A Trip to Hogenakkal Waterfall

Hogenakkal Waterfall !! It is a waterfall on the river Cauvery and is about 250 meters above the sea level. It is located in the Dharmapuri district in Tamilnadu and about about 180 km from Bangalore. 'Hogenakkal' is a major site of tourist attraction and is sometimes referred as "Niagara falls of India". This was our second trip to Hogenakkal waterfall as last time we came with a range bound time and actually just touched it and went. This time (9th October, 2011), we had a full afternoon and were able to spend much more time exploring the place.

We reached the town at around 1:30 PM. The town is a not well organized for tourists and we had some initial problem with parking our vehicle. Being the last holiday of Dusheerah vaccation, there was a huge 'parking place crisis'. We were stopped by the security people on the way to the fall and were instructed that the vehicle could not go further. It was very crowded and finally we had to park our Innova around a kilometer away from the fall. It was hot and humid and by the time we reached near the water we were actually drenched in sweat. 

The first look at the water was soothing although the fall was no where in sight. All we saw was a big number of Coracle boats and the boat drivers negotiating with people. We were told that we need   to go across the water to see the fall. As elders were there, I was not part of the whole negotiation but came to know that they are charging 160/- per person (assuming 6 people per coracle) or 960/- per coracle. While elders where busy in checking with different people and negotiations which went on for around next 20 mins, others including me enjoyed boiled sweetcorn that was being sold there. Finally we agreed on 2 coracles @ 900 per coracle as were 8 adults and 2 kids and didn't want to share our coracle. We felt like cheated but had not option but to pay. It was later that we realized that all the money we paid was worth the experience.

All of us hopped into our coracles and it started moving. We had hardly moved for 2 minutes and we were asked to get down as we had reached the fall. This was the fall's view from the Tamilnadu side. The view of the fall was magnificent and we were soaked in its beauty. We were admiring the series of the falls from both sides of the river. Just then, the boat driver carrying the coracle approached us, and asked us to meet down the hill at the river. There were stairs down hill, very small and risky for elderly people and for the kids. We got down to the river. You also need to be careful about the coracle drivers coming down with their coracle. Anyways, we again climbed our coracles and what we saw after that was truly mesmerizing.


We could see ourselves between mountains on both our sides. It reminded me the scenes from the song "Raat ka Nasha abhi" from the movie 'Asoka', where Kareena travels on a wooden plank between mountains. I have not seen the movie, but like the song location ever since I first watched the song. I am not sure where the song was shot, but the view around us was very very similar to the location in the song.

As the Coracle moved ahead with the flow of the river, we saw many big and small water falls on the way, and even completely drenched ourselves under some of these small waterfalls. The water must have created its way cutting down the huge mountains over several years. Our coracle seemed very minuscule in comparison to the width of the river and the majestic rocks on both sides. There were marks of water levels on the rocks suggesting that in peak rains, water level would  have been 3-4 feet higher than what we were seeing. Apart from multicolored mountains and serene water, we saw some beautiful and rare birds. 


Here are some photos i clicked on the way -

After around 30 mins, we saw some sandy shores on our right hand side. The boat driver told us that this was the Karnataka side of the Cauvery river, and we needed to get down there. At Hogenakkal, the Cauvery river divides the two states, Tamilnadu and Karnataka, and enters again into Karnataka. We were now at the Karnataka side and were told to climb the rock on our right and trek for half a kilometer, which actually turned out to be much more than a kilometer. We climbed the rocks and found ourselves in a small jungle. Initial climb was a bit tasking, however later it was a smooth stroll through the woods with narrow muddy lanes and Cauvery river flowing silently on our right hand at a small distance. There were few huts here and there and some ladies were selling fishes  covered with chutney or masala on every few hundred meters. This might have lured any non-vegetarian but being veg this was not something that attracted us. Finally, we reached an open place where there was a thin cement bridge  taking us closer to a view-point of the fall from the Karnataka side.

It was a indeed a beautiful sight from the view point! You can see huge amount of water gushing down the hill at high speed from a nice height. We could actually feel the coolness of the water droplets in the breeze. It is there where I understood why it is actually called the 'Niagara falls of India'. It was water all around with land and rocks popping out of the water here and there and mountains on the  outer periphery. We enjoyed the view, the watery breeze and clicked some photos before we resumed further with our journey. The coracles and drivers were waiting for us. As we loaded back in our boats, we started the final lap of our voyage over Cauvery, where we sailed through making the complete route as a full circle. On the way back to the starting point we saw some picturesque white birds (I don't know the names though) sitting in big groups on the rocks all the way. We traveled over some small whirls & rapids and the coracle driver spun the coracle round and round which was well cheered by the kids on-board. 

After the coracle ride was over and as we were planning to leave the place, we read a notice board about some 'Hanging Bridge'. Out of curiosity, we moved in the direction, and to our surprise we found yet another dimension to the place. As  we moved forward, we crossed some small dome shaped bridges over detours of cauvery and finally reached a 100 meter long hanging bridge across the canyon. The view from the bridge was amazing and even more amazing was to see designated  bathing place where lots of people were enjoying big-time under the forceful downpour of the Cauvery. It was then, it dawned on us why there vendors selling soap, oils, and other bathing utilities, and why there were so many people getting massage at various places on the way to the bridge.. and we regretted that we were not prepared for the mighty shower (no extra pair of clothes to change). The other side of the bridge takes you to the initial view point the fall (from TN side that we had already covered with the coracle). As the terrian was very rough, and taking into consideration that all of us were tired, we didn't go further and returned giving a last envious look at the enjoying souls under the gushing water.

By this time, it was getting evening and we were getting a little late for our return journey. We started our journey to Bangalore and on the way back, we stopped for one last time to have our late lunch on the shores of Cauvery. As they say - "For Indians, a picnic is never complete if you have not enjoyed food as a part of the picnic". Very true!! We found a scenic location and unpacked our lunchboxes and had a peaceful meal on the banks of Cauvery (by the way we didn't litter the place as responsible citizens). By the time we wrapped up our lunch-cum-dinner, it started getting dark. We hopped back into the vehicle and within minutes most of us in the back seats turned into sleeping beauties. We reached Bangalore somewhere between 9:00 to 9:30 p.m.


After thoughts - There is so much to do at Hogenakkal that you should actually do a over-night stay there. We had planned it as a day trip only this time, but we definitely plan to have a night stay here whenever we come here next. This would help us in enjoying some more early morning trekking and  definitely a long bath under that gushing cauvery.


Adios for now,
Akshaya

Our Yercaud Trip

Dear Readers,


Welcome to my blog!!


This is a small run through of our trip to Yercaud  during 22nd to 24th, Sept 2011.

This was our first road trip outside bangalore on self drive. The plan was to start early morning on 22nd which was postponed because of the late news from Vibhu's school that he has his "farmers dance" at school and finally we started around 1:00PM from Bangalore. It was a 231Kms drive from Bangalore till Yercaud (which was around 22kms from the Salem town). We covered this journey in 5 Hrs and were there @ Yercaud around 6PM. Finding our destination "Lake Forest Hotel" was not tough, as it was located very close to the Yercaud Lake.

The  first glimpse of Lake Forest Hotel was enough to tell that our trip was going to be wonderful. The whole resort is given a retro look and feel. The ethnic collection of lamp-shades and  wooden furniture was adding to the grandeur  of the place. Calm and serene environment reinstated the feeling that holidays are to laze around and relax. "RELAX" is the key word if you are visiting Yercaud because there are not too many exotic locations to look around. Everything and every where you may want to go is with in 5-6 kms of radius. The main motto to come down to Yercaud is that - "You want to slow down after a hectic day-to-day life".

The first day @ Yercaud started with relaxation. As it gets dark very early on hills, we decided to enjoy the resort and take some rest so that we can start afresh next morning. And we went on exploring the resort. The resort is built on a hill and there was zig-zag paths climbing down leading to different rooms. On the way there were some oldies nicely placed giving an aesthetic look to the whole environment.

The rooms were equally beautiful. The apt colors and the wooden furniture added warmth to the feel of the whole room. On the walls there was space created to display some antiques. A special mention about that resting chair in the right corner (top) which actually gave a feeling that we were there to relax. The only blip to the whole thing was the TV that was hanging out from the wall. Probably it was not meant to be there but was added on the  demand from the customers.

You can see some of them from our room here in these photos. The lamp-shades, the vases and the wall tiles added beauty to the whole environment of the room. It was in fact a luxury in midst of some traditional looks. 

Vibhu was instantly charged up as usual and started with his activities, as I got busy clicking some photos and Seema started unwinding herself. Soon after some rest we went for our dinner. We  had some food packed with us, but after seeing the resort we decided to go with the food at resort's cafeteria, and we didn't regret it. 


The food was another plus to the resort as you can see in the photos down. You can see vibhu enjoying the soup and Seema busy with the sizzlers.

After the dinner, Seema and Vibhu were busy exploring the resort. They found a small activity room very close to the cafeteria. They started playing carom followed by a game of chess (you can see Seema and Vibhu invloved in the game of chess in the adjecent photo) while I was back to clicking photos in and around the area.



The next day, we got up early around 7:00 AM and went for morning tea. The weather outside was chilly. Seema and Vibhu had to wrap themselves in multiple layers of clothing. After the breakfast we went around and found more attractions.

Later that day after the breakfast, we went to see local attractions of Yercaud. As mentioned earlier all the view points were very close and drive-able we literally appreciated our decision to driving down to here in our Santro-Zing. We went around Yercaud Lake and then to Pagoda point. On the way back to the resort we did some Dirt Biking. 

Yercaud Lake: This is the first thing one sees, as you enter the Yercaud town, is this placid lake in a wonderful surrounding of hills and natural shoals. Also a beautifully landscaped garden on one bank. It has boating facility. This lake is the only natural lake among all the hill station lakes  in the South.

Vibhu enjoying sweetcorn @ Pagoda Point

Pagoda Point : This lies on the Eastern side of the Yercaud hills and is also known as Pyramid Point. One good thing you can do, if you can is hiring cycles, which is easily available and go cycling to the Pagoda point, which is 3 to 4 km from the Yercaud town. It seemed fun to us, but we left it for next time, after we build up some stamina :)

Dirt Biking: This was available @ Grange Resort which is on the way back to the Yercaud Town from the Pagoda point. This was our first hand experience with dirt biking. Those who want to try it as knowing normal bike driving is very different from dirt biking.  Be very cautious and follow all the directions given by the instructor properly. Vibhu was very much impressed and wanted to do it independently. Luckily, they had a small one suitable for vibhu and hence this became vibhu's first motor biking experience. Even after 2 rounds vibhu wanted to go for more round but we decided to comeback next day (which never happened as next day the route was blocked. 


In the evening we visited Shevaroy Temple and then to Lady's Seat for viewing the sunset which was our next very memorable experience @ yercaud.

Seema @ Shevaroy Point

Solitary Tree @ Shevaroy Temple

Shevaroy Temple: It is Situated atop Servaroyan hill, the annual festival of Lord Servaroyan is celebrated in May every year. The temple is a beautiful, narrow and dark cave having the God Servarayan and the Goddess Kaveri inside, which are believed as the deities of the Shevaroy Hills and Cauvery River. The Shevarayan is a flat-topped hill with a plateau. The view from the summit on all sides is magnificent, one looks down on a mass of mountains and hills far and near, with the plains spread out like a map between the Shevaroys and the nearest hills. Besides, the drive to Shevaroy Temple was very scenic and the view from this point is also worth watching !! Photos inside temple is prohibited and hence not there.


Lady's Seat : Lady's Seat is a natural rock formation in the form of a seat where reportedly a white English Lady of yeaster years spent her evenings viewing the magnificent panorama before ones eyes. There is a sheer drop of about 200 feet at this point into a private estate in the valley below. One of the best thing that We felt during the complete trip was the mesmerizing view of sunset from the Lady's Seat. Vibhu forced us to get a photograph clicked from a professional photographer there. (Not that he was interested in his photography but because he had a instant photo printer and vibhu wanted to experience his photo getting developed on it. We came to know about this we saw him running around the instrument after the click). Anyways, it turned out to be a wonderful decision and the photo really came out amazingly beautiful. The camera-man was a nice guy and he clicked us some more photos by replacing our memory card in his DSLR so that we get the soft copy of the same.

Enticing Sunset @ Lady's Seat Point

Seema posing with the Sun in her hand
(Clicked by a professional)

Seema as silhouette with sunset in background
(Clicked by me)

Evening was back at the hotel. We first played Carom and then TT for sometime. Vibhu had some time again on jumping sheet, Climbing bars and swings. By the time we reached our room, we were tired and slept early. Next morning (Saturday) was our checkout day. We again went to Shevaroy hill in the morning and then to Kiliyur waterfall. 

Kiliyur Waterfall: Kiliyur waterfall was 3 Kms away from the town. Before checking out of the hotel, we decided to visit Killiyur waterfalls. We had to climb down about 500 stairs (at least that is the number it felt like), and when we came back, we were completely exhausted. The waterfall is beautiful, but go there only if you have been exercising for some time:).


This was our last excursion in this Yercaud trip. We freshened up at the resort and had some light snacks at the cafeteria before moving out. We earlier had a plan of going for boating in Yercaud lake after the checkout, but then dismissed it because of afternoon sun. So, we decided finally to bid Adios to Yercaud and to start our journey back to Namma Bengaluru, with memories flooding our minds and rejuvenating freshness of the cool breeze crossing our face as we started climbing down the hill, with our heart planning for comimg back to Yercaud sometime again very soon.


For more photos on our trip, please Click Here .




With Love,
Akshaya