Agali Hills is a small tribal village and hill station in Palakkad District, Malabar, Kerala, India. It is the nearest town for Silent Valley National Park.
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Understand
[edit]Agali Town lies at an elevation of 750 metres and the highest point is the Malleswaram Peak at 1,664 metres. Agali Town is part of the 249 km² Attappadi Reserve Forest which is an informal second buffer zone bordering the Silent Valley National Park. The Bhavani river originates from here and flows 271 km into Tamil Nadu. Agali town became important after the Silent Valley National Park was opened in 1985. The park offers limited accommodation and very limited food options. So Agali is the nearest town where food and lodgings are available.
Get in
[edit]Direct buses are available from Palakkad 80 km, Coimbatore 85 km, Thrissur 150 km, and Shornur 95 km. The nearest big town is Mannarkkad 20 km. All buses coming from Kerala side go to Silent Valley National Park at Mukkaly first and then proceed to Agali and finally terminate at Anakkatty on the Tamil Nadu border. Buses coming from Coimbatore reaches Anakkatty first, then comes to Agaly and finally reaches Silent Valley national Park at Mukkaly before continuing the journey down to Mannarkkad. The nearest railway station is Shornur, 95 km. The nearest airport is at Coimbatore 85 km.
Get around
[edit]Agali is the remotest and the most backward town of Kerala. But, when you reach here, you won't have any issues with public transport. Autorikshaws and buses are available in plenty. Autorikshaws charge ₹15 per km. The bus fare is ₹7 per 3 km.
See
[edit]- Anamooly hill view, 10 km. Anamooly village is between Mannarkkad and Agaly. The view of the Silent Valley Park from this village is majestic and surprising.
- Ayyappa Vishnu Temple, Near State Bank, Agali (0.5 km). Majestic golden pillar on beautiful green lawn. Ayyappan Vilakku festival is celebrated in January.
- Chavadiyoor Bridge, Mulli Road (15 km).
- Chemmannur village (10 km). Shamsul Ulama madrassa, Malleeshwaram temple, Church, very scenic surroundings on the bank of river Bhawani.
- Govt Goat farm, Vannathan medu. very scenic undulating hills.
- Kavundickal gorge (10 km). Two hairpin bends to Agali town and a majestic wind turbine to frighten you. An expanse of greenery near the Shishu Bhawan.
- Kottathara Temple, Near GUP School (10 km). very beautiful riverside location
- St.Antony's Church, Sholayur near Anakkatti (25 km). very majestic church in scenic surruondings.
- Silent Valley National Park, Mukkali, ☏ +91 4924253225, +91 8589895652, mail@silentvalley.gov.in. 23-km ride into the dense forest for ₹325 per head. Tall watchtower and river. Five-hour trip into the 237 km² park. Previous day booking by telephone is essential. You have to report at the park gate between 8AM and 1PM. The roads inside the park are unpaved and the terrain tough. Animal sightings are rare and if you are not a tree bum, be prepared for a massive disappointment.
- Sugarcane Research Station, Mulli Road (15 km).
- Tribal High School, Mattathukkad (10 km on Anakkatty Road). very scenic place
Do
[edit]- Goolikkadavu village, Agali (1 km). River, hills, hiking possibilities, restaurants, lodges, internet facility and vibrant market.
- Ooty Forest Road visit, Mulli (15 km). Take the 9:55AM bus from Goolikkadavu (1 km), pass through Kottathara village, turn left at Chandakkada village. Reach Mulli in the scenic forest road with very good views on the left side. If you have a jeep, you can even proceed to Manjoor and Ooty (86 km).
- Pakkulam village visit, Pakkulam (13 km on Silent Valley Road). Karmel Catholic church, St.Joseph Ashram, Church of God Bethel, Ayyappa Temple, Scenic foot overbridge, St. George convent.
- Visit the tribals @ Pudhoor (15 km). Start from Chandakkada junction near Kottathara. Take a bus to Pudhoor village. You can come back by the next bus after spending some time at the last stop called Mele Ummatham Pady where there is a tribal settlement. If you have own vehicle, you can also stop at the Sugarcane research station, the scenic S.S. Farms, the Chavadiyar bridge and Swarna Katha village on the way.
- Shivarathri festival (February / March). The Sivarathri festival is celebrated at the chemmannur Malleswaran temple by the tribals during the month of February/March. The Malleswaran peak is worshipped as a gigantic Shivalinga by the Adivasis who celebrate the Sivarathri festival there with great fervour.
- Take a bath in the Bhavani river., Pakkulam (10 km). You can access the river from Pakkulam village, 13 km on the Silent Valley road. The Sree Kara foot overbridge here gives very good views of the river. This village also has a church, an orphanage, a mosque and the beautiful Sri Malleeshwaram temple.
- Taste of Tamil Nadu, Anakatty border (16 km). Take a bus to Anakkatty village. Cross the border to Tamil Nadu by walking. A bridge with a temple separates the Kerala state from Tamil Nadu state. The other side of the village is called Anai-katty. Over there, everything is in Tamil Nadu style. Back to Kerala, everything has a distinct Malayali touch. The bus station is on the Kerala side and the auto rikshaw parking is on the other side of the bridge. There are separate Autorikshaw parking for the differently colored Kerala and Tamil Nadu rikshaws. Immediately before the bridge, you can see a check-post of Kerala.
- Thavalam village visit (10 km). Sahiyan meditation centre, Holy Trinity Forana church, Bhawani river, scenic surroundings.
- Visit the Tribals. There are 192 hamlets in Attapadi region around Agali town. The population of the valley is mostly Muduga, Irula and Kurumba tribal people with a small section of settlers from Tamil Nadu and dther districts of Kerala.
Buy
[edit]- Goolikkadavu Town (1 km). Most of shops selling souvenirs, clothes and packed food are located in Goolikkadavu Town on the way to Silent Valley Park.
Eat
[edit]
- Kings Restaurant, Goolikadavu (3 km).
- Nalandha Restaurant, Near State Bank, Agali.
Sleep
[edit]- Aqua Flow resort, Chandakkaka-Mulli Road.
- Corniche Inn, Jambukandy, Anai-katty (19 km, across the border in Tamil Nadu), ☏ +91 422 265 7022.
- New Aroma Lodge (Goolikkadavu, 1 km).
- Prasadam Tourist Home, Opp. Electricity office (0.5 km), ☏ +91 9645591020, +91 4924254245. Spacious rooms, TV, old pillows, clean sheets and basic bath. The nearest restaurants are at Goolikkadavu, 1 km. ₹300.
- PWD Rest House, Agali (government property), ☏ +91 491 252 7144.
- Vazhiyoram Wayside Facility, Agali. Government facility.
- Vee Pee Lodge, Goolikkadavu (1 km), ☏ +91 9048768801. Spacious rooms, restaurant access and good sheets. There is an internet cafe on the other side of the street. ₹400.
- Vision Nature resort, Sholayar, ☏ +91 4924211567.
Stay safe
[edit]- Palakkad district is vulnerable to attacks from an Indian communist group called Maoists. In 2015, they attacked the ticket counter of Silent Valley National Park, Mukkali. As the Maoists are armed and dangerous, be careful when you trek in lonely areas.
- Leeches are common in the hills. Carry some table salt.
Connect
[edit]- Goodwill Internet Cafe, Near Padinchare Kara Cements, Gookikkadav. 9AM to 8PM.
Go next
[edit]- Coimbatore, 85 m
- Kozhikode, 140 km
- Mannarkkad, 37 km
- Palakkad, 80 km
- Shornur, 95 km
- Silent Valley National Park, 20 km
- Thrissur150 km