The Niagara Falls of India

Athirapilly Water Falls, situated 1000 ft above sea level on the Chalakudy River, at the entrance to the Sholayar ranges of the Western Ghats is popularly known as the Niagara Falls of India. The Western Ghats is one of the most important biodiversity hot spot in the world. This is the largest waterfalls of all in our nation, falling from a height of 80 feet. The forest and little streams add to its scenic beauty. Many endangered and endemic species of flora and fauna are found in the forests of the Athirapilly.

The adventurous drive through the middle of the jungle is really astounding. But night driving is not encouraged as there are wild animals in the vicinity of the falls, especially elephants and bison spill over the road. The best time to visit Athirapilly Falls is during rainy season.

The famous Telugu movie director, S. S. Rajamouli chose the Niagara of India for taking almost all the shots related to waterfalls for his movie Baahubali: The Beginning. The noted Tamil film director, Maniratnam, is very much fond of this spot that many of his movies were shot there. Raavanan was almost completely shot from this location. Many other famous movies like Dil Se; Kannathil Muthamittaal; Iruvar; Guru, etc were also shot from this spot to bring about the blend of natural beautiful falls with urban culture.

Our predecessors have been fond of nature and they have been kind and generous enough to handover the bounty of nature from generations to the present generation. However, the contemporary people are little wary of nature and are not only keen on preserving the nature but are interested in exploiting it beyond the breaking point. Hence the nature lovers of the present are afraid the paradise on earth is already degraded by mining and hydro electric projects. For a few decades, the Kerala State Electricity Board is looking on to build a dam over here. Fortunately, environmentalists and people’s collectives opposed the project saying that it would imbalance the environment, the rich flora and fauna would be affected, infringe on human rights and finally threaten tourism as Athirapilly is a major tourist spot of South India. Reports and public polls are in agreement with seeking of alternative sources for achieving a semblance of self-sufficiency in terms of electricity requirements than investing time and money on non strategic myopic hydel projects.

- Aishwarya M. S.