page_title: Thalaiyar Falls
section_title: Access
hierarchical_section_title: Thalaiyar Falls / Access
caption_attribution_description: English: Manjalaru Dam, Theni District, Tamil Nadu in southern India.
context_page_description: Thalaiyar Falls, also known as Rat Tail Falls is located in the Devadanapatti of Theni District,
  Tamil Nadu State, South India. It is 975 ft tall and is the highest waterfall in Tamil Nadu, the sixth highest waterfall in India and the 267th highest in the world.
context_section_description: Rat Tail Falls is considered inaccessible to the general public, as there is no road to it. The top of the falls is a rewarding and challenging hike destination. Hikers should be cautious, as two Western tourists were died in 2006 when they fell from the top of the Falls.
  It is possible to hike to the bottom of the falls in the dry season, beginning at the Manjalar Dam. This difficult hike proceeds along a path through Mango orchards and potato fields around the Manjalar Reservoir and up along the stream as far as a small shrine, dedicated to the Goddess Kamakshi. The legend is that Kamakshi was born here at the foot of the falls in a bamboo bush and hence she is called Moonkilanai Kamakshi. This place is called Amma Machhu, meaning in the middle of a grove of teak trees. 
  Beyond this point one must climb up along the stream, going up, over and around increasingly large boulders with difficulty, till arriving at the bottom of the falls, where there is a pool about 30 metres (98 ft) by 60 metres (200 ft). The return hike is more difficult. The full hike there and back covers about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) and takes a full day.
  Manjalar Dam is at the end of Manjalar Road about 5.5 kilometres (3.4 mi) north from SH-36 at Devadanapatti town beginning along Kamatchi Amman temple road.
caption: Manjalar Dam (left)
   Manjalar Reservoir- 2.1 kilometres (1.3 mi) long (center) 
  Manjalar River (right). 
  Thalaiyar Falls are 2.8 kilometres (1.7 mi) more to the right.
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