Hogenakkal

Hogenakkal is a city in Tamil Nadu.

Get in

Driving (from Bangalore)

From Bangalore it is very near compared to Chennai , take Chennai Highway - Hosur - Krishnagiri and from Krishnagiri take the NH 7 and after reaching Dharmapuri, take diversion in the state highway to Hogennakal. An alternate route exists, slightly shorter one. If you are travelling from Bangalore, first you come across Hosur, where you should take a turn to Rayakottai, then to Palacode, Pannagram and Hogenakkal.

From Coimbatore-Bhavani-Mettur-Salem-Dharmapuri-pennagaram-Hogenakkal

From Chennai- vellore(140km)-tirupathur(84)-Dharmapuri-(61)-Hogenakkal(46km)

Get around

Hogenakkal means smoking rocks.

This place has many waterfalls on the river cauvery. Hogenakkal is a hamlet situated in Tamil Nadu bordering Karnataka.

The 15 km descent from Pennagaram to Hogenakkal snakes through very interesting terrain. In these lands, one can see villages with lush fields of mulberry, fodder for busy silkworms, and the broad-leaved though often scraggy castor. On the outskirts of the rural settlements en route are their fascinating guardian deities, often referred to as Aiyanars. Made of terracotta or plastered brick, these giant figures are brightly colored and generally depict fearsome and mustachioed warriors. But exceptions to this excessively macho rule are also seen at some places.

As the scrub-covered slopes give way to thickets of thorny vegetation and then, almost imperceptibly, when tall trees began to rise, the air reverberates, with the soft roar of running water becoming more and more assertive as one reaches lower and lower.

At the bottom of the valley, the Cauvery tributaries spread in a blue and shimmering web. They gurgle, shimmer, some hardly more than exposed rocks, and large rocky stretches where old trees grew. Women in bright saris bathe, or wash clothes in the running water.

The spa-hamlet rises off the road-a scatter of shacks and buildings, staggering up the slopes of the valley, gazing down at the water-woods on the other side of the road. It has the character of a village struggling to become a town, a little tatty in patches, not yet chrome glass-and-polish, still retaining much of its truly rural charm.

Often referred to as basket-boats, the circular vessels called Coracles have bamboo frames covered in either black plastic or buffalo hide. They wait like black mushrooms, propped against trees or upturned on the banks of the river. When the river is in spate, all the dark rocks are submerged, but if one goes there in February, which is among the most favored months to visit this riverine spa, there should not be any problem. Coracles are among the oldest types of watercraft in the world, and among the most successful-a reassuring thought when one is floating in these saucer-like devices.

See

We can go boating along the water stream if we hire a boat (aka coracle or parisal in Tamil). For an additional cost one can hire these boats for a round trip, in which case the boatman will stay with the party all along. One can enjoy the view of numerous waterfalls along the way. The boat is round in shape and at a time five persons excluding the boatman is permitted.

Buy

Massage Oils, Massage service, fish-fry...

Eat

You may try freshly served river fish, these fish are very tasty and affordable. Many places serve fried fish and curry fish but not all of them are clean, so be sure to pick a hygiene place. Then and there rice is cooked and given along with 'Rasam' [made with plenty of garlic].

Drink

There is a TASMAC (Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation) liquor outlet near the bus terminus.

Sleep

There are no good places to stay at Hogenakkal. It is always advisable to spend the day in Hogenakkal and come out before night. In Hogennakal, TTDC operates a hotel there and this is easily the best of the hotels available. There are good hotels available in the nearest city Dharmapuri (45 km). The best hotels suggested are 1. Adhiyaman Palace 2. Rama Boarding 3. Hotel Saravana

Connect

Go next

It is better to move out before day light goes out , for the people who came from dharmapuri , the way out is pennagaram and from the one via hosur and from bangalore its royakotta highroad.