Scenic Road Trip ( From Tenkasi to Trivandrum )

Last week we had road trip from Tenkasi to Trivandram  to attend Family function via Thenmala.  I Personally feel the road trip is lot more enjoyable . We often prefer this route because  from my native Tenkasi to Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) driving the distance of 108 kilometers, It will take at least 2 hours 31 minutes by road and Beautiful weather for sightseeing . Tenkasi via Thenmala route has a lot of scenic beauties and is a visual treat to the eyes. The weird beauty of this place is indeed mesmerizing. From Tenkasi until Shenkottai are plain lands, and Shenkottai is the gateway to the hill being a ghat section, you are assured of breathtaking landscapes, naturalistic greenness contributing a stunning experience.

 

On the way to Tenmala, there is a falls "Palaruvi", surrounded be dense tropical forest and mist clad mountains. The road that leads to Palaruvi is cut through the dense forest, and the foresters warn about wild animals on this track. Thenmala (the hills that flow with honey) is situated about 72 km from Thiruvananthapuram and 30 km from Shenkottai on the Shenkottai- Punalur Road. 

 Thenmala Dam

Thenmala Dam also known as Kallada Dam or Parappara Dam located in Thenmala village is built across Kalla River. It is situated very close to Kollam - Tenkasi road. The dam is located amidst picturesque location with beautiful surroundings at the foothills of the Western Ghats. All 3 shutters of the Dam are in closed condition. Only the leaking water under it is to coming out. 

 Railway Bridge:

 Somewhere around 3 Kms to Thenmala, we came across a railway bridge, an age old one constructed during the British period.. A rail bridge we see it in most of the movies, this is a kollam - shenkottai rail bridge, It was so captivating that we stopped  for a beautiful snap  to stare at this and enjoying this engineering marvel.

 

The bridge, sandwiched by the Kollam - Senkottai National Highway at one side and the River Kazhuthurutti on the other, offers a visual fete at a length of 102.72 meters and 5.18 metres height. The bridge was built on 13 arches. This Bridge holds one of India's oldest mountain rails enroots to Thenmala - Aryankavu. This was once used as the major trade route between Quilon (Kollam) and Chennai.

The Kollam-Sengottai Metre gauge line was conceived and implemented by Great Maharajah Balarama Varma I (Uthradam Tirunal) of Travancore. The inaugural run was on 1 July 1904, with a 21 gun salute. Station Master Ramiah waved the green flag as multitudes of frightened inquisitive crowd gathered around the demon in front of them, to have a close look. Even after 100 years of its construction, the bridge shows no signs of deterioration. - What history says

"Information Courtesy-Google"

Kulathupuzha Sri Dharma Sastha Temple:

 

Kulathupuzha, a small village in the reserve forest area falls in the Kollam Shengottai road is famous for its Sastha Temple. The deity in this temple is Balasastha, who is referred as Manikanda.Had Nice Dharshan Of Sastha. 

 

One of the major offering in this temple is ‘Meenutt’ or feeding the fishes in the nearby Kulathupuzha. The river flowing in front of the temple with crystal clear water is one of the tributary of Kallada River.

 

Aryankavu Shastha Temple

Aryankavu is famous for its Ayyappan temple.The Ayyappa Temple at Aryankavu in Kollam District is one among the five most important temples dedicated to Lord Ayyappa in Kerala. Surrounded by forests, the temple is located on the Trivandrum – Tenkasi National Highway. Just like in Sabarimala, women from the age 10 to 50 are not allowed inside the Aryankavu Ayyappa Temple.So we didn't visit this Temple.

Overall a breathtaking divinely experience with nature along with roads!