Saturday 3 March 2012

A Trip To Sholaiyar Dam, Tamil Nadu (Unexplored Lands)

One weekend, we decided to take a road trip to Sholaiyar Dam after hearing about the beautiful scenery along the Pollachi-Valparai-Sholaiyar Dam route. We left early to avoid traffic and enjoyed the pleasant weather as we drove past rows of windmill turbines in the Pollachi-Udumalpet belt.

The Windmills On the way 

As we made our way up the Ghat road of the Annamalai hills, we marveled at the tea estates covering the hills like green carpets. After reaching Valparai, we had a quick meal at a local restaurant before heading to the Sholaiyar IB guest house for the weekend.
The guest house offered a stunning view of the Sholaiyar Dam, one of the deepest dam in Asia. We spent our time walking around the serene surroundings and admiring the beauty of the dam and the nearby Upper and Lower Nirar dams.

The View Of The Tea Estates


Dam From IB Guest House
This  dams is located on the border of Tamil Nadu and Kerala on the Chalakudy River. It is a vital reservoir under the Parambikulam Aliyar Project and has a water storage capacity of 160 ft. The reservoir's overflowing waters are let into the Parambikulam Reservoir through the saddle dam. Though it attracts many tourists during the evenings and weekends, there are very few who choose to stay back at this serene place. It is a great place to take a enjoy the fresh air and serenity of a laid back village. The path used by the locals to reach the other end of the dam offers beautiful and picturesque views
The Dam - view from the other side 

The places to see around Sholaiyar are two important dams - Upper Nirar and Lower Nirar dams. Water from the Chinnakallar falls gets collected in the Upper Nirar Dam and flows through a tunnel to the Lower dam. It is located amidst dense forests and is a beautiful place to visit. Both the dams have their own beauty and one can spend hours walking around here. These dams are worth a visit and make us wonder at the unparalleled skills and labor involved in building these dams, years ago for hydro-power and irrigation purposes.



No comments: