Panchapalli dam
After a week-long of sitting at home/office, when the urge is too much to get out and explore around a bit, how do you look out for suggestions for the weekend outings? Do you search in blogs? Or Google to end up with 100s of commercial websites pushing their ‘packages’ to take you around? Ask a friend who is a local guide? What is your preferred way?
When we were new to Bengaluru and when we stumbled upon this dilemma on Friday evenings, we used to end up with one ultimate travel blog named ‘Payana’ by Arun Bharadwaj. It had almost all the unexplored and explored places around Bangalore and more. It still has. Only the name and site address has changed to thelightbaggage.com. Please do visit and check it out yourself. Then one day, tourism boomed and there was too much of crowd everywhere around the city. We preferred more long trips than the tiring day trips where you have to fight to find a spot, starting at the hotel, on the way to parking, entry ticket counter queue, etc etc.
But of course, it is impossible to go on long trips whenever you wish, especially when a sudden craving for driving around arises on Sunday morning. The workaround we found for this problem is just too simple. Just open up google maps, put it in satellite mode, search for greenery/ lake around the place we live, make sure it is far enough from the concrete jungle, and then just drive to that place. Most of the time it had worked out for us. Panchapalli Dam is one such place that never disappoints us whenever this sudden travel craves creeps in on weekends.
Panchapalli Dam is just 75 km from Bengaluru and is a perfect one-day trip location for Bangaloreans. Panchapalli is a small village in the Dharmapuri district of Tamilnadu
45 km from Hosur.
Road to Panchapalli goes through few small villages, fertile vegetation fields, and lush green patches of trees.
Panchapalli Dam was constructed in 1977. It is one of the main sources of drinking water for the residents of the Dharmapuri district. This dam collects the water from the forests of Denkanikottai and Thalli. It can store water up to 50 feet.
The Dam offers different moods in different seasons. It will be a treat to watch during the monsoon as the water level will be high and the surroundings will be full of greenery. If you visit during the months of November, the water level will be very low to the point that you can climb down the dam gates and relax in the green fields with the company of cows grazing around. The soothing sound of light waves from the river hitting the shore will be a relaxing and perfect way to end your weekend.
Route we took
Live the experience
Here is our best effort to capture the beauty of Panchapalli Dam.