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Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Mountain of Death Kolli Hills

Kolli Hills or Kollimalai, also called as "the Mountain of Death" is one amongst the many hill stations of Tamil Nadu.  Kolli Hills is located in Namakkal District and stands at around 1000 to 1300 m above MSL(Mean Sea Level). In the recent days, the popularity of this hill station is on a rise. It is also considered as a Herbal hot-spot because of the availability of various medicinal plants. The place is also associated with pre-historic ages and various kings and has been mentioned in many Tamil literature works.
A beautiful Veiw
Place to Visit :
1. Waterfalls - Innumerous.  The most famous being  the 'Agaya Gangai'  and  the 'Masai' waterfalls. Amongst the lesser known falls are the Falls 65, Kovil Falls, Junior Falls,  Kollimalai Falls, Mini falls and so on .
One of Many Beautiful Falls of Kolli Hills
 2. Temples - Lord Arappaleshwara Temple is the main  temple on the Kolli Hills. There are many other temples like the Periswamy temple, Ettukai Amman temple and so on.
Lord Arappaleshwara Temple
Colorful Shikara
GajaLakshmi on the Lintel
Decorative Stone Work
3. View Points -  There are two View Points - Selur View point and Seekuparai View point
4. Pre-Historic Sites - Siddhar Caves (Caves where Sages lived ), Mudhumakkal Thazhi (Burial Urns).
5. Many Trekking Routes

Places of Accommodation:
1 N P S Lake View Resort, Semmedu
2 Nallathambi Resort, Semmedu
3 Arrow Mansion, Semmedu
4 Wild Orchid Camp(Kolli Hill Resort), Vazhavanthi Nadu
5 Govt. Cottages and Rooms are also available
   We have not stayed in, or visited any of these Hotel/Resorts, the above list is an additional information to the tourists visiting this place.
Hoarding  Depicting the Places of Interest on Kolli Hills
 Peak Season : Last week of September - First week of January - Last week of March - Second week of June, though our personal feeling  is to visit the place just after the start of the monsoons (Avoiding heavy rains), as the entry to the main waterfalls can be closed for public.
Hairpin Bends
Directions from Bangalore: Bangalore - NH 7 - Hosur - Krishnagiri - Salem - Rasipuram - Left Turn - Right Turn inside Rasipuram town -After about 5 km, Right Turn towards Senthamangalam - Left Turn after 25 km (Look for directions board ) - Kolli  hills. (About 300 kms from Bangalore)

Entry fee is collected at the Forest Check Post at base of the Hill.. A Wonderful weekend getaway from Bangalore.

References and Suggested Reading :
1 Trails of a Traveler by Ram
2 Be on the road with Shankara
3 My Travelogue by Bhushavali
4 Wikipedia


21 comments:

  1. Wow. Kolli hills is beautiful.Thanks for sharing these panoramic views.

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  2. Superb captures as always! I love the colorful temple, the waterfalls and the view! Thanks for sharing the beauty!

    Sylvia

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  3. Marvelous captures of a beautiful place!

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  4. Superb.. Mountain of death- a misnomer?- Looks lively and vibrant..!

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  5. Good information on Kolli Hills.

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  6. Your first picture is spectacular, and I like the waterfall as well. The temples and their decorations are beautiful. But how did such a wonderful place get to be known as the 'Mountain of Death'.

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  7. good information about the place...pictures are also good...Specially Temple pictures...

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  8. Useful information. Need to go there.

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  9. Its an awesome hill station. I love the 70 hair pin bends and Agaya Gangai falls.
    Nice photos.

    www.rajniranjandas.blogspot.com

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  10. So good for a day visit from bangalore right?

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    1. Actually , one can easily spend 2-3 days exploring this hills as there many hidden secrets .

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  11. That is a strange name, but such beautiful sights.

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  12. beautiful travelogue with excellent photos...

    thanks for sharing

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  13. The view from the hill is breathtaking.I just love the colors on south temples.Lovely clicks,thanks for sharing.

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  14. what a view and the rain is adding more beauty :)

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  15. Wonderful coverage of the place with beautiful images.

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  16. Hello,

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    We have a Bangalore team, and would love it if you could join us.
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    Do let me know as soon as possible.

    Thank you,
    Pooja.

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  17. Have heard much about this place. There are many songs in Tamil which sing its praise. Sadly, never been there yet...this was a good armchair travel for me ! Thanks

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  18. I was there but didn't know it is called Mountain of Death.. 76 hairpin bends were fun to drive

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  19. Looks very scenic. I am going to be stationed at Coimbatore and would definitely take a chance this July/August. Thanks for the wonderful photographs and also the info.

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  20. What amazing photos!

    I've been to Chennai and Mamalapuram (site of Krishna's famous Butterball) in Tamil Nadu but those places were exceedingly dry. I never saw any part of the state that looked green like this! Looking back I wish we had travelled further ...

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