Kutralam or Courtallam, widely known as the ‘Spa of South India’, is a small Panchayat town located in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. This town located in the Western Ghats possesses a number of small and big waterfalls composed of various perennial and seasonal rivers originating from this region including Tambaraparani, Pachaiyar, Manimuthar and Chittar.

Numerous cascades and waterfalls along with several ubiquitous health resorts in this region have earned it the name and reputation of ‘Spa of South India’. Kutralam has a total of nine small and big waterfalls, including:

• The main and biggest Peraruvi falls which are about 60 m high whose flow is interrupted by a 19m deep crater.
• Small Chitraruvi falls with very thin flow of water.
• Shenbagadevi falls, which have derived its name from nearby temple  dedicated to Shenbagadevi Amman
• Aintharuvi falls, which are a series of five small falls
• Thenaruvi or honey falls which are 40 m high and the water in these falls cascades between two large stones. At some places where there is no water, one can see big honeycombs that give these falls their name.
• The other falls include Pazhathotta Aruvi (Also known as VIP falls), Pazhaya Courtalla Aruvi, the artificial Puli Aruvi (Also known as Tiger falls) and many other small falls.

Location

Nestled in the Western Ghats, at an elevation of 160 m on the Ghats the town of Kutralam is located in the scenic surroundings of Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu. There are several cascades and waterfalls in this region. The hill rocks which dominate the picturesque scenery tend to disappear completely in the blue mist of Agasthiarmalai, which is a mountain that has derived its name from a south Indian sage who is believed to have lived in this region and has made great contributions in the Tamil Literature.

Activities to Do

Many people who visit these falls indulge into bathing here. However, the area has several tourist attractions too including a Children’s park, an aquarium near the main falls, a snake park near the main falls, boat houses near the Pazhaya Courtallam Aruvi and Five falls and the Therkumalai Estate where one can indulge in the recreational activities.

How to Reach

By Air

The nearest airport is located in Tuticorin located at a distance of 90 Km. After reaching Tuticorin, you can easily hire a taxi to reach the falls that will take around 1.5 hours to reach the spectacular location of the Kutralam falls.

By Road

Kutralam is majorly connected by road through bus transportation to two major cities of Tamil Nadu – Shenkottai and Tenkasi both located at a distance of 5 km from the falls aproximately. From these two cities one can find regular buses to all the major cities of South India including Madurai.

By Rail

The nearest rail head is located in Tenkasi at a distance of about 5 Km from where one can reach Kutralam in about 20 minutes via road.