Sitheri Hills

An agrarian taluk town in the hilly southeast of the district near the Salem border, close to the Sitheri hill approaches.

A taluk town in the southern part of the district and the gateway to the Sitheri Hills and Theerthamalai temple.

Vaniyar Dam is one of Dharmapuri's larger reservoirs, built across the Vaniyar River, a tributary of the Ponnaiyar (South Pennar), in the foothills of the Shevaroy Hills. It holds about 418 million cubic feet of water to a depth of roughly 65 feet and feeds a network of irrigation tanks in surrounding villages. The reservoir and its hill backdrop make it a quiet local picnic spot.

Hilltop shrine to Theerthagiriswarar (Shiva) reached by roughly 990 steps. Legend holds that Rama created a sacred spring (theertham) here, giving the hill its name.

Vathalmalai is a small hill hamlet on the Shevaroy hill range at roughly 1,400 m, reached by a winding ghat road with about 26 hairpin bends. Its cool climate supports coffee, pepper and jackfruit, earning it the nickname 'Mini Ooty of Dharmapuri'. A hilltop Murugan temple and seasonal waterfalls draw trekkers.

This 8th-9th-century Shiva temple, dedicated to Lord Mallikarjuneswarar and Goddess Kamatchi Ambal, is locally called Kottai Kovil, the Fort Temple. Its best-known feature is a hanging stone pillar in the ardha mandapam that leaves a small gap above the floor, a display of ancient sculptural skill. Local tradition holds that King Adhiyaman worshipped here and that a secret passage once linked the temple to Adhiyamankottai.

District headquarters and a market and administrative centre, and a leading mango-growing belt of Tamil Nadu. It is the main road base for trips to Hogenakkal.

This memorial pillar was erected by the Madras government to mark Dharmapuri's association with Sir Thomas Munro, who lived here from April 1792 to March 1799 as Assistant to the Superintendent of Revenue in the Baramahal. Munro later became Governor of Madras and is remembered for the ryotwari land-revenue system. The pillar is a colonial-era heritage marker in the town.

Set up by the Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, this open-air site museum displays more than 25 hero stones commemorating warriors, collected from around the Dharmapuri region. Alongside them it holds megalithic-era artifacts, neolithic stone tools, terracotta figurines, coins and iron objects. It offers a compact overview of the district's Iron Age and Sangam-era heritage.

The Government Museum in Dharmapuri displays sculptures, stone carvings and antiquities gathered from across the district. Its collection reflects the region's long temple-building and Adhiyaman-era history. It is a small district museum useful for understanding local archaeology and art history.

Thoppur Ghat is a scenic mountain-pass stretch of the Dharmapuri-Salem highway (NH-44) that winds through forested hills and valleys. It is popular with travellers for its long views over wooded slopes, and the surrounding hills hold megalithic-era remains. The pass serves as a well-known scenic gateway between the Dharmapuri plains and the Salem region.

Adhiyamankottai was the capital of the Adhiyaman chieftains who ruled the ancient Thagadur (Dharmapuri) country in the Sangam era. The oval fort ruins are linked to King Adhiyaman Neduman Anji, one of the 'Kadai Ezhu Vallal' whose court the poetess Avvaiyar visited. It is regarded as one of South India's oldest forts and is a state-protected heritage site.