January 12, 2015

Irpu Falls- Tumbling Over Boulders...!!


I contemplated my visit to Irpu falls as I browsed through the web, speculating the volume of water in the month of December. Could not gather much information, but the photographs that Google threw up made me decide. I was going. Located very close to the Kerala- Karnataka border, Irpu falls under the Brahmagiri wildlife sanctuary in Coorg district. Also referred to as Lakshmnana theertha falls, this 52 meter high thundering falls is a tributary of  Cauvery and has a very popular Shiva shrine near by.

Driving through the green and serene Rajiv Gandhi national park (Nagarhole forest) was a delight. The engulfing silence was broken when a few dholes (wild dogs) crossed my path.They loitered around for a while, posed for my camera and trudged back into the dense forest. Dholes hunt in packs and are commonly see in Nagarhole and Bandipur national parks. Herds of deer gave company throughout the drive and so did a couple of langurs.The long drive through the forest ended when coffee estates propped up everywhere. While in Coorg, coffee is ubiquitous. Crossed the border town of Kuta and a detour off the main road led to the base of Irpu falls. The place gets quite crowded during the weekends.



Dholes in Nagarhole national park
The spread out Brahmagiri range stood before me, intimidating everything else in its vicinity. A small forest trail from the base of the hills, climbs its way through the thick foliage. The splashing waters were quite audible even at the start of the trail. That was a relief and my speculations were put to rest. As I climbed the steps, 'Papilio Buddhas' (Malabar  Banded Peacock) welcomed me. Endemic to the western ghats, these colourful butterflies could be seen fluttering everywhere but were quite tough to capture on my lens. The climb ended in less than 10 minutes and the gorgeous Irpu surfaced, amidst the boulders and greenery.




The water volumes though not impressive from a distance, looked beautiful as I walked closer to it. The cascading falls was a delight as its splashed itself on to the big boulders and sprayed all over as it made its way down through the forest. The protruding boulders on the sides are a great place to climb over and watch the falls. The slippery, moss laden rocks encapsulating the falls looked equally beautiful and made a gorgeous setting. Papilio Buddhas and the sun's rays made some brilliant colours as both cut across and fluttered all over the lovely Irpu. There were a couple of small pools near the base which enticed most visitors to sit by the rocks and dip their feet into the cold waters. Being a weekend, the place was quite crowded and people happily made their way to the falls to cool themselves on a warm afternoon.





It is permitted to get close to the falls and go beneath it only post the rains (after October). Irpu has a completely different character during the monsoons. It is impossible to get anywhere near the falls  and the boulders are hardly visible as the majestic falls is at its fiercest best then with humungous volumes of water. The view point, somewhere midway on the climb, is the best place to witness the falls between June and September. I wasn't disappointed as I had expected an even worse scenario with just a trickle of water. However, a visit during the rains is definitely recommended to witness the majestic Irpu. It is also possible to trek further up, but requires permission and is possible only with a forest guide.

Signing Note- A gorgeous ambiance amidst the verdant greenery...!!

Route- Bangalore- Mandya- Srirangapatna- Hunsur- Nagarhole national park- Kuta- Irpu falls
Distance- 245 Kms

34 comments:

  1. very cool waterfall and nice greenery :)

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  2. wonderful images of such a beautiful water fall!!
    Coincidently, I was travelling all over north karnataka for 1st 10 days of 2015!!

    and I just noticed you are based in bangalore!!..it would have been wonderful if we could hev met up!!!

    http://www.myunfinishedlife.com

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Ohh..we could have met up. :) Hope you had a great time across northern Karnataka.

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  3. Wow Wow Wow. Your post got me wanderlusting again.

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  4. Must visit during peak monsoon season. It's heaven! Beautiful write as always

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    Replies
    1. Thank you. Yeah, Irpu during the rains is breathtaking.

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  5. Beautiful and picturesque waterfalls.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, absolutely. :) It is a delight in the monsoons.

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  6. Nice pics. Beautiful place in madikeri.

    http://aruntravelpics.blogspot.in/2014/12/iruppu-falls-and-nagarhole_29.html

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  7. Great series of pics with well written description.

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  8. Irppu! never been there. And I've been to Coorg a few times. :(

    It looks lovely. Good you were't disappointed. You went with the right attitude, I must say. :) I hope you get to see it next monsoon, so I'll get to the pictures at least, that way :)

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    1. Glad that there was decent amount of water. Definitely heading there in the rains. :)

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  9. What a wonderful waterfall! loved the account too... :-)

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  10. Wow So Wonderful Photos and really I like it.

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  11. Breathtaking ! I am always awe struck by the power and beauty of waterfalls.

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  12. Good pics. I have been there but could not get one good pic as hundreds of people were there on that day.

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    1. Thank you. I too find it quite tough to frame my photographs because of the crowd. :)

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  13. nice post i wud like to visit this place once. you can also check this also www.indiagetonline.info and find more popular travel destination and much more...

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  14. Thanks for the details.. Still on my wishlist

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