RAT TAIL FALLS - SIXTH HIGHEST WATERFALL - NO ACCESS TO PEOPLE

      Thalaiyar Falls, also known as Rat Tail Falls is a waterfall on the Manjalar River,located in Theni District, a tributary of the Vaigai River, located in the Devadanapatti of Theni District, Tamil Nadu State, South India. It is 975 ft (297 m) tall and is the highest waterfall in Tamil Nadu, the sixth highest waterfall in India and the 267th highest in the world.

         On a clear day Rat Tail Falls is visible from the Dum Dum Rock viewpoint on the Batalugundu-Kodaikanal Ghat Road, 3.6 kilometres (2.2 mi) away to the west. It appears across the valley as a long thin white strip of cascading water on a background of black rock cliff face that juts out of the foothills.

          one can watch the water in freefall, mostly silent. The noise of the crashing water below doesn't rise up. The only noise is the water pushing around the stone walls, and some smaller falls just upstream.The river water coming to the falls, though 9 km (5.6 mi) downstream from Perumal Malai village and apparently clear, may be polluted, and visitors to the area are advised to avoid drinking it.

ACCESS:-

       Rat Tail Falls is considered inaccessible to the general public, as there is no road to it. The top of the falls is a rewarding and challenging hike destination. Hikers should be cautious, as two Western tourists died in 2006 when they fell from the top of the Falls.

       It is possible to hike to the bottom of the falls in the dry season, beginning at the Manjalar Dam. This difficult hike proceeds along a path through Mango orchards and potato fields around the Manjalar Reservoir and up along the stream as far as a small shrine, dedicated to the Goddess Kamakshi.