Courtallam Falls Tamil Nadu

An interesting holiday spot in South India, Courtallam is famous for its Courtallam Falls in the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu in Tirunelveli District. Though the falls are located in Tamil Nadu, it also shares the boundary of Kollam district of Kerala State. Also known as Kuttralam Falls, it has gained an extreme popularity, since the water here is believed to have great curative properties for a number of skin problems and even nerve disorders, as they run through a forest of herbs. The town is famous for its pleasant climate and abundant natural beauty. There are nine places at Courtallam where the River Chittar cascades over 92 m., at varying volumes. The falls are at its best during the rainy season (July to late August) and one can see heavy flow in all the places during this time. There is a parking fee of 10/- Rs at every waterfall.

The nine waterfalls at Courtallam are - Main Falls (Peraruvi), Small Falls (Chittaruvi), Chembakadevi (Shenbaga) Falls, Honey Falls (Thenaruvi), Five Falls (Aintharuvi), Tiger Falls (Puliaruvi), Old Courtallam Falls (Pazhaya Courtallam), New Falls (Puthu Aruvi), Fruit Garden Falls or Orchard Falls (Pazhathotta Arvui). Besides the water falls, the town is famous for its two temples, Thirukuttralanathar dedicated to Lord Shiva and the another one dedicated to Lord Muruga. It is refreshing to take a bath in the waters of the falls and there are facilities for oil massages near the falls as well as in and around the town. Courtallam is essentially a place for rest and relaxation. But during season, the place could get crowded and less cleanly.

Since they allow public bathing beneath the healing properties of the waterfall, I've seen the Courtallam Falls also referred to as the Spa of India. In addition to changing rooms, they've also designated a ladies only and gentlemen only section. The ladies were on the far right side of the falls while the males were on the left side. A small stone arch bridge segregated the two sides beneath the falls though we didn't see anyone cross that bridge (access to the ladies side was via a walkway opposite the stream and plunge pool to the right of the bridge over the stream).

Of all of the Ayurvedic waterfalls, the Main Falls was probably the most impressive one as far as we were concerned. It was certainly by far the widest and probably the tallest of the waterfalls (we're guessing it was at least 30- to 40m tall) in the Courtallam area. And due to its relative grandeur, we also thought this was the most popular waterfall in the vicinity as evidenced by the mass of humanity we saw in and around the falls.