Coutrallam Part 2

Continuing from here,even though the coutrallam season is over and even purattasi is almost half way through.

The description and the trivia of the falls are best when it is from the local folks. Krishna, waiting to hear from the horse’s mouth.

Now, let us continue from the halwa shop towards the Main falls. The sannadhi veedhi is lined on both the sides by seasonal shops selling everything from hair bands to jaadikai oorugai and masala to freshly made banana chips. The banana chips making process needs to be described. The chips master picks up about ten peeled raw bananas and puts it in the hand slicer and slices it into a huge pan of boiling coconut oil. Once he has started, he keeps moving the peeler higher and farther from the pan, to a level where it is an artistic skill. The angle in which the slicer is held, and the pressure on the bananas are so accurate that, the slices fly from abt 5 feet distance into the pan forming a nice trajectory. :)

Further towards the falls, on the left is a small pillayar in an arasa marathadi. He is truly in a Maniratnam like surrounding, with the shrill of the falls encompassing him. After a hello to him, and proceeding further, is when the first view of the falls opens widely. The cataract reveals so beautifully with a rhythm that kick starts fresh blood into the arteries.
A nice gingili oil massage to the head is imperative before trying the waters. The smell of freshly ground oil, hmm.. I love it.!!

Then it is time to bid bye to our women folks as they tread towards their side of the falls, which is on the other bank of the stream. Invariably the side of the falls where water force is lesser is made the women’s section, amidst lots of cries of foul play from them. :)

If it happens to be a weekend, there is a queue for entering the falls. The queue takes from 5 mins to even 30 mins. The closer you go, the more exciting it becomes. At the first drizzle of water kissing the body, a shiver is sent through the spine. The chillness is scary, initially. Just over come this and walk into the falls, and that is where words and adjectives stop.

In crowded days, there might be some pushing and pulling on the periphery of the water flow, mostly by the hydro starved chennaites who would take a mug and bathe with it in Coutrallam. Manage to penetrate and move in, and its you you you and only you, along with some other seasoned folks who enjoy just standing, without the push pull, shouting that happens on the periphery.

Stand there, facing the Vimanam of Kutraleeswarar a.k.a. Tirukutralanathar. Recite Sivapuranam, Rudram, Chamakarm, Purushasooktham, Shiva manasa stotram, shiva panchakshara stotram, lingasthakam, bilvashtakam, all while being pounded by gallons and gallons of water at incredible speed. Liberation Happens!!. The experience is heavenly.

Walk out of the waters, when contentment is attained. No police man or crowd controller will bother to hurry us up, as long as we move into the waters, and not do Kaka kuliyal, where the crowd is! All the oil applied on the head is gone!! Not even a drop of shampoo or seeyakkai podi.

After floating out, 2 things need to be done, first is to check the money that was secured in 10 Padma Coffee plastic bags, pinned to the inside of the shorts or tied to the veshti is intact, and second is to maintain a safe distance from all those folks moving towards the falls, else there is a high probability that we would again end up with oil all over the body.

The waters from the falls are supposed to be herbal nature, since they run through the herb rich podigai malai, and do not cause cold or other general complaints that arise due to prolonged indulgence in water.

No changing of dress or anything, jus keep walking with the wet clothes on! Even otherwise it is bound to get wet, because of the constant drizzle [malai chaaral]. Head straight towards the restaurant, for what would be an excellent meal.

One the way, hot hot molagai bajji and masala vadai, from the nadar kadai server as the much needed starters, in the chilly weather.The limited vegetarian meal served at the xyz Vilas Brahmanaall hotel, is really tasty and will be doubled by the appetite generated by the Falls bath. It is again time for dessert, the Velu kadai tirunelveli halwa. Go to the hotel room, change to dry dresses and fall sleep for the afternoon.[The only place where I sleep in afternoons is coutrallam, couldn’t control that mate :P]

The evening starts with visit to the Shree VenuVaakVaadhini sametha Shree Kutralanatha Swamy darshan. VVV is known as Kuzhal Vaai Mozhi amman in Tamil. The temple is of the nayakar architecture and has an excellent ambience. Lots of small stories involved with the temple.

FYI, during the floods in early 90s, whole of coutrallam was devastated, the temple was in 10 feet water. The boulders rolling over had destroyed the falls.

The temple trip is followed by another round of bathing-eating-sleeping cycle, with the addition of hot Masala milk for the night. :)

This routine is repeated for the next 2 days with the name of the falls are find-and-replace by Five Falls, Old Falls, Sitraruvi, Pazha thotta aruvi etc…

Visiting Coutrallam is one, which I would recommend people to have it in the plan-to-do-before-I-die list.