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Thalaiyar Falls"prohibited Water falls by Theni forest division", also known as Rat Tail Falls is a waterfall Located in the Theni District,which flows as
World's Tallest Waterfalls
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Dum Dum Rock viewpoint
on the Batalugundu-Kodaikanal Ghat Road, away to the west. It appears across the valley as a long thin white strip of cascading water on a background of black rock cliff face that juts out of the foothills. The very edge at the top of the Falls has a low concrete wall on either side concentrating the flow of water to focus the falls into a better rat tail shape. One can walk along the wall and get near the center of the falls. Just below one wall is a large flat rock about wide. One can get down to the edge of the rock to look directly straight down to see a little river at the bottom continuing placidly through the forest. Looking back up to the side, one can watch the water in freefall, mostly silent. The noise of the crashing water below doesn't rise up. The only noise is the water pushing around the stone walls, and some smaller falls just upstream. The river water coming to the falls, though downstream from Perumal Malai village and apparently clear, may be polluted, and visitors to the area are advised to avoid drinking it.
Rat Tail Falls is considered inaccessible to the general public, as there is no road to it. The top of the falls is a rewarding and challenging hike destination. Hikers should be cautious, as two Western tourists died in 2006 when they fell from the top of the Falls.
It is possible to hike to the bottom of the falls in the dry season, beginning at the Manjalar Dam. This difficult hike proceeds along a path through Mango orchards and potato fields around the Manjalar Reservoir and up along the stream as far as a small shrine, dedicated to the
Top of the falls
(part of Rattail Falls gallery)
Photos
Photo
Manjalar River
Manjalar originates from Palani Hills, Tamil Nadu and runs towards east and joins the Vaigai River near Koottathu. There are nine anicuts and nine tanks in this sub-basin. It receives an annual rainfall of . The total sub-basin area is . The tot ...
, one of the tributaries of Vaigai river
The Vaigai is a river in the Tamil Nadu state of southern India; it passes through the towns of Theni, Dindigul and Madurai. It originates in Varusanadu Hills, the Periyar Plateau of the Western Ghats range, and flows northeast through the K ...
which flows in the south of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
State, South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territo ...
. It is tall and is the highest waterfall in Tamil Nadu, the Sixth highest waterfall in India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and the 267th highest in the world.World Waterfall DatabaseWorld's Tallest Waterfalls
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Description
On a clear day Rat Tail Falls is visible from thDum Dum Rock viewpoint
on the Batalugundu-Kodaikanal Ghat Road, away to the west. It appears across the valley as a long thin white strip of cascading water on a background of black rock cliff face that juts out of the foothills. The very edge at the top of the Falls has a low concrete wall on either side concentrating the flow of water to focus the falls into a better rat tail shape. One can walk along the wall and get near the center of the falls. Just below one wall is a large flat rock about wide. One can get down to the edge of the rock to look directly straight down to see a little river at the bottom continuing placidly through the forest. Looking back up to the side, one can watch the water in freefall, mostly silent. The noise of the crashing water below doesn't rise up. The only noise is the water pushing around the stone walls, and some smaller falls just upstream. The river water coming to the falls, though downstream from Perumal Malai village and apparently clear, may be polluted, and visitors to the area are advised to avoid drinking it.
Access
Rat Tail Falls is considered inaccessible to the general public, as there is no road to it. The top of the falls is a rewarding and challenging hike destination. Hikers should be cautious, as two Western tourists died in 2006 when they fell from the top of the Falls.
It is possible to hike to the bottom of the falls in the dry season, beginning at the Manjalar Dam. This difficult hike proceeds along a path through Mango orchards and potato fields around the Manjalar Reservoir and up along the stream as far as a small shrine, dedicated to the Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In many known cultures, goddesses are often linked with literal or metaphorical pregnancy or imagined feminine roles associated with how women and girls are perceived or expected to behave. This includes themes of s ...
Kamakshi
Tripura Sundari (Sanskrit: त्रिपुरा सुन्दरी, IAST: Tripura Sundarī), also known as Rajarajeshwari, Shodashi, Kamakshi, and Lalita is a Hindu goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of supreme goddess Mahadevi m ...
. The legend is that Kamakshi was born here at the foot of the falls in a bamboo bush and hence she is called Moonkilanai Kamakshi. This place is called Amma Machhu, meaning in the middle of a grove of teak trees.
Beyond this point one must climb up along the stream, going up, over and around increasingly large boulders with difficulty, till arriving at the bottom of the falls, where there is a pool about by . The return hike is more difficult. The full hike there and back covers about and takes a full day.
Manjalar Dam is at the end of Manjalar Road about north from SH-36 at Devadanapatti
Devadanapatti () is a panchayat town in Periyakulam Taluk, a part of the Theni district in the Madurai Region in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located at the bottom of the Kodaikanal Hills.
Etymology
The name Devadanapatti is a combin ...
town beginning along Kamatchi Amman temple road.
External sources
Top of the falls
(part of Rattail Falls gallery)
Photos
Photo
References
See also
* Waterfalls in Palani Hills Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park *List of waterfalls in India
This is a list of waterfalls in India sorted by state. The Indian state of Karnataka has more waterfalls than any other state. Karnataka has 544 waterfalls which are at least 10 metres in height. Maharashtra comes second with 364 waterfalls. K ...
*List of waterfalls in India by height
The following is a list of highest waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice ...
{{Hydrography of Tamil Nadu
Waterfalls of Tamil Nadu
Horsetail waterfalls