illikkal kallu (9jul 2021)

Illikkal kallu

Illikkal kallu is a monolith located on top of the Illickal Malaa in Kottayam district. The place comprises of 3 different shapes of rocks mainly one in the shape of an umbrella (kuda kallu), one in the shape of a hunch back (koonu kallu), and last is the hell bridge( naraka palam).

On the date of the visit, the place was officially closed, but we parked the car outside the barricade and walked up the paved roads to the top. 

Though it was cloudy and raining heavily, we got to see a different side to this popular tourist destination. Green, wet and the famous illikkal kallu playing hide and seek in the clouds!

The hut below is a shop selling refreshments. Opposite it is the ticket counter and official parking spot. Obviously when we went, since the place was officially closed , none of these shops/counters were open. There was no security either.

After about1.5km uphill climb on paved roads, you reach the final ascent path, which has slippery rocks and a steep gradient. Thankfully the local administration has built these steel rails to hold and climb up. But still not advisable for the old or the unfit.

At the top, its a small area, but it has beautiful views of the valleys below, all the peaks im the region. When we were there, since it was raining, we had to wait for quite some time for the clouds to pass and give us a clear shot of the famous rock face.

On our bikes, completely drenched but still loving it!

The famous “illikkal kallu”.

Tips: carry snacks and water. Currently nothing is available in and around. Wear comfortable footwear as the walk is tough, especially on the way down. I had to remove my riding shoes and walk barefoot!

Also nearby is the famous kattikayam waterfalls. We didn’t visit it, as it involves a 2km trek through some uneven surfaces/rocks and we were already tired and wet.