Pannavadi Parisal Thurai – Mettur dam Salem, Pannavadi Nandhi statue
Pannavadi parisal thurai near Kolathur is located 12 km far from Mettur. There is a boat transportation in between the Kolathur and Nerupur of dharmapuri district. The boat transportation also available from koattaiyur it is 20 km far from mettur. When the water level decreases in Mettur dam, we can see an Old Nandhi statue, an old church, a palace (Kottai) of Tippu Sultan which was sunk inside the water. It is nearer to Koattaiyur and Pannavadi. It is possible to travel by fisherman’s boat from any of the place mentioned. We reached a place name Pannavadi, the backside of the dam, from where u can have an eagle view of the reservoir and the dam. Its amazing to see the huge amount of water blocked and retained by a man made structure in between two hills. Really it’s a wonderful sight to see. Stanley Reservoir is also one of largest fishing ground in south India. We can see a lot of fishermen’s on tiny boats. We paid a fisherman 100 rupees and got into the boat. We had a scary and unforgettable experience in riding the tiny boat. Since the water level is less, he took us to see partially submerged old Nandi (Calf) statue, an old church, a palace of Tippu Sultan.
We came to know from the fisherman that this place full of water now, once was a well flourished village, after the construction of the dam all the villages near by submerged in water. The people lived over here were relocated by British. Since the Nandi statue, church and forts are very high we can able to see them now. The fisherman told us that the Nandi statue was more than 200 years old. It’s already evening, so we thanked the fisherman and gave him few hundred for his guidance and left for Salem. There are several undiscovered Trekking routes the ones that Veerappan used, through the canopy of the dense foliage that completely blocks the tropical summer sun. The trek to the top would take not less than 6 hours. Since we dint have much time, we cancelled trekking. Campers should carry tents and supplies if planning to camp overnight. Qualified guides may be hard to find, try with the local tourism office in the town. Overall, it’s an exciting experience. People, who plan for a week end to Yercaud Hill station, can visit Mettur dam and its adjoining places.