This Pongal (Tamil new year) I happened to visit my friend’s native place Pollachi. This blog is about some of the amazing places I covered in and around Pollachi during my stay. We started from Bangalore on the night train to Coimbatore. Early morning we reached Coimbatore and took the bus to Pollachi. Pollachi is a town around 40 km from Coimbatore and is known for its pleasant climate and natural beauty. Since my visit was during festival time, a significant amount of time was spent at home but here are the places I managed to see throughout my period of stay.
Arulmigu Masani Amman Temple has a unique idol of Goddess Arulmigu Masani Amman (also known as Goddess of Justice) in lying posture. The legend behind the temple is quite interesting and it is believed that the goddess offers justice to the deities who strongly believe her. The temple is known for its stone of justice where believers in trouble grind red chillies and apply to the stone believing they will be getting justice by doing the same. Listening to the story of the deity was indeed amusing.
After the visit to the temple, I saw this amazing breathtaking view alongside the bridge. It was a small dam kind of structure but still beautiful in its own way. It started raining all of a sudden and we couldn’t spend more time but we really admired the view there.
Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple, Palani
One of the important religious place in Palani is Arulmigu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Temple. The temple has a rich religious and traditional history. The temple is situated on the Sivagiri hilltop and there are two pathways – one called the elephant pathway and the other path has almost 800 steps (Yeah I counted). The idol of the Shiva is said to be created by a mixture of nine poisons or navapashanam. Stories also report stealing the idol’s part (as it is considered medicinal) damaging the idol significantly for one’s own benefits.
Even in the pandemic time, the temple was crowded just like any other regular day showcasing the religious importance of the place. More than it’s cultural prominence what made me happy about the place was the amazing view one gets as one reaches the top of the hill. It was drizzling and the small town of Palani amidst the mist was even more beautiful. Although it takes some time and patience, this temple is worth visiting I suppose.
Aaliyar Dam
Aaliyar dam surrounded by Anamalai hills provides some beautiful views. There is a small park near the dam but not well maintained. However, the scenic beauty from the way around the dam is admirable. There is also a provision for boating at this place. Since a major tourist spot near Pollachi, it is crowded throughout the year. However, prefer going in the early mornings or late evenings as it’s very hot in the afternoon sun.
Valparai
Valparai is the closed hill station to Pollachi locating at 64 km from Pollachi and consists of Anamalai Tiger Reserve and the highest concentration of tea and coffee estates. The route has 40 hairpin bends and is a treat to the eyes. The travel along these bends among the beautiful nature and wildlife was mesmerizing. At the outset only we come across the famous Monkey Falls where one can take bath and have some amazing pic clicked. There is an entrance ticket for entering the fall premises.
The next stop we had was at this location called ‘Waterfall’. It was heaven up there. With mist all around, the smell of the tea and the small waterfall the place offered the most stunning view. We clicked a lot of pictures, admired the beauty and started again. Although, no one wanted to.
While making our way to the top of the hill, we created some beautiful memories cherishing the conversations, music, and obviously accompanying nature at its best. It was misty and drizzling at the same time.
When reaching the top suddenly the climate changed and the sky was all clear. One never knows when the climate here can change. One moment it is dark and another moment the sky will be crystal clear. Nevertheless, we reached the place. Crossing the tea plants we reached this location from where we could almost see the sky with beautiful clouds.
There is also a small Muruga Temple near the lace and surprisingly the lamp near the shrine was still burning in the drizzling rain.
After some time, as we got hungry we started back from the hill and satisfied ourselves with tasty home food in a small roadside shop. Going down was a little difficult because of the severe fog. We hardly could see anything. The whole picture is just unexplainable. One must certainly visit this hill station once. It’s called – Seventh Heaven for a reason.
Even though the other places in Pollachi I couldn’t visit because of restrictions due to COVID-19 and climatic conditions, I feel the trip experience was unbelievably awesome. Not only in terms of flora and fauna, but the town of Pollachi is also rich in cultural traditions and have varieties of local cuisine too to cherish your taste buds.
And not to forget, the people here. With their simple living and love and care they showered upon me, it wouldn't be wrong to say that I am in total love with them. These places and the people are undeniably the gems of the southern part of India.
