Athiri hills and Thoranai hills

Athiri hills near Coutrallam

After Sathuragiri, Vellingiri, Paravatamalai, we were searching for “Whats next?” then my spiritual partner / good friend named Mr. Raguraman did come with a place called Athiri hills which is situated near Alwarkurichi, Tirunelveli district. So after so many discussions, chats and conference calls with our spiritual group we decided to visit there in the month of December. Then we started @ 26^th evening around 6pm from Tambaram with having 2 cars for 6 people.

We have reached Coutrallam @ 4am on 27^th. We had a bath in Aintharuvi at that time which is unforgettable. It was too cold to take bath at 4am in December and it is too violent. Few people were sleeping there near the parking places and nobody was taking bath in the falls at that time. But after few hours we felt it was a wonderful experience which we never have.

After completed our bath we proceeded to “Thoranai malai” a Murugan temple in the hill which is 15 kms

steps leading to temple

from Coutrallam. We had a priest there who welcomed us in the foot hill and asked to climb and reach the temple and also asked us to take a bath in one of the sunai’s. We started climbing the hill @ around 6am. There are steps available to climb till the temple. Most of the steps are too steep and made us tired on just beginning itself. It was almost 1500 steps that we have to climb. I am not remembering the exact numbers it took 1hr for us to reach the temple though we were very slow.

Temple front view

The temple is situated just in midst of a rocky plain fully covered by iron grills. (Iron grills might have built to protect the temple from the monkeys). It is a very good treat to eyes to see the surroundings and the sceneries. Once we reached the temple the priest asked us to take a bath in the nearby sunai. But we told that we already taken a bath at Coutrallam. He insisted again to take a bath there since it would be really nice. We don’t find any issues to take a bath again in that sunai. We thought it would be again a good feel to take a bath in that place. We reached the nearby sunai and found a rope tied bucket near the sunai which is looked like a well. We have to use the bucket to take the water out and bath. Again it was a pleasant experience taking bath there.

On the way to temple with our spiritual group

Scenic views around

Waiting for chutney :)

After the second bath of the day we completed the pooja in the temple and started climbing down. We reached the foot hill by 9am and hot idlies were waiting for us. There is a lady who is serving the disciples directed by that priest and she made the idlies ready before we get down. We had 4 idlies with coconut chutney, which we felt like amirtham at that time.

After heavenly breakfast we started to Athiri hills which is near ambasamudram and 15 kms from there. We are almost running late and reached there by 10.30 or so. There was a old man again like a priest who took us to the temple which is 1.30 hrs walk from there. It is a reserved forest where the forest officers are very strict that we should not take plastics, cameras, liquor bottles etc. But it is required to protect our own mother nature from the nuisance people.

Way to reach Athiri Maharishi's temple

We started follow the old man in a single trail path. This forest has all the animals except lion. This is the tiger reserve forest “Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger reserve”. With all the “darr” fear inside us we started follow that old man. The way starts with the long view of “Kadana dam” and we walked along with the river way. It was really a beautiful sight with the backdrop of western ghats. On the way we reached a small river and decided to take a third bath for the day. Again it was a wonderful experience, the water is crystal clear and the fishes, stones are able to see just like we see through a glass. After the bath we again started walking through the forest and reached the temple. On the way we have seen a palli vaasal also. Afterall it is a heaven and no matter what god is there

The river where we took bath

and who are not. We are ready to worship whoever crosses us. That mindset will come automatically in such a place.

The temple is just in middle of the forest. To say exactly it was not mostly like a temple but a living place of

Temple front view

Athiri Maharishi with his wife Anusaya. It was exactly like a “Kudil” of some sages which has been converted as a temple afterwards. There is an idol for Korakkar sidhar also placed and believed that he had his tapas there. Even we could see the Vinayagar, Murugar idols available in the open space. Just to imagine how the life would have been there for just a couple in midst of a forest and doing the tapas and poojas. I believed that it is a heaven to lead a life there.

A nap under the tree in temple side

We had a small nap there since we all are tired due the last day’s long travel without much sleep. Afterwards we had curd rice which has been prepared by the priest there. Again it was really nice to have that in the forest where we were already in dead hungry.

We were started walking back to foot hill where we started @ around 3pm and reached by 4.30pm. The way is not so steep to climb. We can easily walk to the temple through the forest but with few steep climbings.

distant view of the kadana dam

We have started and visited the “Sivasailam temple” on the way to Ten Kasi, where the main diety is “Saila

Kasi Viswanathar temple gopuram

nathar”. It was a good temple and few hundred years old. Then we visited Ten Kasi, Kasi Viswanathar temple. It is the temple of beauty with its one of the huge gopurams in tamil nadu. We had a dinner there and stayed in Coutrallam where one of our friends booked a home kind of stay.

Morning we have planned to take an oil massage with a bath in Coutrallam main falls. We took an ayurvedic massage which costs for Rs.300 per person just near the falls. But in my opinion it was not so good but OK kind of. We had a bath in Coutrallam after the massage. It was really nice experience again. Only my spiritual partner was with me to visit nearby Kutrala nathar, the others were started in one car to pack up. It was a

Puliya marathadi lalakadai

nice and big temple and so beautiful. So many deities are there inside the temple where we visited one by one slowly. We were also supposed to go back to room and pack up things for starting back to Chennai since we are already running late. We started at around 11am from Coutrallam and we reached at 9pm at Tambaram.

On the way we planned to buy Milk kova in Srivilliputhur since it is famous for. We have found that "Puliya marathadi lalakadai" near the bus stand is the one where you can find the authentic Srivilliputhur milk kova.

Srivilliputhur temple gopuram  while returning

 Overall it was one of the most memorable trips in my travel diary. Yet to explore more heavenly places.

Thanks

MSK