Best 9 Places you must visit in "Srivilliputhur"

    Srivilliputhur is an ancient temple town which is located near by Rajapalayam, Virudhunagar district. This is one of the old historical town, where you can listen to lots of old stories from the people in and around here. This town has a 1000 years old temple, 200 years old Hindu School, 135 years old Pennington Public Library that are standing as a remarkable historical evidence for culturally importance of this town. 

        Palkova is a traditional sweet that is being manufactured in this place. The sweet is made of milk and sugar, and it tastes absolutely delicious!! You must buy and taste it, if you come here :)The Tamilnadu government's emblem "Aandal Temple" is situated here and there are many places here to visit including the Aandal Temple. Let see one by one.. 

1.Aandal Temple: 

            The temple is associated with the life of Aandal, who was found under a Tulsi plant in the garden inside the temple by Periazhwar. It is also believed that Ranganatha of Srirangam Ranganathaswamy temple married Andal. The temple has two divisions - the one of Andal located on the Southwest and the second one of Vadapathrasayi on the Northeast direction.

            The temple rituals are performed six times a day: Ushathkalam at 7 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m., Uchikalam at 12:00 p.m., Sayarakshai at 6:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 10:00 p.m. 

2. Madavar vilagam vaidyanathar temple: 

            Vaidyanathar temple is dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Shiva is worshiped as Vaidyanathar or the "God of healing" and it is believed that prayers to Vaitheeswaran can cure diseases. 

        It is located in Madavar Vilagam on the way to Rajapalayam Road. The temple rituals are performed six times a day;Ushathkalam at 7 a.m., Kalasanthi at 8:00 a.m.,Uchikalam at 10:00 a.m.,Sayarakshai at 5:00 p.m., Irandamkalam at 7:00 p.m. and Ardha Jamam at 8:00 p.m. 

3. Thiruvannamalai: 

            The temple is celebrated as Tirupathi of South. According to tradition, Lord of Seven Hills came here for hunting and stayed here itself to take care of his devotees. The Mount is but Adishesha (divine snake) himself. The Lord offers all that his devotees need. There is a holy spring at the foothills with Lotus and other water flowers that ensure cleansing of the sins of the devotee with boons of his/her need. It is named Koneri Theertham. 

        The temple is opened from 6.00 a.m. to 11.00 a.m. and 4.00 p.m. to 8.00 p.m. The temple conducts monthly Saturday pujas and special pujas on Saturdays in the month of Purattasi (September-October). Puratasi Saturday is special at this temple. The temple is open from 1 am for early morning pooja to 8 pm on these days. Auto from Srivilliputhur and back will cost Rs. 150-200/- 

4. Tharagu Malai Madha Temple: 

        Tharagu Malai Madha Temple is a small church located on a hill near Thiruvannamalai. The view of the town you get from there is very good. This is located at about 3 Kms from Srivilliputhur. The view of the town you get from there will be wonderful. You need to start in the morning to climb on this mountain so that you can escape from the scorching sun.

5. Sirumalai Annai Shrine: 

                The Sirumalai Shrine known also as ‘Amali-malai’. Which is located in krishnanakovil near by Srivilliputtur. Previously this Shrine had just only one building. Now they have created a holy park with lot of flower plants and also few statues which will explain the stories of saints. Also, you need to do a little climb to reach the another small chapel which is located on the other hill. From Srivilliputtur it will take approximately 9-10 km to reach this church. But it will be pleasant experience visiting this place! 

6. Sacred Heart Church: 

            This is one of the oldest church in Tamilnadu. Its more than 100 plus years old. You can see the building structure and the design through which you can see the British aesthetic on it. Inside this church compound it has a school inside it. You can read the history of the church in the epigraph. 

7. Shenbaga Thoppu (Sanctuary for Grizzled Giant Squirrel): 

            If you love nature and trekking you must go to this beautiful place...! Yes you will immerse in the beauty of the mother nature when you visit this place. The Shenbaga Thoppu is located on the Western Ghats. There is 2 temples in this hillside which is surrounded by the dark forest and waterfall. There is also a wildlife sanctuary which was established at Shenbaga Thoppu in 1989. Shenbaga thoppu also serves as an abode to several tribal communities.You must visit this place if you planned to visit Srivilliputtur for your vacation. The best time for the water flow in the rivers are the month of April and May. 

            There is a temple at a hill top called "Kaatalagar Temple". There is a spring in the temple; it is a wonder to see a spring in the hill top, since water flows only downwards. None of them know from where the water is flowing. And the water speed is equivalent throughout the year. The spring has crystal clear water throughout the year. Behind the temple, there are two mountain ranges visible. 

            The place where the temple is being located is a beautiful one and has some exotic views. It is an auspicious place for worshiping. Temple is kept open every Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM to 4 PM. One has to take a walk of six kilometres in the forest to reach the temple. The forest itself is made a sanctuary for Grizzled Giant Squirrel. There is a water-fall on the way to the temple. Water will be available in the streams along the way. Wild animals like elephants, Bisons and giant squirrels can be spotted sometimes. 

            Shenbagathoppu is located at a distance of 7 km's from Srivilliputtur. You can spend a whole day here if you want to! Get your shoes and bags on....!!! :) 

8.Sastha Kovil falls: 

        Entry is very much restricted to Sastha Kovil and one has to obtain permission from the forest department to go to the interior part of the Sastha Kovil. It is located near Devasthanam, had a check-point where you have to stop your vehicle and a forest vehicle will take you from there. It is 12kms away from Rajapalyam which is the nearby town to Srivlliputhur. You can enjoy the nature's blessings!A must go place!! :) 

9. Pilavakkal Dam:

             Pilavakkal is a small village which is located nearby Watrap, Srivilliputhur. From Srivilliputhur it will take approximately 40-50 minutes to reach this place. There will not be much to see in this place. You can go for a leisure walk on the trails of the dam. There is a small park here, where your kids can have a good time. The water will not be available in the dam in all the seasons. So better check with the locals regarding it and go the Dam. You must carry water bottles and if you planned like a picnic you can carry the food and snacks as well. Buses are available to go to this place. But the timings are restricted. So better, use your own transportation. 

These are the places which is close to Srivilliputtur..! If I missed out any do let me know guys!

About the Hotels: 

        Also, if you are going to stay in a hotel, I have to say this honestly there is no cozy hotels available in Srivilliputhur. But still you can prefer the below if you wish.

      Else, I can tell you another option. You can prefer staying in Rajapalayam hotels, where you can find much better hotels than here. It will take only 15-20 minutes to reach Srivilliputhur from Rajapalyam.

Hotels to stay in Srivilliputhur:

1. Hotel Sri Andal

2. Hotel Ajay Residency

3. Hotel Sasitharan

Hotels if you stay in Rajapalayam: 

1. Hotel Amil

2. Hotel Bombay

3. Hotel Sri JaiSantham

4. Ambika Lodge

5. Sri karpaga Vinayagar Hotel

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Facts That Nobody Told You About Locust Attack In India.

LOCUS ATTACK INDIA - RAJASTHAN

            Locust Attack India didn’t heard about this for decades. A swarm of dessert Locusts infested Jaipur on this Monday (25/05/2020). This may head towards Delhi and the city has been already warned regarding the swarm. The Locust Attack is currently active is Madhya Pradesh, Gujrat, Uttar Pradesh other than Rajasthan.

Reason for Current Locust Swarming:

            Desert Locusts are found in parts of Africa and Asia. The reason for their rapid multiplication is the unexpected Cyclones Mekunu on May 2018 and Luban on Oct 2018 which gave rise to ephemeral lakes in the desert areas of Africa. The wet environment is the perfect place for the locust to breed and as it is on the deserts it is more favourable for the locusts for rapid breeding. Atleast three generations of locusts might be formed on the deserts.

            During the summer 2019, the locusts swarming started and movement of Locusts swarming was on two directions towards the east Asia and central Africa. To control the Locusts swarming various operations have been carried out in African countries and Soudi Arabia, Yeman and Oman but for Yemen and Somalia due to Cyclone Storm Pawan on Dec 2019 the control operations were not possible and in the wet condition locusts continues to breed.
            In Africa the effected countries are Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, parts of Somalia and Sudan. The swarming is now spreading Asian countries like Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and North West part of India.
Locusts Habitet
Common name: Desert Locust
Scientific Name: Schistocerca gregaria

            Locusts are grasshopper like species with big back legs which help them to jump. During dry season solitary Locusts are forced together in the patchy areas of land with remaining vegetation. When rains return it creates prefect environment for the locusts to socialize and rapid multiplication. In wet condition they turn from their solitary lifestyle to group lifestyle or the gregarisation phase. During this phase their brain gets larger, its endurance power increase and even it changes colour. A new born locust which is called as nymph takes 24 to 95 days to become adult.

Egg --------------------> Nonflying nymph ----------------> Flying Adult 

(10-65 days) (24-95 days) (2.5-5 months) 

During swarming, locusts can move and are capable of covering large distance minimum 81 miles in a day and within 10 days it can cover area of 3100 miles approximately. Each locust can eat upto its own weight each day and as they are herbivores they eat all the plants and mostly target the agricultural fields.
Control of Locust Swarming

            Controlling the Locust swarming can be done effectively during the first phase of the life cycle of locust. Collecting data regarding the weather, ecological conditions and Locust numbers, making forecasts of the timing and location of breeding, because the egg takes 10 to 65 days to hatch which is the best time to control. 

            Controlling Locust swarms is a very tedious task. Locust swarms contain 40 to 80 million locusts and may spread over a range of 40 km radius. One technique of controlling is spraying insecticides and pesticides using drones or helicopters. This can cause some problems to the environment. Another method is creating a barrier i.e. tracking the movement and creating a barrier by applying strong insecticides and pesticides to the crops there by creating a wall against the Locust Swarms, when they approach the area they eat the plants and they will die.

            If the Locust Swarm is small then it can considerably work but larger swarms which are wide spread it is not preferable because the movement cannot be predicted and large area has to be sprayed with insecticide and pesticides. 

Burning tyres, creating smoke, making noise, disturbing the Locust swarming using low altitude planes and catching them in nets are effective in creating an exclusion zone. These measures can temporarily control the spread but cannot withhold the long time.

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