View of Aliyar Reservoir- From Valparai churam

Aliyar Reservoir is a 6.48 km to located near Pollachi town in Coimbatore District, Tamil Nadu, India. The dam is located in the foothills of Valparai, in the Anamalai Hills of the Western Ghats. It is about 65 km from Coimbatore.

Valparai is a hill station in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. This is located 3,500 feet above sea level on the Anaimalai Hills range of the Western Ghats, at a distance of 95 km from Coimbatore, 65 km from Pollachi, 98 km frm Chalakkudy .There are 40 hairpin bends on the way to Valparai from Aliyar.

Some of the tourist attractions near the town are:

Aliyar Park

This Park is situated on the banks of Azhiyar Dam and surrounded by western ghats in three sides. Near to this is Siddashram.

Monkey Falls

This waterfall is situated  on the way to Valparai from Aliyar Dam. Thousands of people visits this place every year.

Sholayar dam

This is a very deep dam located at a distance of 20 km, from Valparai.It is also the 2nd dam in Asia.

Chinnakallar

This is the second highest rain fall area in India. This area always lies greenish, misty and wet. A waterfall which sounds like a Roaring Lion also located at Chinnakallar.

Nirar dam

Dam is situated in a wonderful location covered by a dense forest. This dam is built for multipurpose project such as irrigation, Hydro electricity production. There is a waterfalls near the dam.

Wildlife in Valparai

Valparai is a mid-elevation hill station . The tea plantations are surrounded by evergreen forest. The region is also a rich elephant tract and is known to have many leopards.

The scenic drive to the town from Pollachi passes through the Indira Gandhi Wild Life Sanctuary noted for elephants, boars, lion-tailed macaques, gaur,etc. The area is also rich in birds like the great hornbill. Water bodies at Monkey falls and Aliyar Dam are also seen en route.Valparai receives among the highest rainfall in the region during the monsoons (around June).

The Valparai range is also habitat the Nilgiri Tahr, an endemic wild goat. they now exist only in a few isolated sites like the Anaimalai Hills.

Interesting Things to visit Chalakkudy-Pollachi route

Athirappalli Waterfalls

Athirappally Waterfalls are often referred to as the Niagra falls of India. They come crashing down from a hight of 80 feet.

Vazhachal Waterfalls

The vaazhchal waterfalls are located very close to the Athirappilly Waterfalls in Chalakkudy river.

Charpa Waterfalls

The Charpa Waterfalls is located on the way from Athirappilly to Valparai, is located just 5 km away from Athirappilly waterfalls. This seasonal waterfalls in Chalakkudy river in between Athirappilly and Vaazhchal falls.

Valparai


Valparai  is a hill station  in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. This is located 3,500 feet above sea level on the Anaimalai Hills range of the Western Ghats, at a distance of 95 km from Coimbatore and 55 km from Pollachi. There are 42 hairpin bends on the way to Valparai from Azhiyar.


Malakkapara tea gardens

Located in 51 km from Athirappilly waterfalls on Chalakkudi- Valparai rout. This tea garden has picturesque surrounding and sometimes one can spot wild life here.

Places to visit- Chalakkudi to Pollachi rout and Approximate distance from Chalakkudi in km

Dreamworld Watertheme park -10

Athirappilly- 28 

Lower Sholayar riservoir -58

Malakkapara- 73

Sholayar Saddle Dam -77

Valparai town -98

Aliyar Dam -143

Pollachi -167

Kerala Monsoon Flood Picture - Chaliyar River ( Taken from Areekode Bridge)

Kerala Monsoon Rain Flood Picture - Chaliyar River ( Taken from Areekode Bridge)

Chaliyar River:

   
Chaliyar is the fourth longest river in Kerala (169 km).  Nilambur,Edavanna, Areekode, Kizhuparamba, Cheruvadi, Mavoor, Peruvayal, Feroke and Beypore are some of the towns / Panchayaths  situated along the banks of Chaliyar.The river has two names -  Chaliyar and Beypore River. The river meets the Arabian Sea at the southern part of which is known as Chaliyam and northern part as Beypore. Thus the river gets the names Chaliyar and Beypore River.  The Chaliyar originates in the Western Ghats range at Elambalari Hills located near Cherambadi town in the Nilgiris district of Tamil Nadu and flows through Malappuram District for most of its length and then for around 17 km it forms the boundary between Malappuram District and Kozhikode District before entering the city of Kozhikode for its final 10 km journey and finally empties into the Arabian Sea. Some of the Chaliyar's tributaries originate from Wayanad District .Near the origin of river are the Meenmutty Falls at coordinates.Chaliyar is one of the rivers which doesn't get dried up in the drought season.Many other rivers in Kerala get dried up during march and April.

Monsoons in Kerala:

Monsoons bring to Kerala two rainy seasons-the southwest monsoon or the Edavappathi, bringing rains during June-September, and the north east monsoon or the Thulavarsham during October to December.The rainforest areas of the state have humid tropical wet climate while the extreme eastern fringes experience a drier tropical wet and dry climate .Kerala receives an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm. 

Southwest monsoon is the main rainy season in Kerala begins by the end of May or early June with the outset of the southwest monsoon winds

North East Monsoon in Kerala Also known as Thulaavarsham  hits Kerala during the return of the southwest monsoon winds. These rains are in the months of October and November.

Areekode: 

Areekode is a small town ( Panchayath) located on the banks of Chaliyar River in Eranad Taluk of Malappuram district,Kerala .  it is encircled by hills and hillocks capped in green.

Near places are Mukkam, Nilambur, Manjeri, Kondotty and Near Panchayaths are Keezhupramba, Urangattiry, Kavanoor.  Areekode boasts to have a vibrant history, refined culture and a highly educated population. It is a village of football players and football lovers.

Kerala:

Kerala is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956.The state has an area of 38,863 km² (15,005 sq mi) and is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the south and southeast, and the Arabian Sea on the west. The city of Thiruvananthapuram is the state capital. The city of Kochi and Kozhikode are other major cities.

Kerala (Keralam) the land of kera (coconut) is also known as God's own country. Beautiful beaches, kettuvallams over enchanting backwaters… monsoon showers, misty mountains of the Western Ghats, fairs and festivals.....

Kerala lies along the coastline, to the extreme south west of the Indian peninsula, flanked by the Arabian Sea on the west and the mountains of the Western Ghats on the east. The Western Ghats, bordering the eastern boundary of the State, form an almost continuous mountain wall, except near Palakkad where there is a natural mountain pass known as the Palakkad Gap.

There are 44 rivers in the state, of which 41 originate from the Western Ghats and flow towards west into the Arabian sea. Only three tributaries of the river Cauvery ( Kabani, Bhavani, Paampar ) originate in Kerala and flow east into the neighbouring States.

In the Midland Plains of central region, the hills are not very steep and the valleys are wide. The valleys have been developed as paddy fields and the elevated lands are converted into estates of rubber, fruit trees and other cash crops . Tea and coffee estates have cropped up in the high ranges.

The Coastal Belt strip is comparatively plain. Extensive paddy fields, thick groves of coconut trees and beautiful backwaters, interconnected with canals and rivers. Alappuzha an old sea port town of this region is known as the 'Venice of the East'.