Thalaiyar Falls

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**Thalaiyar Falls**

Location	Kodaikanal
Total height	975 ft

Thalaiyar Falls, also known as the Rat Tail Falls is located near Kodaikanal, Dindigul district Tamil Nadu, India. It is 975 feet (297 meters) tall and is the highest waterfall in Tamil Nadu, the third highest in India and the 266th highest in the World. On a clear day Rat Tail Falls is visible from a great distance on a cliff face that juts out of the plains. Driving up the Ghat road, it appears across the valley as a long thin white strip of cascading water on a background of black rock.

Rat Tail Falls is considered inaccessible to the general public, as there is no road to it, however it is a rewarding and challenging hike destination. The very edge at the top of the Falls has a concrete wall, two parts from either side concentrating the flow of water to focus the falls into a better rat tail shape. One can walk along the wall and get near the center of the Falls.

Just below one wall is a large flat rock about 5ft wide. One can get down to the edge of it to look directly straight down what seems a mile to see a tiny little river at the bottom continuing placidly through the forest. Looking back up to the side, one can watch the water in freefall, mostly silent. The noise of the crashing below doesn’t rise up. The only noise is the water pushing around the stone walls, and some smaller falls just upstream.

The river leading up to the falls, although apparently clear, is heavily polluted, and visitors to the area are advised to avoid bathing in it.