Catherine Falls,
Ooty
Catherine Falls is a
double-cascaded waterfall located
in Kotagiri, The Nilgiris District, Tamil
nadu and it is also a major tourist
spot in Kotagiri, located on the Mettupalayam road branching off at Aravenu. The upper fall drops to the floor, and is the second
highest in the Nilgiri
Mountains. The waters from the upper stream
of the Kallar River are crossed by the invisible Mettupalayam-Ooty road
beyond the mountains in the south-west.
The height of waterfalls is about
250 ft. Catherine Falls is named after the wife of M.D.
Cockburn, believed to have introduced the
coffee plantation to Kotagiri. The native name of the Catherine Falls is
Geddhehaada Halla, meaning "Foothills Dale River". It can clearly
been seen from the top of Dolphin's Nose if seeing the entire waterfall as one
total impression is what you are looking for. It is also possible to take a
road to the top of the falls.
The St. Catherine Falls near Aravenu
is considered to be a two step waterfall which comes down from a height of 76
metres. This water fall has both lower and upper falls. The upper fall is the
second highest in the region and is known to take a leap of about 250 feet. If
you need to stay overnight, cottages are available very close to Catherine
Falls at Catherine Greens.
Apart from the St. Catherine Water
Falls, tourists can visit the nearby Uyillatti Falls or Elk Falls, which is
around 8 km from Kotagiri. Moreover, Kotagiri is home to the Rangaswamy Peak,
which is around 1785 metres high. This biconical peak is a sacred hill among
the residents of Nilgiri. It is believed that Lord Rangaswamy, who lived in
Karamadai in Coimbatore, came here after a quarrel with his wife.
At a distance of 20 Kms from
Coonoor, 8 Kms from Kotagiri, 30 Kms from Ooty & 527 Kms from Chennai,
Catherine Falls is the second largest waterfalls in Nilgiris at a height of 250
feet. This is also a good trekking destination.
These cascading falls are surrounded
by beautiful views of forest, tea plantations and the Mettupalayam plains. The
falls are clearly visible from the top of Dolphin's Nose and this is the only place
where you can get to full view of the Falls.
Though it's not possible to reach
the foot of this waterfall, one can go to top of the falls for a truly
spectacular view. From a small town called Aravenu on the Kotagiri/Mettupalayam
Road, one has to go via Moon Road to reach the falls. About 2-3 Kms trek is
required from the nearest road to reach the falls.
Many trekking lovers trek to this
place from Kotagiri & Aravenu as well. Kotagiri is connected by buses with
Ooty & Coonoor. Nearest road to Catherine Falls can be reached from
Kotagiri by private vehicles.
