ANAMALAI HILLS

ANAMALAI HILLS, a range of mountains in southern India, in the Coimbatore district of Madras, lying between 10° 13' and 10° 31' N. lat., and between 76° 52' and 77° 23' E. long., forming a portion of the Western Ghats, after this range has been broken by the Palghat Pass, south of the Nilgiris. They really consist of a forest-clad and grassy tableland, with summits rising about 8000 ft.; the Anaimudi mountain, which is the highest in southern India, having an altitude of 8850 ft. Their geological formation is metamorphic gneiss, veined with felspar and quartz, and interspersed with reddish porphyrite. The lower slopes yield valuable teak and other timber; and some land has been taken up for coffee planting. The only inhabitants are a few wild tribes who live by hunting and collecting jungle produce. Attractions: Some of the places to be visited: Monkey Falls, Aliyar, the Crocodile Breeding Centre at Amaravati, Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park, Attakatti, Mirar, Kullipatti, Manompally, Chinnar, Varagaliar, Manjampatty, etc. ANNAMALAI WILDLIFE SANCTUARY : Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park (also called Annamalai Wildlife Sanctuary) is a full-fledged visitor's centre at Top slip, This sanctuary is situated at an altitude of 1,400 metres in the western ghats near Pollachi. The area of the sanctuary is 958 Sq. Kms. It has various kinds of exotic fauna like elephant, gaur, tiger, panther, sloth bear, pangolin, black headed oriole, green pigeon and civet cat. The Amaravathy reservoir in the Anamalais has a large number of crocodiles. There are also many places of scenic beauty such as Karain Shola, Anaikunthi shola, Grass hills, waterfalls,groves ,teak forests,estates,dams and reservoirs. Arrangements are available at Topslip to take tourists around the Sanctuary on elephant back or by van. HOW TO REACH THERE Air : The nearest airport is at Coimbatore. Rail : The nearest railway station is at Pollachi from where there are trains to Coimbatore and Dindigul. Road : There are regular buses from Coimbatore and Palani to Pollachi, which is the nearest big town. To reach Topslip by road tourists can catch a bus or hire a taxi from Pollachi. Divide the text into air, rail and road.

TANJAVORE (TANJORE)

TANJORE big temple is an epoch-making, historically tremendous monument imposing the great exclusive art gallery dedicated to Lord Shiva. Rajaraja created an era of grandeur and glory for the dynasty of Chola. The emperor established the specimen of a splendid period of South Indian history as the most beautiful evidence of Tamil architecture at its best. The emperor Rajaraja established and named the historic monolithic notable deity as Rajarajesvaram Udaiya Paramasami. The remarkable inscriptions of this temple reveal the exclusiveness of royal touch in each breath taking sculptures, paintings and architecture. The Royal temple symbolizes the prominence of tanjore as the capital of Chola Empire. The main temple of the place is now called “Brihadisvaram” or “Big Temple”. The enormous archetypal excellence gained a paradigmatic style in art, religion and literature, which has never reached again in succeeding ages. The Chola king Rajaraja can legitimately claim to have laid the laid the real base for the glory and longevity for the empire. The historic tanjore city occupies its place within the big fort and the Brahadisvaram by moats. The present fortifications and the moats were formed by the Nayak rulers of tanjore during the 16th Century. Though the temple was named as Rajarajesvaram by Rajaraja, now it is called “Brahadisvaram” in Sanskrit and Peruvudaiyar Koil in Tamil. At the ruling period of Maratta’s during 17th to 19th centuries the name Brahadisvaram was popularized. The present fortification and mots were formed by the Nayak rulers of tanjore during the 16th century. The vast big temple occupies an area measuring 800’x 400’.The vast inner courtyard of the temple is 500’x 250’ and it is surrounded by a cloister. An aesthetic sense of conversant with a unique mode of architecture and epigraphical records are at once struck by the unique personality of the royal King Rajaraja.He followed the height of devotion, patronage of arts and catholicity of outlook as no one could make it ineradicable. Almost all the major inscriptions record the King’s personal participation in the affairs of the temple. The king Rajaraja had the royal control by directly issuing orders over the temple. The overall administration was in the hand of a very high officer or “Aditan Suriyan”alias Tenavan, Muvendavelan. The chief Saiva acharya (priest) of the temple was Bavana Pidaran. A point of great interest is the mention of the royal architect and his assistants, who obviously designed and built the temple. Their names recorded are Kuncharamallan alias Rajarajaperumta Niltavinota Perum Taccan and Gandaratita Perumtaccan. The function of Kuncharamallan is called Tacca Caryam- superintending Architect. The Rajarajesvaram thus was an out and out royal temple, built and controlled by the emperor and his army and officers. The sculptures, painters and designers had left their imprints in every aspect of the temple and made at the same time, all people imbibe a sense of belonging to the temple. At the entrance of the “Big Shiva Temple” there are two magnificent giant “Gopuras”, widely separated from each other. The first Gopura Keralaanthakan Tiruvayil has five tiers. The second Gopura Rajarajan Tiruvayil has three tiers. Apart from these two main gates, there are four more small gateways without Gopuras in the Thiruccurrumaalikai.In the courtyard, the tallest granite structure Srivimana stands gigantic near the mahamandapa.In the northern side of Srivimana is the original Chola structure of Chandikesvara shrine. During thirteenth century Pandiya ruler contributed the Devi shrine in front of the Mahamandapa Nayak kings added the latest addition of Nandimandapa and the Subramanya shrine, Serfoji a Maratta ruler contributed to his part by the Ganapati shrine in the southwest Prakara during 1801 A.D. The temple is famous for its innumerous Sivalingas.In the enclosure Mandapa of this temple there are 36 sub shrines (Parivaralayas) and icons made of bronze. In front of the Subramanya shrine there lays Nataraja mandapa or the Murti Ammal mandapa and the Mallappa Nayakar Mandapa are the contribution of Nayak period during the sixteenth century. The two gateways, Keralaanthakan Tiruvayil (First gateway) and Rajarajan Tiruvayil (Second gate) of this temple has massive tiered structure with Salas, rides and Karnakudus in each tier (Tala) perched in a high stone masonry foundation which has raised upapita element and an adhistana with many mouldings.The first gate measures about 90’x 55’ in the base and its entrance is about 15’ wide. The lower portion upto the middle of the second floor is of stone (Granite), the upper parts are of brick plaster and Stucco. There are two massive single stone door jambs of granite with 5’x5’ square and a height of 40’facing north and to the south there are two sub-shrines in the first floor which is dedicated to Dakshinamurti and Brahma.

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Yercaud Hills - Tamilnadu

Yercaud is one of the hill region of Tamilnadu. And it is also called "Poor Man's Ooty". The meaning of Yercaud in Tamil is "Yeri means Lake and Kaadu mean Forest". The feet of Yercaud is 1500 from the sea level. The Yercaud hill is in Salem District. One of loveliest spot in that hill is Yercaud Lake. The Lake is surrounded by lush green forest and the lake is used for boating by the tourist from all over India. The summer festival is held in this lake every year in the month of May.

Tourist Spot in Yercaud:

Yercaud Lake

Anna Park

Lady's and Gent's Seat

Killiyur Falls

Shervaoyan Temple

Pagoda Point

The Grange

Bear's Cave

Wild life like beer, bison, ant eater, foxes, rabbits, mangoose, squirrels, sparrows, buibuls and snakes are living there.

Jack fruits, Guava, Orange, Tea, black Pepper are the main crops of Yercaud hill.

Yercaud has developed into major trekking destination in this region. A lot of treks are available there.

Its around 350 kms far away from Chennai to reach Yercaud, from Salem its around 33 kms far away. The nearest airport for Yercaud Hills is Trichy airport. The nearest Railways station to the destination is Salem.

Kolli Hills (Kolli Malai) - Tamilnadu

Kolli Hills (Kolli Malai) is a small hill region which is located in central part of Tamilnadu. The is around 1000 to 1300 feet high from sea level. Its around 70 hair pin bends to reach the top of the hill. Kolli Hills is a part of Eastern Ghats, and it runs mostly parallel to east coast. These mountain sometime known as Mountains of Death. This hill has very adventurous and shocking history.

Two view points are located in Kolli Hills, one is nearby Seekuparai and another one is in Selur Nadu. These are being developed by Tamilnadu Government to encourage Tourism. This mountain is also a site of pilgrimage, due to Arapaleeswarar Temple which is believed to have a secret path to Shiva Temple which located in Rasipuram. There are three reserved forest which is in control by Tamilnadu Government.

The mountains are covered with evergreen forest, but nowadays it has been cleared for farming. The main cultivation of Kolli hills are Coffee, Tea, Jack Fruit, Pine Apple and Black Pepper.

This hill is also one of the growing tourist spot in Tamilnadu. For this, several lodges and resorts are available there. One of the famous resort is Nallathambi Resort which has been operating for mare than 15 years.

Kutralam (Courtallam) Waterfalls - Tamilnadu

Kutralam waterfalls is in Tirunelveli Dist., Tamilnadu. Here water is falling with various herbs, so it has medicine qualities, and it is called "Spa of South India". There is also a belief that the mentally ill gets cured after taking bath here. It is located at an elevation of about 550 feet in Western Ghats and it attracts the tourist from all over India.

While we take bath, the force of the waterfalls touches our body then we will feel relax and tension free. Actually, Kutralam has nine waterfalls. They are Peraruvi (Main falls), Chitra Aruvi, Shenbagadevi Falls, Thenaruvi (Honey Falls), Aintharuvi (Five Falls), Old Courtallam falls, New Falls, Pazhathotta Aruvi and Puli Aruvi (Tiger Falls).

The season in Kutralam is June to September every month. Kutralam is 640 kms far away from Chennai, 115 kms from Trivandrum (Thiruvananthapuram), 137 kms from Kanyakumari, 40kms from Tirunelveli. The nearest airport for Kutralam is Tuticorin and the nearest railway station is Tenkasi.

Valparai - Tamilnadu

Valparai is one of the hill station in Tamilnadu. It is located above 3500 feets from the sea level. The climate of valparai will be very chill. It stands with green spread mountains. The main cultivation of the living people in valparai is Tea and coffee plants. These tea leaves exports to foreign countries also. Topslip forest is one of the highest peak in south india. We can see panther elephants in topslip forest. Main spots to visit in valparai as follows;- 1. Topslip 2. Aliyar Dam 3. Sholaiyar Dam 4. Nirar Dam 5. Parmbikulam 6. Monkey falls etc., If we want to reach valparai, 64 kms drive from pollachi by bus. By train, we can go upto coimbatore. From there roadways is the only possibility to reach valparai.

Ooty - Queen of Hill Stations, Tamilnadu

Ooty is also known as Udagamandalam and it is the queen of hill stations in India. Ooty is located in Nilgiris District in Tamilnadu. It is one of the most popular tourist resort in Tamilnadu. It is situated at an altitude of 2,240 meters above sea level. Main Cultivation of ooty is Tea, coffee and vegetables. And also ooty has an addition attraction for the tourists is train journey from Mettupalayam to Udagamandalam. Ooty train commences from kallar and it en-route many hair raising curves and fearful tunnels. While traveling by hill train, you can see tea and coffee estates around the hills. For accommodations, Stars Hotels and Lodges are available in ooty for tourists. The loveliest spots of ooty are follows:- Botanical Garden is one of the best tourist attraction place which attract the tourist from all over the world. This garden is spread over 22 hectares ascending the slopes on the hill. Ooty Lake is located just behind the Central Bus Stand. This lake looks like irregular "L" shape and its for about 2.75 kms distance. Rose Garden is situated in the heart of ooty town and its laid on 10 acres of land. All types of rose flowers are planted in this garden. Doddabetta Peak stands at an altitude of 2,623 meters high from sea level. And its located 10 kms far away from ooty town. It is the highest peak in the district. Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary is an adventures spot in nilgiris. Its around 32,155 hectares broad in area. Its locates between Kerala and Karnataka State. Within the sanctuary, there is an elephant camp called Theppakkadu. Pykara Lake is the clean and scenic lake in between the hills. Its an isolated lake free from pollution. Boating facilities are available here. Apart from these spot, Avalanche, Emerald Lake, Shooting Spot, Glenmorgan, Kalhatty Water Falls, Ketti Valley View, Mukkurthi Peak are also beautiful locations locates in ooty. There are various routes to travel ooty. By airways, have to land in Coimbatore airport and then you can take cab to reach the hills. By Train, We can reach upto Mettupalayam, then we can catch Hill train or cab.

Kodaikanal, Tamilnadu

Kodaikanal is one of the most beautiful hill resort in Tamilnadu. It is located on the southern crest of the upper palani hills in Dindigul District. Its around 500kms far away from Chennai and around 120 kms far away from Madurai. We can see Strobilanthus Kunthanus, a botanical name of kurunji flower in kodaikanal. This flower will blossom once in 12 year. Its was happened in kodaikanal in the year of 2004, again it will blossom only in 2016. Tea and coffee plants are the main cultivation in kodaikanal. Apart from that, they are cultivating fruits and vegetables. Kodaikanal is situated at an altitude of about 2133 metres high from sea level and its covers an area of 21.45 sq.kms. Each and every spot in kodaikanal has rich climate. The following locations are the tourist spots in kodaikanal, 1. Kodaikanal Lake 2. Briyant Park 3. Silver Cascade Falls 4. Kurinji Andavar Temple 5. Upper Lake View 6. Coakers Walk 7. Guna Cave 8. Pine Forest 9. Green Valley View 10.Bear Shola Falls 11.Silent Valley View 12.Pillar Rocks 13.Trekking 14.Flora and Fauna Museum 15.Devil's Kitchen 16.Jewel Box View and 17.Berijam Lake Berijam Lake is one of the Beautiful location and its 20 kms distance from kodaikanal. This Lake gives water to the surrounding towns and villages and it has natural pure water too. Kodaikanal can be reach by train upto kodai road from other cities, then we have take cab to go kodaikanal. From kodai road, journey times takes 1 hour approximately. By bus, we can go up to kodaikanal directly from other cities. By airways we have to land in madurai airport and have to take cab or bus to reach the destination. Kodaikanal has many adventures and beautiful locations. So, every human has to see the beauty of kodaikanal once in their life.

Chennai - Capital of Tamilnadu

Chennai formally known as Madras, is of the Metro Politan city of India. It is the capital of Tamilnadu State. The city is widely spread about 181 Sq. kms. There are many tourist places to visit. Mamallapuram, Marina Beach, Eliots Beach, Chennai Museum, Muttukad Resort, Kovalam Beach, Kabaleeswar Temple, Vadalapani Murugan Temple etc., Mamallapuram is located 60 kms far away from Chennai. It was a 7th century port city in south indian dynasty. Mamallapuram has many historical monuments and sculpture. Mamallapuram was ruled by Pallava kings. So we can see so many Pallava Sculptures in Mamallapuram. We can see many single rock sculpture which was made by Pallava Kings. Marina Beach is the second longest beach in the world. The distance of Marina beach is about 12 kms. Every weekend people will spend their time in this beach. Marina is the coastal area of Bay of Bengal. Chennai Museum is located in Egmore, chennai near Egmore railway station. Lot of Ancient Statues, Historic memorials are stored there. Muttukad resort is one of the fascinating spot to spend our leisure time by boating. Its a backwater of Bay of Bengal. Its located en-route of Mahabalipuram. There are trains available from all the cities from india to Central and Egmore Railways Station. If you want to fly to Chennai, there are many air services (Jet Airways, Air Deccan, Kingfisher, Paramount, Indian Airlines) from all the cities to Chennai Meenambakkam Airport.