Tillari – Where the Nature Rules
Tillari, a fabulous place surrounded by scenic mountains, is a heaven for nature lovers. Gushing waterfalls, lush green landscapes, mountains and most importantly, not many people around, all these factors make the visitor feel like a king in Tillari. Nature rules this place.
There are some lovely waterfalls around Tillari. There is a small yet beautiful waterfall that is hidden in the canopy, with mesmerizing surroundings. This waterfall is about 40 feet high and rolls over a rocky ledge. This ledge is about a hundred feet wide, but most of the time the stream would not have enough water to cover the entire width as the water flow is dependent on the release of water from the dam upstream.
The large pool of water that the stream forms at the base of the waterfall is the top attraction of this place. The pond is covered entirely by the forest canopy, thus making it appear pleasantly greenish. The great place is so beautiful that it almost appears unreal. Those looking forward to a bath would spend plenty of time swimming around the pond, as my fellow travellers did. The nature-admiring traveler would idly sit in front of the waterfall at the edge of the pond, admiring the creation for hours as I did.
The next pit stop was a canal through which water from the Tillari dam flows. My friends, despite a long bath at the waterfall, enjoyed a different style of bath in the canal. They would jump into the water and just lie down on their backs or faces down, and the force of the water would take them ahead. At a certain point of the canal, there was a pipe laid across. As soon as they reach this spot, they will grab hold of the pipe and climb out of the canal, run towards the starting point about 500 metres away, jump into the canal again, and repeat the process!
Then we were off to the viewpoint nearby to view two more waterfalls, which are about 100 feet tall and are positioned side by side. These waterfalls are formed by two seasonal streams that flow down the slopes of the valley to join the Tillari river flowing deep down. The magnificent Tillari valley presents a great sight from here.
Though friends had definite information about a couple of more waterfalls nearby, it was decided to go in search of them next time, and we headed to the starting point of Tillari Ghat Road. The sight here is one to behold. A long range of majestic mountains dotted the landscape, and small yellow flowers bedded the earth to quite a good distance to present a pleasing sight.
The Tillari Ghat road is one to be explored, as it is a risk-filled road with not many vehicles plying it. The fact that, for a certain period in the past, insurance claims were not applicable to mishaps occurring on this road explains the danger level of the ghat. The Tillari Ghat road starts from a large tabletop mountain and treads down at a steep gradient, disappearing beyond a bend.
A long walk on the ridge of this tabletop, enjoying the great sights of the open, deep valley on one side and the flowers spread all over on the other side, is a divine experience.
The old ghat road can be seen a little distance away from the newly constructed ghat road. This old road would make you wonder how the vehicles even ascended the road as the gradient looked just too steep and it looked very dangerous with deep bends with very little space to manoeuvre. The ghat road is indeed a mystery and worth a walk, but we could not venture on it because of a lack of time.
Article and photos by Rajesh Naik
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Key words/ Labels: Maharashtra, Tillari, Karnataka, Waterfall, Ghat, Road, Steep, Flowers