Kolli Hills – An Adventure Holiday
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Kolli Hills or Kolli Malai is a small mountain range located in central Tamil Nadu in Namakkal district of India. The mountains are about a thousand to thirteen hundred meters in height and cover an area of approximately 280 km².
The Kolli Hills are famous for its seventy two hair pin bends which lead to the top of the hills. The Kolli Hills are part of the Eastern Ghats. The Kolli Hills are loved by tourists because they are relatively untouched by commercial tourism and still retain their natural beauty.
These mountains were sometimes known as "Kolli Malai", the "Mountains of Death". The story behind the name is very interesting. According to legend it is called so because early literature records the existence of an image called Kollippavai on top of these hills. This image was believed to represent the spirit of a maiden who lured wayfarers by her beauty and then killed them!
Today Kolli Hills is a site of pilgrimage, because of the Arapaleeswarar temple. The temple is believed to have a secret path to the Shiva temple in Rasipuram. This Shiva temple is said to have been built by Valvil Ori in the 1st or 2nd century when he ruled this area. It is believed that this temple existed during the Sangam period itself. According to legend, the Shiva lingam in the temple was found when a farmer was ploughing his land. It is said that the farmer accidentally hit the Shiva lingam while ploughing, and that led blood to ooze out of the statue. The small wound is said to be visible on the Shiva lingam even today.
There are two amazing viewpoints here. One is at Seekuparai and another at Selur Nadu. There is a park and an approach road to the Seekuparai viewpoint. The government maintains a pineapple research farm where hybrid varieties are created. Research about medicinal plants is also pursued on these mountains. The government holds a tourism festival in August.
Kolli Hills is a paradise for nature lovers, hiking enthusiasts, trekking clubs and meditation practitioners among hill stations in Tamil Nadu. In comparison to other hill stations in Tamil Nadu, Kolli Hills is less commercialized. There is also less polluted and it offers unique mountain ranges.
The district administration has recently developed a botanical garden, boat house, cave house and new waterfalls called Masila Falls. The "Ori festival" with a lot of cultural events is also a very popular event in Kolli Hills.
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Author Resource:-
For More Info :Hotels in Kolli Hills and Kolli Hills Tourism
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By :
Andrew Michel
Submitted
2012-02-05 16:16:43 |
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