Manimutharu falls - Water at its pristine best

In this post, I take you back to Tamil Nadu to one of the truly beautiful manifestations of nature. Manimutharu is a wonderful waterfall in South Tamil Nadu and when in full flow, a great spectacle to have a look at or to drench yourself. It may not be as famous as Courtallam, not located far away from here, but that is what adds to the charm of the place. It is relatively untouched by the tourist population and is definitely not commercialised yet.

REACHING THERE: Manimutharu falls is located in Tirunelveli district in South Tamil Nadu. It is located at a distance of around 50 kms from Tirunelveli town. The nearest towns are Tirunelveli and Tenkasi (around 45 kms away) and both also are the nearest rail heads. The best means to reach Manimutharu falls is by road. The road from Tirunelveli is good, but bad in patches.

ENTRY TICKETS: There are two locations at which an entry ticket is charged. The ticket prices are reasonably nominal at around Rs.25/- per person. First ticket is issued by the local municipality. The falls come under the purview of reserve forest area and hence a ticket is issued for entering the forest. However, no prior permission is required to enter the forest up to the falls. There is a hill station called Manjolai located further up the hill, which requires prior approval.

THE FALLS: As soon as you pass through the forest entry point, you are suddenly thrown open to a huge lake and reservoir. With beautiful hills as backdrop, the sight is amazing and could easily qualify as one your lovely desktop wall papers.

The road is narrow and the slope is gradual with gentle meanders. The drive, with wonderful view of rocks on one side and the lake on the other side, is undoubtedly among the best drives I have had. This is one of those rides which you wish that it continues for a long time. To add to the joy, a gentle drizzle kept following us.

This drive continued for about 10 kms after which we were right at the foot of the falls. The very first sight of the falls, made me feel there was something special about the falls. It is for one, less crowded and we had pretty much the entire falls to ourselves and could easily click it from every viewpoint. Water was not really gushing in from a great height. At least, we were not really able to see the source of the falls from a great height. Our view was restricted to around just 12 feet.

What really made the falls special was for one, its width. The falls definitely looked massive. And second, was its force. It was really surprising to see the water gushing with such a force when it was not really high. Given the fact, we were not able to see much of the source of the falls, except the point from which it was pouring down, added to the excitement.

After enough long shots at the falls, I ventured closer. I was able to literally feel the pace of water flow by the sheer sound of the falls. It was such a pleasant sound that truly added to the thrill. There are special bays created for bathing and some change rooms are available close to the falls, although understandably not as well organised as at other prominent falls.

Water flow was not uniform. You suddenly see the force dropping a bit for a minute or two and then it would immediately pick up pace, larger than the initial level. All this made the falls all the more interesting to look at. After having spent close to an hour at the falls, with our hearts filled with great happiness and joy, we pushed forward. Even long after we left the vicinity of the falls, the sound of water kept reverberating in our ears.

TIME TO VISIT: The best time to visit the forest would be between the months of November and March, when the falls are in full swing. Also, since it is part of the reserve forest, entry is allowed only till 4PM and falls need to be vacated by around 5:30PM. Make it a point to visit early, so that you get enough time to enjoy the beauty at leisure.

ADDITIONAL NEAR-BY VISITS: The Agasthiar falls and the Papanasam Sivan temple are not far off from here and is definitely worth a visit. Further, if you are coming in from Tirunelveli, you would pass by two important towns: Pathamadai and Ambasamudram. Pathamadai is a well-recognised place for wooden mats and other wooden handicrafts. You will definitely find something interesting to shop here. Ambasamudram is known for its wonderful landscape and the Brahmadesam temple (about which I would post soon).

SCHEDULING YOUR TRIP: Tirunelveli is a great base for tours for all reasons. If you have a spiritual inclination or if you are a nature lover or some one who just want a mix of everything in your trip (more like me), then Tirunelveli could serve as a good base. You could start from Tirunelveli, complete a circuit of temples there and then cover Manimutharu falls and Papanasam and then proceed for Courtallam and Tenkasi. That will make it a truly great trip.

Catch up with Manimutharu falls before the tourist interest picks up in a big way.