Palaruvi
From a distance, you see for yourself why this beautiful cascade in the middle of the woods is given the name Palaruvi. 'Pal' means milk and 'aruvi' is a stream in Malayalam. The liquid power that blasts down from the edge of a rocky hill some 300 ft high is so mighty that water froths and mists turn into milky white in the sunlight. The view is electrifying even for the most depressed of the souls.
The moodswings
In summer, the cascade wanes thin, revealing the intense heat and the dryness in the woods beyond. But even a strand of water from Palaruvi is enough to revitalize your spirits like nothing else can in the season. You’d never want to come away from the bath you take in the midst of woods.
But if you want to see Palaruvi in her most violent mood, call on her during monsoon when this erratic drizzle that drenches you softly, changes its mood, gathering all its might from the dark clouds. You can see how the monsoon punishes those gullies and large tracts inside the forest that dared to dry up during summer. Now all paths inside the woods lead to one destination – the Palaruvi waterfalls. A mighty cascade thunders down which can be heard from miles afar. Get into the natural pool where the cascade falls. Feel the might of water plummeting from such height as it kneads your body inch by inch like a skilled masseuse.
Many believe water in Palaruvi has medicinal properties. You’d only have to climb the rock, walk beyond the cascade to realize what they meant by it. Palaruvi may not be giving you the pristine glacial waters like the Himalayas, but what you get drenched in, flows along a forest rich with plants that have medicinal properties, and also rocks with their mineral contents. Add to that the vigor of water falling down on your body from some 300mts of height! You’d come away from the showers newborn, looking ready for longer treks in the woods.
The spot is replete with history, as you can see mandapams, that testify to a time when royal persons visited the Palaruvi, perhaps, to take advantage of the rejuvenating qualities of a bath in the crystalline white waters.
