to go to higher elevation such as Maanjolai estate then you must use public transportation (read, government operated bus).       

Temple timings:
Morning: Open from around 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. (12 noon on special days and where visitor density is high);
Evening: from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. 
In some temples, where conduct of marriage takes place it may not be unusual to encounter a “sendai melam” party just outside the temple, 50 to 100 relatives and friends, as well as nadhaswaram-thavil kutchery inside the temple where the ceremony is conducted in front of the main sanctum.  This means that the duration that one would spend in a typical temple (30 minutes to 1 hour) may have to be extended, especially if more than one marriage is conducted at about the same time.