Wonders of Tamil Nadu hidden in plain sight - Day 2

We began day two early after a filling resort breakfast, gearing up for lots to see. Kicking things off right: Blessings from Lord Muruga at the stunning Tirumalai Kumaraswamy Temple, gracefully perched atop rocky hills.

The reward for the ascent? Majestic, endless vistas of the Western Ghats unfolding like a painter's dream. This Dravidian-style beauty shines in its elegant simplicity—clean lines, ornate details, and a silhouette that steals the show against the mountain backdrop.

Best part for our multigen crew: It's car-reachable with easy access, even for seniors like our 82-year-old.—no strenuous hikes required. We drove up, soaked in the chants and views, and left spiritually charged. Dawn timing nailed the crisp air and photo ops.

Following this the next place in our list was the Adavi Nainar Dam, this would have made for a stunning sight had there been any water, but I would still say dont miss going here because to reach there you cross a village known as Mekkarai and, I have not seen a prettier village in my life!! Imagine this, endless expanses of paddy fields surrounded by the mighty western ghats and yes, there are hardly any people you can get down there and take pictures, yes the local villagers are always there so do not litter, this is not a picnic spot but is great for a quick photo stop!!

So like I already mentioned there was no water in the Adavi Nainar Dam and so we left from there right away to Kerala, The Thenmala dam. There is a beautiful ecotourism camp with adventure sports and bird watching and other such activities if you are upto it. But if you are looking for something truly out of the box and trying to beat the crowd, head straight away to Thenmala Dam. From the ecotourism point they pick you up in a SUV or a bus for about Rs 1000, and they take you 3 km into the forest and leave you in this point for about 45 mins. Now ill let the pictures talk!!

On the way back from Thenmala to Thenkasi, you will come across this hard to miss 13 arch railway bridge, do stop and take pictures if time permits and if you have a drone I am sure you could get some epic shots, may be we can get our own Glenfinnan Viaduct here!!

Later in the evening we again visited another temple dedicated to Lord Muruga, the Elanji Murugan temple. Elanji is a small, non descript village in the Thenkasi district and this temple stands as a symbol of calm and peace, because of narrow roads and lack of parking spaces not many people come here and that makes this place all the more special if you hate crowds.

with this we called it a day and rested to take on day 3.