Hogenakkal Falls (Marikottayam)

About Hogenakkal Falls

Hogenakkal is a waterfall in South India on the Kaveri river in the Dharmapuri district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located 180 km (110 mi) from Bangalore and 46 km (29 mi) from Dharmapuri. Sometimes referred to as the "Niagara Falls of India," it is known for bathing areas and hides boat rides, projecting itself as a major tourist attraction. Carbonatite rocks in this site are considered to be the oldest of its kind in South Asia and one of the oldest in the world. The Government of Tamil Nadu made a proposal to convert the falls into providing drinking water for the state.

About the Trip

I left MM hills at around 11:00 am and reached Hogenakkal  Falls at around 12:45 pm, via Gopinatham Village which was 50 km from MM hills. I was very eagerly moving to watch the waterfalls, I had to go to the other end of the river through the boat, after crossing the river I had to walk for about 5 minutes to take a view of the falls.

As I reached the place, I was carried away from the mind-smoking view of the Falls. The falls can be viewed, from the hanging bridge. The word Hogenakkal is formed of two Kannada words hoge and Kal. When the waterfalls on the rocks it appears as if hoge (smoke) is emanating from the top of the Kal(rock) because of the force of the water, hence Hogenakkal (smoking rocks). It is also called as Marikottayam by the people of Tamil Nadu.

The place is famous for Boating, Oil massage, and Fish food.

Boating in Hogenakkal is allowed during the dry-season as the waterfalls are not strong enough to disrupt the passage of the boats. This is the main source of income for these boat operators. The coracles are about 2.24 m (7 ft 4 in) in diameter but still can take a load of eight persons at a time. These coracles are made of bamboo, and with all materials available takes about a day to build. The bottom of the boats are made waterproof by the use of hides, but sometimes with sheets of plastic. Use of plastics in the Hogenakkal vicinity, not just for boats, has been criticized due to problems with pollution. These boats are steered and propelled using a single paddle, making them unique. The coracles are locally called parisal in Tamil and either teppa or harigolu in Kannada.

Oil massage, there are people available who do oil massage near to the falls, the body gets relaxed and after the massage is done you will be told to have a bath in the falls, because of the force of the water-oil gets removed from one's body.

Fish food, Freshly caught fish are sold by the gorge and also various vendors selling water and snacks up and down the gorge rowing their coracles is not uncommon. The fish caught include katla, robu, kendai, keluthi, valai, mirgal, aranjan, and jilaby. After leaving the gorge, on the left shore, one can find improvised stalls set up on the sand. There, one can let the fresh fishes be prepared in one of the many kitchens. Also, many people can be found swimming or bathing around there.

                            Since I had been to temple on the same day, I wasn't  enough to taste the fish. Around 2:00 pm, I left the place heading towards Denkanikottai, which was around 63 km. I reached the place around 4:00 pm, had my lunch in a hotel nearby to the bus stand (Ganesh Bhavan), I also enquire the person what time will bus towards Bengaluru becoming, I was told next bus was at around 4:30 pm. As I was informed the bus came at 4:30 and headed towards Bengaluru, which was 60km, I reached Bengaluru around 8:30, as there was heavy traffic in Hosur road.