Kolli Hills: Tamil Nadu’s Quiet Mountain of Legend

Of all Tamil Nadu’s hill retreats, Kolli Hills — Kolli Malai to Tamil speakers — is among the least trodden. Rising in the Eastern Ghats of Namakkal district, it is a broad plateau of jackfruit groves, coffee and pepper slopes and small farming hamlets, reached by a famously twisting road that most tour buses never attempt. Where Ooty and Kodaikanal draw crowds, Kolli stays quiet, wrapped in mist and a reputation for folklore that once kept outsiders away altogether.

Getting there: 70 hairpin bends

The single defining experience of Kolli Hills is the ascent. From the plains near Karavalli, the ghat road climbs through 70 near-continuous hairpin bends, each one numbered on a roadside stone, gaining nearly a kilometre in height over roughly twenty winding kilometres before it levels out near Solakkadu. It is one of the more demanding drives in the state, and drivers of larger vehicles should be confident on tight switchbacks; the bends are sharp, the gradient steep and the views, once you stop to look, expansive.

The nearest large towns are Namakkal and Rasipuram, both an easy drive to the foot of the hills, from where the climb begins. There is no railway or airport on the plateau itself, so a car or hired taxi is by far the most practical way up.

The legend of the deadly mountain

Kolli Hills carries an unusually dark reputation in local tradition. In folklore it was long called a “mountain of death,” a name owed partly to the malarial fevers of the low forests and partly to legend. The range is said to be guarded by Kollipavai, a maiden deity whose stone image, the stories tell, once represented a spirit who lured travellers with her beauty and then led them astray. Older tales speak of mountain spirits that mislead wayfarers on the forest paths. These are legends, not history — but they shaped how the hills were regarded for centuries, and they still colour the atmosphere of the place.

The same folklore ties into the Arapaleeswarar Temple, an ancient Shiva shrine on the plateau associated with the siddhar Arappaleeswarar. By tradition the herb-gathering siddhas would first seek the permission of Kolli Paavai before collecting the mountain’s rare medicinal plants, believing the herbs would only work their full effect if the custom was observed.

Things to see and do

The plateau’s best-known sight is Agaya Gangai Falls, where a stream drops some 300 ft (about 90 m) into a wooded gorge. Reaching the base means descending a long stone stairway of well over a thousand steps — commonly counted at around 1,000 to 1,300 — which takes roughly half an hour down and appreciably longer on the climb back up. The falls run strongest after the rains; the pool at the bottom is a popular place to rest. The path begins near the Arapaleeswarar Temple, about a kilometre away.

Close by, the Kolli Hills Botanical Garden gathers native and cultivated plants across landscaped terraces and makes an easy, level stop for families. For a slower afternoon, the Vasalurpatty boat house sits beside a small lake where pedal and rowing boats can be hired amid the greenery. Devotees and curious visitors alike climb to the Ettukai Amman Temple, dedicated to the eight-armed guardian goddess of the hills and bound up with the Kolli Paavai story. For the wide Eastern Ghats panoramas that reward the long drive, head to the Seekuparai and Selur viewpoints, both looking out over ridge after ridge of forested hills.

Kolli Hills is famed among traditional healers for its medicinal herbs, and the slopes have long drawn siddha practitioners in search of rare plants. Small roadside stalls sell hill jackfruit, pepper, coffee, honey and pineapple in season, and the produce is a good part of the plateau’s gentle appeal.

When to visit

The most rewarding months are August to January, once the monsoon has filled the streams and cooled the air; the waterfall is at its fullest and the slopes their greenest in this window. The hills stay pleasant through much of the year, but roads can be slick during heavy rain, so check conditions before a wet-season drive. Facilities on the plateau are modest — carry cash, fuel up before the climb, and start the descent of the falls stairway with plenty of daylight in hand.

Planning a wider trip? Kolli sits well alongside the state’s other high retreats and cascades — see our companion guides at /india/tamil-nadu/guides/tamil-nadu-hill-stations and /india/tamil-nadu/guides/tamil-nadu-waterfalls.