Hogenakkal: All Falls Down

Hogenakkal is a jewel, no doubt, but something of a rough and grimy jewel at first glance. The town itself is an acquired taste, not quite as charming, as pretty, as well-serviced, or not even, unfortunately, as remote, rural and as untouched as you might wish it to be. On the one hand, although it is technically inside a protected forest reserve, you can find all kinds of plastic refuse littered almost mockingly right around the various ‘No Plastic Allowed in Hogenakkal’ signs. On the other hand, it seems nothing at all for phone reception, with enquiries earning only diffident half-shrugs. This is the kind of town where travellers rarely stay for more than one night because, after that, there are few advertised options for things to do; this is the kind of town that resigns itself to people passing through.

And yet, you might find all your reservations slipping away as you approach Hogenakkal’s central drama, its raison d’etre – the falls, and the great, winding Cauvery river they draw from. The river winds through a labyrinth of high, narrow canyons before plunging down with thunderous force in several spots. It’s a source of endless surprise how quick and easy it is to wind around a canyon and enter into beauty, forgetting the town entirely.

Just beyond the falls, and easily accessible by your little boat, lies the rugged forest with the river widening and flowing through it, and little fishing villages that seem to have as little use for tourists as tourists do for them.

Coracales lining the banks of the Cauvery river

THINGS TO SEE AND DO

There is a standard itinerary one follows at Hogenakkal, and it almost always begins with a visit to the Hanging Bridge and the Bathing Falls. These can be found a few minutes from the town centre, after negotiating a couple of small parks and a small market complex of stalls that sell, among other things, swimming shorts and Hogenakkal’s delicious fried fish. Go past the bathers on the ghats; to the right you’ll find the steps that go down to the Bathing Falls; go left to reach the bridge.

The Bathing Falls are divided into two sections, one for men and a more secluded one for women. A bath here is one of the must-do highlights of Hogenakkal. The water is supposed to have various healing properties, having first passed through thick, medicinal forests. Before you go in, just above the stairs, several men (none for women, it seems) will accost you with offers of a supposedly ‘Ayurvedic’ oil massage. Using soap under the falls affects the environment, and is better left unused. Go early in the morning to avoid the crowds.

The Hanging Bridge is a very short suspension bridge that links the more populous Hogenakkal side to the scrubby, unpopulated forest where, although there are signs discouraging you from doing so, no one will stop you from wandering around a little bit. You pay  ₹5 to get on, and you do it mostly for a vaguely daring view of the falls. There is a place along the bridge from where the view is supposed to be the most ideal; try inching along to find it, or perhaps ask one of the locals to show you the exact spot.

Toothy grins at Crocodile Park

Parisal Ride

Without a doubt, this is the main reason to come to Hogenakkal. Boat men also serve as guides here, and if you linger anywhere for a moment or two, they will find you. Very soon, you will have drifted downstream, far enough from the noise and dirt of town, leaving you free to take in the river’s environs without distraction. The boatman will insist on showing you the spots where a song from the Mani Ratnam movie Roja was shot, along with a number of big and small falls with small rainbows forming before your eyes. Navigate to wider, calmer waters, and you could relax a while and eat on a bank before heading back. If you ask the boatman, he might take you for a little walk through the forest, perhaps show you a small temple inside dedicated to the folk goddess Mariamman, or take you a little further down the waterway.

The rates for the ride are subject to bargaining and may vary quite a bit, depending on a number of factors, while the toll remains standard. If you want to stay on and lunch properly at the far bank, you’ll pay more. In the high season, when the water is deep and unpredictable, insist that the boatman doesn’t take on more than about four passengers per parisal.

Parisal ride from Billigundu

One drawback to the ride just around the falls is that it can sometimes get somewhat crowded. For a much rarer and more fascinating experience, pay double the amount and ask the boatman to take you for a long ride through the forest, starting upstream of the falls, in the nearby town of Billigundu. He won’t be able to take the shaky parisal upstream, so first he will have to transport the craft to the bank at Billigundu on the top of a bus. Billigundu is a small village deep in this forest with a small, old and famous church and also a surprisingly large and impressive new church. From here, you’ll take in approximately 8 km of, peaceful, secluded river and forest before you hit the falls, and you’ll be much happier at the end of it all.

Crocodile Park

There’s not all that much to see in this little park on the other side of the town, but if you have an hour to kill, it’s definitely worth visiting. What you get are about six pens packed with crocodiles, sleeping and playing dead. They’re part of a Forest Department initiative to save the Cauvery crocodile by recovering the eggs and rearing them in captivity.

WHERE TO STAY AND EAT

Restaurants and eating joints in Hogenakkal are basic; but one must-try the fried fish from the roadside stands, deliciously and tartly spicy. The common fish are kotla and viral; in the high season you’ll get the big guys, like keluthi and rog.

TTDC’s Hotel Tamil Nadu (Tel: 04342-256447), spitting distance from the falls and the Hanging Bridge, is the fanciest, most reliable place in town. The place is geared for people who don’t stay more than one night. There is plenty of space for parking and a park for kids.

Among the private hotels, the CM Hotel (Cell: 09789627413; Tariff: ₹500-2,500) opposite the new bus stand is a good choice. They have a restaurant and a bar. Sri Priya Lodge in the centre of town is another option. The staff and owner are friendly, the rooms are simple but have high ceilings and are airy.

AROUND HOGENAKKAL

Mettur Dam, the nearest well-known attraction, is a 65-km drive away, but ask the locals to show you the trail up Hogenakkal’s surrounding Melagiri Hills; walk up for a couple of hours and you will be able to see the dam from there.

Going or coming between Hogenakkal and Dharmapuri, you might make quick stops just off the main road at various towns to see the Aiyanar temples. The Aiyanars, historically, are the traditional security-guard deities for Tamilian towns, but the temples in this stretch have especially lovely and mammoth Aiyanar statues, 10- to 15-ft high, modernised to include statues of policemen as secondary helpers to the deities. Two of the most impressive Aiyanars can be found in Nagadasapattinam (28 km from Hogenakkal back towards Dharmapuri) and Bagraharam (26 km from Hogenakkal, take a right from the town centre).

When to go November to March Location on the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border, 353 km SW of Chennai Air Nearest airport: Bengaluru Rail Nearest rail: Dharmapuri