Agaya Gangai - WaterFalls
Kolli Malai is plateaued at 900 - 1100m above sea level. Its pounding waterfalls... Agaya Gangai planted memories in the month of September. In no interest for Hill station but moved in the spirit of water falls, fortunately information from my colleague with illustrative narration of their exciting and tragic trek was the seed of motivation for this trip. Instantaneously trekking was in planning charts for this trip.
..............Our journey began on a cloudy humid evening in a bus UD425 from CMBT to Namakkal, within an hour of counting down east longitudes the clouds condensed and showered into a heavy downpour, tranversing through tree cover regions and uneven terrain route in the wake of night, twilight shows the early glimpses of NH-7 and green surroundings approaching Namakkal, finally at 6:30am, a quick refresh with a recharging breakfast, paved our way to Kolli malai - we have public transport bus at 7:30am and we are part of it ofcourse and standing for next 3 hours ! a Glorious view as the bus takes a 10 minute break at Foot Hills of never ending 71 hair pin bends, white puffy clouds caressing the mountain peaks, with astounding water falls howling downhill, all in diluted sunbeams was such a pleasing Welcome ! for the tall standing Kolli malai. the bus resurrected and drove up for the next 2 hours, experiences where the bus has to move back and forward to complete the 'U' turn howling the compartment extending beyond rear wheels into the valley deeps and Semmedu - the first halt of bus Hill top and call it the Hilltop Hub we continued until its last Halt at Appaleshwarar temple the Agaya Gangai point we have our legs freezed and tight for our tolerable stand.
Enquiring the local shops directed us to the Govt Rest Houses located a kilometer of backward journey. environment was serene except distracting group of drunk, how ever we got our room for 2 occupant for 770/- a spacious room with double cot, a TV we never operated, a dressing table and Water heater with no power most of the time, occupied at 11:30am a warm water bath relaxed to deep sleep until 5:30pm feeling sincerely apologetic for the loss of this valuable day, no ATM in this locality travelled all way back to Semmedu, with a last bus facility to Agaya Gangai at 9:00pm (from Semmedu).
..............Our journey began on a cloudy humid evening in a bus UD425 from CMBT to Namakkal, within an hour of counting down east longitudes the clouds condensed and showered into a heavy downpour, tranversing through tree cover regions and uneven terrain route in the wake of night, twilight shows the early glimpses of NH-7 and green surroundings approaching Namakkal, finally at 6:30am, a quick refresh with a recharging breakfast, paved our way to Kolli malai - we have public transport bus at 7:30am and we are part of it ofcourse and standing for next 3 hours ! a Glorious view as the bus takes a 10 minute break at Foot Hills of never ending 71 hair pin bends, white puffy clouds caressing the mountain peaks, with astounding water falls howling downhill, all in diluted sunbeams was such a pleasing Welcome ! for the tall standing Kolli malai. the bus resurrected and drove up for the next 2 hours, experiences where the bus has to move back and forward to complete the 'U' turn howling the compartment extending beyond rear wheels into the valley deeps and Semmedu - the first halt of bus Hill top and call it the Hilltop Hub we continued until its last Halt at Appaleshwarar temple the Agaya Gangai point we have our legs freezed and tight for our tolerable stand.
Enquiring the local shops directed us to the Govt Rest Houses located a kilometer of backward journey. environment was serene except distracting group of drunk, how ever we got our room for 2 occupant for 770/- a spacious room with double cot, a TV we never operated, a dressing table and Water heater with no power most of the time, occupied at 11:30am a warm water bath relaxed to deep sleep until 5:30pm feeling sincerely apologetic for the loss of this valuable day, no ATM in this locality travelled all way back to Semmedu, with a last bus facility to Agaya Gangai at 9:00pm (from Semmedu).
Agaya Gangai Trek to Pulliansholai
View - Govt Rest house
Day two began 8:00am with no breakfast, unveiling plan to cover Agaya Gangai and Trek downhill to Pulliancholai village lying 900m below our point of stand (1100m above sea level) we accomplished the 1100+ steps down to reach this fantastic waterfalls, levered our baggage to a branch of a tree lock it with padlock, the scene reminded me Jog Falls but would scale to fit probably 1/10 or 1/8 of mighty Jog - here swimming to foot hill of falls is easy or take the guided rope kept afloat middled of water pool, at places the pool accounts 5.5ft deep, gust of water flow is significant water hits hard, so always have a hold on the non slippery rock (good point is rock mostly non slippery) moreover the pillars of Iron/steel bored into the rock stand by is a place to enjoy the consistent shower upon, and swimming across the pool area is good and comfortable, a great place altogether... no talk about 1100+ steps uphill no other way just make it.
T r e k t o P u l l i a n c h o l i a
Fruits will be our diet for the whole of today, while we are on purchase fruit - we made up a quick rapport with fruit vendor with bits and pieces of Tamil (love this language) a village resident is willing to be our guide upto Vallapur (a hill top village) to a point where downhill trek to begin, quickly loaded our baggage and vacated our room and entangled with our guide we made up, we have crossed few streams with one long stretching crossover terrain going up and down rested few minutes on walk way rocks, as we walk joined a wide laid gravel road leading to Vallapur, we asked for sticks guide offered us with good long straight sticks of strength, on way collected arms full of guavas they are of great real taste bag them few as long way downhill feed, it was now 3:20pm we reached the view point to look out for plains and specifically Puliancholia.
A plant was identified by the villager, with a twist it gives away milky white liquid - He exclaimed to use in case of a venomous snake bite, this drives the poison out when milky liquid exposed at the bite site. Sky was clear and we are directed along the visible pathway, we offered him 50/- with a few snap shots and bid a good bye. The sticks have been a great support through out to Climb down heights that never seemed to take an end and while crossing streams, we are sensing the diminishing light as we travel east and mountain shade was chasing us continuously, Mostly importantly it was day of new Moon - as good as No Moon - moreover we noticed one tree shaking with all others remaining still in peace could not look through tree base with thick bushes mushed up nor we see monkeys hanging around Wondering ;) could that be the Ghosts !!! .....Kolli malai is famed for Black Magic :) .... Our way to Puliancholai was the only way now - with a couple of slips and twists in foot, claiming short breaks of recovery and relentlessly focusing on the parched way though it hits the river and slides uphill, crossing dry streams, were are now Hunted by the darkness.... (recollecting as my colleague mentioned they a group of 10 members in 2006 took a wrong path and ended up on the edge of a cliff and spent a whole winter night in the dark thick jungle - motion less).
It was now ~ 5:10pm, we almost made an end to the terrain slope, thick tree cover continues and the way through bushes a times turn much narrower making us walk sideways and half bent with thorns ripping dermal of arms and thighs, we finally reached the river or stream, it first sight was a relief insisting the fact that half of our journey was all complete, rested few minutes on river bank rocks and resumed with stick beating sound - I carry a Google terrain map for the mountain range to figure out and approximate my current position looking up the surrounding relative mountain highs, there was a moment we ended up at the river with no visible path and with bag sized rounded boulders all around ....... that's where Man vs Wild guidelines have a talk - 'Follow the river/ stream they are Highway to civilization', and there goes our exploration soon a way was found leading to thicker woods and walk of 5 minutes blessed there you find a distant sight with a sizable group of youngsters their picnic time rejoicing and snapping around their sight.... ah a great sigh of relief and immediately bags down and flat on rock for sufficient break, applied the oil - purchased on hill top for joint pains, rested for close to 20 minutes awaiting my companion, and I found no people they are all gone twilight rapidly taking over the sky, resumed my walk to hit the zone of plastics and untidy debris a result of human picnic eat and fun activity, with the help of my unforsaken stick crossed the stream not wetting my shoes, that was Pulliancholia. It was 6:05pm The public transport bus just leaving, well a break at the foot steps of temple sickness is taking over now my motive to only to reach out for nearest city for further decisions, me my companion hired a tata acer Good carrier to reach Pachipermulpatti a village 6km away with better connectivity - to Thuraiyur missed the bus at 7:15pm It so happened alighted the last bus from Puliancholia to Thoraiyur at 8:00pm in an hour we are at Thuraiyur - skipped food and had fresh sugarcane juice to keep fever at bay and energy in tact, alighted a good push back seated bus to Chennai with an estimate 6 hours of journey - journey was comfortable missed Tambarm and got down at Guindy as the clock struck 4:00am
..... a Trek of absolute 4 hours that left thighs, kness and foot painful for the following 2 days and good timeless memories..
T r e k t o P u l l i a n c h o l i a
Fruits will be our diet for the whole of today, while we are on purchase fruit - we made up a quick rapport with fruit vendor with bits and pieces of Tamil (love this language) a village resident is willing to be our guide upto Vallapur (a hill top village) to a point where downhill trek to begin, quickly loaded our baggage and vacated our room and entangled with our guide we made up, we have crossed few streams with one long stretching crossover terrain going up and down rested few minutes on walk way rocks, as we walk joined a wide laid gravel road leading to Vallapur, we asked for sticks guide offered us with good long straight sticks of strength, on way collected arms full of guavas they are of great real taste bag them few as long way downhill feed, it was now 3:20pm we reached the view point to look out for plains and specifically Puliancholia.
A plant was identified by the villager, with a twist it gives away milky white liquid - He exclaimed to use in case of a venomous snake bite, this drives the poison out when milky liquid exposed at the bite site. Sky was clear and we are directed along the visible pathway, we offered him 50/- with a few snap shots and bid a good bye. The sticks have been a great support through out to Climb down heights that never seemed to take an end and while crossing streams, we are sensing the diminishing light as we travel east and mountain shade was chasing us continuously, Mostly importantly it was day of new Moon - as good as No Moon - moreover we noticed one tree shaking with all others remaining still in peace could not look through tree base with thick bushes mushed up nor we see monkeys hanging around Wondering ;) could that be the Ghosts !!! .....Kolli malai is famed for Black Magic :) .... Our way to Puliancholai was the only way now - with a couple of slips and twists in foot, claiming short breaks of recovery and relentlessly focusing on the parched way though it hits the river and slides uphill, crossing dry streams, were are now Hunted by the darkness.... (recollecting as my colleague mentioned they a group of 10 members in 2006 took a wrong path and ended up on the edge of a cliff and spent a whole winter night in the dark thick jungle - motion less).
It was now ~ 5:10pm, we almost made an end to the terrain slope, thick tree cover continues and the way through bushes a times turn much narrower making us walk sideways and half bent with thorns ripping dermal of arms and thighs, we finally reached the river or stream, it first sight was a relief insisting the fact that half of our journey was all complete, rested few minutes on river bank rocks and resumed with stick beating sound - I carry a Google terrain map for the mountain range to figure out and approximate my current position looking up the surrounding relative mountain highs, there was a moment we ended up at the river with no visible path and with bag sized rounded boulders all around ....... that's where Man vs Wild guidelines have a talk - 'Follow the river/ stream they are Highway to civilization', and there goes our exploration soon a way was found leading to thicker woods and walk of 5 minutes blessed there you find a distant sight with a sizable group of youngsters their picnic time rejoicing and snapping around their sight.... ah a great sigh of relief and immediately bags down and flat on rock for sufficient break, applied the oil - purchased on hill top for joint pains, rested for close to 20 minutes awaiting my companion, and I found no people they are all gone twilight rapidly taking over the sky, resumed my walk to hit the zone of plastics and untidy debris a result of human picnic eat and fun activity, with the help of my unforsaken stick crossed the stream not wetting my shoes, that was Pulliancholia. It was 6:05pm The public transport bus just leaving, well a break at the foot steps of temple sickness is taking over now my motive to only to reach out for nearest city for further decisions, me my companion hired a tata acer Good carrier to reach Pachipermulpatti a village 6km away with better connectivity - to Thuraiyur missed the bus at 7:15pm It so happened alighted the last bus from Puliancholia to Thoraiyur at 8:00pm in an hour we are at Thuraiyur - skipped food and had fresh sugarcane juice to keep fever at bay and energy in tact, alighted a good push back seated bus to Chennai with an estimate 6 hours of journey - journey was comfortable missed Tambarm and got down at Guindy as the clock struck 4:00am
..... a Trek of absolute 4 hours that left thighs, kness and foot painful for the following 2 days and good timeless memories..
Recommended:
- Water falls face east - Morning would be great delight and be prepared for 1100+ steps, allot duration 3 hours includes bath+dry
- Trekking - carry water, carry strong stick, less baggage weight, have control on time with safety as priority
- A Hill station !! if you from Chennai or is more of just Bangalore.
- Water falls face east - Morning would be great delight and be prepared for 1100+ steps, allot duration 3 hours includes bath+dry
- Trekking - carry water, carry strong stick, less baggage weight, have control on time with safety as priority
- A Hill station !! if you from Chennai or is more of just Bangalore.