Kutralam (Courtallam)
The Kutralam is situated in Tirunelveli District in TamilNadu. This is known as “Spa of South”, which is the gateway from Tirunelveli and Tenkasi.
History
The place Kutralam is very famous for the Courtallam Falls, which is one of the popular waterfalls of TamilNadu. There are nine Falls in this place. Among these Falls, the Peraruvi or the Main Falls is at a distance of 300m from the Kutralam bus stand.
Features of the Falls
This Falls in the Courtallam town, flows from an altitude of 60m. During its flow, the Pongumakadal rock interrupts its flow and enters the downstream. Then the size of the Falls is small, so the visitors who fear of the Peraruvi can literally be happy to bath in the Chitraruvi. There are separate portions for the women and the men to take a bath in the Falls. This Chitraruvi leads to the waterfalls such as the Thenaruvi and the Shenbagadevi Falls. The water coming from the Hills flows through the rare medicinal herbs, thus it has the ability to heal many types of health problems. It is believed that this water, can cure the mental ill, by reducing the stress. Every year, a number of visitors come to this site to visit the water Falls.
Things to see in Kutralam
1)Main Falls
The Main Falls also called the Peraruvi falls from the height of 60m. This biggest Falls is located in the middle of the Town. This is one among of the nine waterfalls. Here the Thirukutralanathar Temple (Lord Shiva) and the Kuzhalvaimozhi Amman temple are the two Temples present. This water stream serves as the place of worship for the local people.
2) Shenbaga Falls
The Shenbaga Falls is among the place, is located at a distance of 3Km. This is the place, where the locals make worship to God. This place also called the Chembakadevi, is at an easily reachable distance from the Main Falls. The name of this Falls was derived from the village Shenbaga Devi. In this village, there is a temple for Goddess Shenbaga Devi, who is the incarnation of Goddess Durga. They(the villagers) worship the Goddess with the Shenbaga flowers, available at local shops.
3) Five Falls
The Five Falls is one among the most popular destination in Kutralam, located at a distance of 4Km from the main town of Kutralam. This Five Falls is the visual treat to the visitors, which splits into the five parts before it reaches the Aranvankadu Pass. The locals consider the Five Falls as the Five heads of the cobras. Out of the five Falls, women can access the two Falls and the men can access the other three Falls. There are two temples namely the Vinayaka Temple and the Swami Ayyappa Temple. .
3) Palaruvi Falls
The Palaruvi is situated at the downstream, from an altitude of 300m. This is the 32nd highest Falls of India. The term “Palaruvi”, means the “Falls of Milk” in the Tamil language. The falling of the water from the Falls, looks like the flowing of Milk, so it got the name “Palaruvi”. This Falls produces a huge sound amidst the silence in the forest.
5) Honey Falls
The Honey Falls is located from the Main Falls, Thenaruvi or the Honey Falls are popular tourist place. It is believed that the name “Honey Falls” is derived from the Honey bee hives. In this place, the bee hives are formed in the dry season over the stones. The scene of this Honey Falls, looks like the shape of the Horse shoe. This contains the three streams which flow down to create a lake amidst the forest. From the Main Falls, one must take a 2 hours trekking to reach the Honey Falls, but this place does not allow bathing facility.
Best time to visit
The best time to visit the Kutralam Falls is the Winter season that is from November month to February month, since the climatic conditions are good for tourists. Then the Monsoon brings the glory in this place. In this season, the cool breeze refreshes the whole place. So the winter and the monsoon are the best time to visit this place. During the November to January, the Peraruvi or the Main Falls dries up. So check if the water flow is there.
Transport facilities
The Kutralam is situated at a distance of 5Km from Sengottai, 6Km from Tenkasi, 40Km from Tirunelveli, 112Km from Thiruvanthapuram, 137Km from Kanyakumari, and 625Km from Chennai. So you can take a bus from any of these places to reach the Kutralam. The Tenkasi Railway station is the nearest railway station to this place. From there, you can select a road transport to reach the Kutralam. Then the nearest Airport to Courtallam is the Tuticorin Airport, which is at a distance of 86Km. From the Tuticorin, you can reach Kutralam through a road transport.
Location: Kutralam, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu.
Timings: 6.00A.M to 8.00P.M – Open in all the days in the season
(But timings may occur in different occasions)
Best time for Visit: November to February
Total Area – The Town of Kutralam is located at 160m on the Western Ghats.