We had planned a two-day trek through the Kolli Hills.We were accompanied by people who have been doing this same trek for years. For them, this isn’t just a route through the hills; it is a sacred pilgrimage they undertake every year

 Many of them had been doing this route during Aadi 18 for the past 20-30 years, visiting  temples of arapaleeswarar,ettukkai amman,maasi periyannasamy as part of an annual pilgrimage. We were lucky to join with them

Reaching the trek base📍

From Thurayur we reached Koppampatti by bus, we walked to vairi Chettipalayam,took a LCV vehicle for 20 of us to the trek base.The kind farm keeper at the foothill let us eat by his farm well and offered buttermilk to us. around 10 am., we started climbing.

The brutal first ascent 🧗‍♂️

The first three hours were the hardest part of the trip.Dry scrub forest,Intense heat,Steep terrain,Heavy backpacks and We were also carrying a kattapai filled with lunch for several people.

The trail was barely marked. People walking ahead cut branches and placed them along the route so that the groups following will continue on the right trail.

We stopped constantly for shade,eventually came across a small fresh water pool we fetched some water and continued...

Into the villages of Kolli Hills 🏞

Eventually, the views opened up.

Pachamalai appeared in the distance, with huge valleys followed by plains stretching beneath us.

Around 1 pm., we reached a tea spot,Villagers from the top were serving pineapple, jackfruit,guava,tea and paniyarams.

There was music, dancing, and around 30  people chilling,After the intense heat and exhaustion, it felt like being amidst a festival in the middle of the mountains.

The trail gradually became cooler and less steep.

We passed through coffee, pepper, and silver oak plantations before reaching the villages of Kolli Hills.

After refilling our water at a local house, we continued toward our first major destination: Masiperiyanna Samy Temple.

Climbing to Masiperiyanna Samy 🔱

We reached the base of masi periyannasami  around 3 30 pm.,We had lunch and started climbing.

By 5 pm., we reached masi periyannasamy temple,Its the highest point of kolli hills at ~1350 m.

The view was enormous—Forests, rice fields, villages, and much of Kolli Hills spread below us.

We could even see Ettukkayamman Temple, Arappaleeswarar Temple far away in the hills,As began descending to ettukkai amman temple to stay the night.

The trail led towards Masila Falls.The waterfall had a very little stream running, but the route was still beautiful—and slightly nerve-racking.

We crossed the stream, walked through mist and light drizzle, and carefully passed narrow, slippery sections beside a deep valley.

After crossing the valley there were silver oak plantations,we walked through and reached a village from where we took a road toward Ettukkayamman Temple.

On the way, we stopped to watch a local kabaddi match.since it was getting dark we took a shortcut through the farmlands to reach the temple around 7 pm., we prayed, bought some snacks at the bakery nearby, and had dinner.

A cold night at Ettukkai amman temple 🏔

It was cold and windy at the temple. We used blankets, hoodies, tarpaulins, bed sheets, and extra cloth provided by the temple caretakers to cover up.we somehow got enough sleep for for the next day.

Day 2

Morning walk to Arappaleeswarar 🌄

We got up by 5 am and started walking at 6 am. and reached Arappaleeswarar Temple around 7 30 am.

After we prayed, we had annadanam with Pongal, vegetable biryani, sweet pongal, and sambar.Maybe the hunger made it taste even better,but it was genuinely excellent.

Route to descend 🏂

We continued along the Aiyaru River, That passed villages and a series of check dams, collected guavas on the way, filled our bottles at the last village, and climbed the final hill.

At the top, the entire Aiyaru Valley opened up below us.

We could see the river's dark green patch,the  huge valley, and the steep descent waiting ahead.

Down into the Aiyaru Valley 🌊

The trail down was steep and scrubby, but the cloudy weather kept it comfortable.

We reached the base of the valley around 1 pm. and followed the river for another hour.There were several natural pools along the way.

Then we found one deep enough to bathe in.After two days of rough trails, the cold river water felt like the perfect reset.

We reached puliancholai around 2 30 pm,had lunch there and caught a bus toward Thuraiyur and began the journey home.

Final thoughts 💭

This was more than a trek.

It was a 36 hour journey through villages,farms,temples,waterfalls, and an Aadi pilgrimage tradition that has continued for decades.

The first climb was exhausting. The night was cold.Our bags were heavy.

But the people, food, hospitality, and views made every difficult step worth it.

«Important: This route passes through reserved forest areas and is not an open public trek.Permission from forest dept is Mandatory »

Forest fire seen at kanjamalai taken around 11:30 pm 28/07

A short edit of agasthyar koodam trek from summer 2025

📍 Dharmapuri, Tamil Nadu

⛰️ Elevation: ~1,243 m/4,078 ft

🥾 Difficulty: Moderate, with some difficult sections due to overgrown vegetation

🚍 Getting There

We travelled to Dharmapuri by bus. From Dharmapuri, we took 9D bus at 6 AM and got down near Nadupatti

After buying some bananas and snacks, we walked a couple of kilometres towards the trek base.

Some of our friends had visited the hill before, so we got directions from them. Since it was a Saturday, we expected to see a few people going to the temple. But surprisingly, it was just me and my friend.

🥾 The Ascent

We started to climb around 7 AM.The trail passed through shrubby vegetation, with almost no wind. But after climbing higher, the landscape opened up to a valley. We could finally feel the breeze, and from there we got our first clear view of the temple and the steep climb ahead.

We had a banana each for breakfast and continued upwards.

The vegetation changed as we gained altitude a small Evergreen/Shola-like section covered in lemongrass, and later areas with teak and jamun trees. We foraged some jamuns for a quick snack. After the jamun trees,there was a shed which is a small cooking/resting area.From there,the trail was quite overgrown,In one section, we had to crouch and push through thorny vegetation for around 15–20 minutes.

We also searched for a water source marked as 'Holy water' on the map, but the water we found was stagnant and unsafe to drink. 

After the difficult overgrown section, we reached a Hanuman shrine and a Vinayagar statue. From there, we first visited the adi moola Perumal kovil facing towards akkamanahalli view, which had beautiful rock carvings of elephant, tortoise, fish and monkey.

Then we started the final climb.

The trail was difficult to follow as it was overgrown and bushy, but thankfully a pipe running up the hill helped us till we got to a small well.Constant scratching and sweating made us feel like the skin's burning,once we passed that,the next 15 minutes of climb was chill and pleasant with wonderful views, we finally reached Govindha perumal kovil at the top.

⛰️ The Summit

We reached the top at around 10 AM, and surprisingly, it was really cold despite the sun being high up.

Just above the temple was a dheeba thoon marking the highest point of the hill. The summit had panoramic views,spent some quiet time there watching shervarayan and other small ranges covered in dense fog.We read Thiruvasagam at the highest point before returning to the temple.

After having some snacks, we started our descent around 11 AM.

🌿 The Descent

We initially planned to return by the same route.but we noticed another route that looked shorter on the Map. We also saw a small water bottle tied to a tree branch, which seemed to be marking the alternate path.

So we decided to try it.

The route was overgrown in places, and since we were not sure about the route, we kept checking whether we're on the right trail. But it eventually turned out to be shorter, and we reached the foothills around 1 PM.

👨‍🌾 The Way Back

we were exhausted, but we still had a couple of kilometres to walk back towards Nadupatti.

A friendly thatha let us freshen up at a well by his farm,we took a short break there,they were curious about the temple and asked us where we were from, whether there was water on the hill.we chatted for a bit and continued towards Nadupatti.

From there, we took the same bus route back home.

📝 Final Thoughts

Perumal Malai was a really interesting trek because it felt like an exploration. The changing vegetation, monkeys, countless butterflies, jamun trees, cold windy summit, rocky sections and overgrown trail made the whole experience memorable.

A few tips:

- Carry sufficient water.

- Save the route offline beforehand.

- Get a stick to help push thru thick vegetation

- Be prepared for thorny and overgrown sections.Wear full sleeves and pants.

* The trail can be isolated and unclear in places, so avoid going alone unless you know the route.

Kambathrayan Giri is located near Satyamangalam in Erode district and is open for trekking only on Puratasi Saturdays. The route goes through Kadambur, which serves as the foothill town, and from there you drive another 8 km to Athiyur, a small village where the trek actually begins.

The drive to Kadambur itself felt therapeutic. From Satyamangalam, we passed through Kempanaickenpalayam, crossed Perumpallam Dam, and continued towards Kadambur on a road that was almost entirely single lane. On the way, there is a Malliamman temple where almost every vehicle stops for a quick darshan before continuing the journey.

Since this is the highest peak in Erode district, we could see the summit clearly from the base. It looked like a single massive hill, and I honestly thought it would be a relatively easy climb. The mountain had other plans and humbled me completely.

Total trek distance: ~10 km (up and down)
Total elevation gain: ~2,600 ft

The hill is open to the general public only on Puratasi Saturdays because there is a Perumal temple at the top. We also heard that people from the surrounding villages hike this hill on Pournami nights. Since the area falls inside a reserved forest, please make sure you have proper permission before attempting the trek on any other day.

We started from home at 4:30 AM, and this time my cousin joined me. We reached Athiyur around 7:00 AM. We parked in the village, and one paati asked us to leave the car in front of her house. Such a small gesture, but it felt incredibly kind and reminded me how different villages can be from our cities.

We began trekking at 7:30 AM. Because we started early, there was absolutely no crowd. The trail and the summit were completely ours during the ascent. We only started seeing people when we were coming down.

I’d break the hike into three phases:

1. Dense forest stretch
The first section is a gradual climb through thick greenery with plenty of shade and uneven forest trails. It was the easiest and most pleasant part of the hike.

2. Rocky ascent
After the forest, the terrain becomes rocky, but the climb is still fairly gradual. This is where the trek starts testing your stamina.

3. The lemongrass stretch (final climb)
This was easily the toughest section. The hill was covered with lemongrass that was taller than us, and in many places the trail was barely visible. Since this path is not frequently used, it felt quite raw and unseasoned. The grass kept swaying in the wind and brushing against us with every step, which made the climb surprisingly tiring.

We finally reached the summit around 10:00 AM. There is a small Perumal worship spot at the top. We found a perfect rock with a panoramic view, had our brunch there, and spent nearly an hour just sitting in silence and taking in the surroundings.

A group of youngsters from Kempanaickenpalayam had carried tents and cooking supplies all the way up. They told us they were planning to camp on the summit for the night.

I met a man in his mid-40s who had come all the way from Trichy on his Honda Shine, riding solo just to do this hike. He was really pushing himself on the climb, and something about him reminded me of Ram from 96, quietly determined and carrying his own world with him.

I also ended up meeting a few fellow trekkers along the trail. We spent a good part of the hike chatting, joking around, and exchanging plenty of Coimbatore kusumbu. The funny part was that I ran into some of the same people again during the next week’s hike, which made the trail feel a little less like a one-time encounter and more like a small trekking community.

We started descending around 11:15 AM. To be honest, the initial descent was trickier than the climb. The rocks were slippery, and there were plenty of loose stones, so even with good-grip shoes we had to be careful. We finally reached the village by 1:00 PM.

This was a challenging but deeply rewarding trek. It tested my endurance, gave us stunning views from the summit, and the early start made the entire experience feel peaceful and unhurried.

Kambathrayan Giri became one of those hikes that stayed with me. Just like Perumal Mudi, I genuinely enjoyed every part of it. The constant breeze throughout the trek made a huge difference, and even during the tougher sections, it never felt exhausting in a bad way. It was one of those rare hikes where the journey itself felt as good as the summit.

A short edit of our journey to thadagai nachiamman kovil during karthigai deepam last december

Manmalai is situated between Kollimalai and Pachamalai.It ended up being the most unique and memorable treks I've done so far.

GETTING TO TREK BASE:

We reached mangampatti by bus.We still had to walk a couple of kilometers from the bus stop to reach the trek base.Luckily we met a local man who agreed to guide us.The weather was absolutely amazing.It had been raining, the clouds were hanging low,we reached a small perumal temple from where the trail starts.

THE ASCENT:

After 30 minutes of climb our guide took us on small detour to a nearby stream,we considered taking a bath there, but the stream was too small, so we just fetched some water and continued. As we climbed higher, we got stunning views of the Kolli Hills and other nearby ranges disappearing into the mist.Soon enough, we were trekking inside the clouds ourselves.

The forest was incredibly green and full of life, with fungi growing everywhere. We even spotted maravattai(millipedes) mating on a tree.Cold weather made the climb very enjoyable, and it took us around three hours to reach the top.

MANMALAI VILLAGE:

Around twenty families live there and cultivate crops such as coffee, pepper, radish, and other hill produce. During the festival, families bring portions of their harvest and hang them in front of the Perumal temple as offerings.

The temple itself wasn't crowded when we arrived, but it was last saturday of purattasi.The villagers made three massive wooden chariots (ther), each probably around 15-20 ft tall.Hundreds of devotees pull these chariots around a sacred tree, but unfortunately, we had arrived too early to witness the actual procession.

THE SUMMIT:

After spending some time at the temple, we walked another 10-20 minutes to reach the summit of Manmalai.dheepa thoon is located at the highest point of manmalai range.

Near the summit, some locals took us to a place associated with the local belief that Lord Rama visited during his Vanavasam and prepared maruthani(henna). Reaching this place involved pushing through thorny shrubs and crouching through dense vegetation, but we eventually made it there, prayed for a while, and returned to the temple.

THE DESCENT:

The villagers had prepared lunch for everyone near the temple.Despite being on a remote hilltop, the village has electricity, and they were cooking with firewood using an electric blower. The food was incredible: sakkarai pongal, rice, sambar,vazhakai poriyal and rasam. After hours of trekking in the cold weather, it was probably one of the best meals I've had on any trek.

For the descent, we took the Sentharapatti route,which is a rough dirt track that can be used by jeeps and motorcycles. On the way down, we stopped at another stream with cold water, refreshed ourselves there and continued our descent. It took us around 2-3 hours to get down.After reaching the foothills, we walked another couple of kilometers to reach the bus stop.

CONCLUSION:

The easiest time to visit is during the Purattasi Saturdays, when pilgrims are allowed to visit the temple. Outside of that period, make sure to obtain the necessary forest permission before planning your trek.

Overall, this trek had everything: mist forests, hilltop farming, local traditions, temple festivals, legends, great food, and some of the most beautiful weather I've experienced in the hills of Tamil Nadu.

Last weekend,we planned to trek Bodhamalai, a lesser-known hill near Salem that's about 1,100 meters above sea level.

We left Coimbatore on Saturday evening and reached the foothills near panamarathupatti around 10 or 11 at night.We planned to camp at the base before starting the trek the next morning.Finding a campsite wasn't easy, and we spent nearly an hour searching before finally finding a suitable spot.

By 5:30 in the morning, the rest of our group had arrived. Some of them had actually attempted this trek a few months earlier but got lost after taking the wrong trail.This time, we had a local guide with us who knew the route well.

We started trekking around 6:30 AM.The first part of the climb was surprisingly difficult because the trail kept diverging to different parts of the hill we had to make sure that we were on the right path.As we gained altitude, the weather became cooler and the trek became much more pleasant.

A couple of hours into the hike, we came across a small natural pond(sunai).The water looked clear, but because there were mosquitoes and tadpoles in it, we decided not to drink from it.A little further ahead, we found a well with cold, refreshing water and refilled our bottles there.

As we continued climbing, the landscape changed from forest to agricultural land.We saw cardamon plantations, jackfruit trees, turmeric fields, and silver oak trees.Our guide told us that Bodhamalai is one of the lowest-altitude places where cardamon is cultivated successfully.

Soon we reached a small hilltop village.Near a temple stood a huge jackfruit tree loaded with fruits.We asked if we could eat one, but the locals told us they weren't ripe yet.The village itself was beautiful, with clouds drifting close to the hills and farms spread across the slopes.

After crossing the village and walking for another thirty minutes, we reached the final hill where the Perumal temple is located.We left our footwear at the base and climbed the rock-cut steps leading to the summit.

The view from the top was incredible.We had a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding hills and plains, including views toward Rasipuram and nearby regions.We spent over an hour there, taking photos, relaxing,having brunch and enjoying the cool breeze.We found some coconuts that had been offered at the temple the previous day and shared them among ourselves.

Eventually, we started our descent.From the top, we took another route back, one that bypassed the whole village and led us straight to the well from where we had fetched water on the way up.A couple of my trek mates even took a quick bath there to freshen up.Around the same spot, there were jamun trees, and a lot of ripe jamuns had fallen on the ground.My trek mates picked them one by one, and we had a little treat there before continuing our way down.

The return journey took about three hours, and the afternoon heat made it much tougher than the climb up.Once we reached the base,people there ensured that all of us returned safely.

One important thing to know is that this is not an officially designated trekking route.The trail is confusing near the base, with several paths branching in different directions.If you're planning to visit Bodhamalai, it's best to obtain permission with the TN forest department and go with an experienced local guide.

Overall, it was an amazing trek.The combination of forests, hilltop villages, cardamon plantations, the Perumal temple, and the panoramic summit views made it one of the most memorable hikes I've done in Tamil Nadu.

Kondarangi Hills Trek Report – A Steep Climb with incredible views.

We arrived at the base temple the previous evening and decided to spend the night there. Camping at the foothills gave the trip a special start, and after a short night's rest, we woke up around 5:30 AM and began our ascent.

The climb to the hilltop temple took us roughly 90 mins. The trail is famous for its steep rock-cut steps, and it definitely lives up to that reputation.Despite the steepness, the route felt reasonably safe thanks to the steel railings installed along much of the path.

The temple itself is a beautiful Kudaivarai Temple (rock-carved temple), built directly into the rock face of the hill. After reaching the temple, we spent some time there, offered our prayers, rested, and enjoyed the scenery. From the temple, it took us another 15–20 minutes to reach the highest point of the hill.

We spent quite a while exploring the summit area.where we were accompanied by the friendly pups. One interesting feature near the peak is a small natural water pool (Sunai in Tamil). We took a different route from the summit to visit it, which added a bit of adventure to the trek and allowed us to explore more of the hill.

After returning to the temple, we began our descent. The way down took around one and a half hours. Descending the steep rock sections required concentration, but the railings once again made a huge difference.

One thing that left a strong impression on us was meeting the elderly man who dedicated much of his life to installing and maintaining the steel railings along the route. Standing on those steep exposed sections, it was impossible not to appreciate the effort and commitment behind that work. Those railings have undoubtedly made the pilgrimage and trek much safer for countless visitors over the years.