Chalakudy River

Chalakudy River or Chalakudy Puzha runs through Chalakudy town which is in the Trissur District of Kerala State. It is the 5 th longest river in Kerala. The river though has its origin in the Anamalai region of Tamilnadu, is actually a collection of some major tributaries originating from Parambikulam , Kuriyarkutti, Sholayar, Karapara and Anakayam in Kerala. The famous waterfalls,Athirapally and Vazhachal are situated on this river.
Chalakudy river is unique in its rich fish diversity.At least 104 species of fish have been identified.The National Bureau of Fish Genetics Resources has recommended that upstream areas of the river to be declared a "Fish Sanctuary".Chalakudy River is yearning for a lifeline.It is faced with a series of risks including sand-mining, release of untreated effluents from an industrial unit and improper disposal of solid waste. 
While returning from Athirapally I stopped the car a few miles down stream to get some nice shots of this beautiful river and surroundings.                                                       

Exotic Palm Tree Plantation on river bank

More Palm Trees

Cool Waters of the River - above and below

A dip in the waters can be quite refreshing

Athirapally Falls - Pics from upstream

After viewing the magnificent falls from downstream we trekked back to upstream of the falls and the panoramic views that greeted there were breathtaking & awesome. Kerala is truly described as "God's Own Country". I stood there for long breathing in the fresh air and enjoying the lush greenery while my camera went berserk ! The treks had really tired us and we quenched our thirst with generous quantities of refrigerated herbal drinks & fruit juices-avoiding and evading the monkeys all the time. Actually the climate was not all that conducive and cool as one might expect after seeing the greenery here. It was quite humid & sweaty which is standard in Kerala during pre monsoon !

Crowds having a dip - away from the falls area

Closer to the falls - bathing is prohibited here !

Bamboo hut on the precipice - Armed Security Personnel on duty inside

View of falls from the top

View of downstream after the falls has dissipated its energy

Peaceful flow of water in the Chalakudy river downstream of the falls  (Above & Below)

Lush Greenery surrounding the falls

Athirapally Falls - A Paradise on Earth

Athirapally water falls is a panoramic, charming and bewitching place for the tourists to relax and de-stress.Though a little off season when we visited, the falls were still thundering down with tremendous force and were fascinating to view. The crowd was thinner when we we entered Athirapally but by the time we had spent a couple of hours and we had completed our tour, crowds had swelled. Well it was a Sunday and this was only to be expected.People were still coming in hordes with toddlers in tow and babies in arms and picnic baskets full of goodies.
 To reach Athirapally (and Vazhachal) one has to first travel to Chalakudy a small town in Trissur District located around 30 Kms from Trichur on the Trichur-Ernakulam highway. From Chalakudy you need to travel around 30 Kms off highway. This is a narrow ,winding but a good well maintained road and the drive was scenic and enjoyable. You drive along the banks of the Chalakudy river(down stream) and a bit of forest area before reaching Athirapally. The pictures below are mainly pertaining to the trek to the down stream site of the falls. Pics taken at upstream will follow in the next post.

Signboard at the entrance to falls

The Bamboo Entrance gate

Walkway towards the Falls

Bamboo Bench for weary tourists

Bamboo Rest House

Green Forest Cover

Eco Shop where herbs,honey & chilled herbal drinks are sold

A Bamboo Walled Wash room with Western & Indian WC's

Walking Track leading to Downstream of Waterfall

The Magnificent View of Athirapally Falls above & below

Green Cover at Downstream of Falls - above & below

Bamboo Hut for tourists - found Locked !

Simians at Athirapally Falls

Athirapalli Falls are situated on the Chalakudi River in Trissur district in Kerala located approximately 170 Kms from Coimbatore and around 30 Km from Chalakudi town.The falls originates in the Western Ghats..Many endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna are found in the forests of the Athirapilly-Vazhachal area. There are plenty of monkeys here which move freely amongst humans and they beg for food & drink which humans oblige. The monkeys are bold and try and snatch food from visitors. More pics will follow in the next post.

Avudayar Koil - Part 2

This is a continuation of the previous post. I present below some more of the exquisite stone sculptures and bas reliefs on the ceilings.

A Pandya warrior  with thick mustache, a sword, heavy ornamentation & intricate head gear

Closeup view of the warrior

The Pandya King -Conducting court of enquiry

Amazing Roof Architecture - See 3 types of cylindrical rods

Design on ceiling

Intricate Ceiling Design

Hindu Deities sculpted on ceiling

More Ceiling Designs

                                                      Stone Chains hanging from Ceiling

Warrior on Horse - See the ornate  embellishments on Horse

Yali or Dragon swallowing Man

Ornamented Stone Pillars

Lord Muruga on Peacock

Lord Siva appearing as "Kudurai Samiyar"