Kiliyur Falls, Waterfall in Yercaud, India.
Kiliyur Falls is a waterfall on the Periyaaru river in the Servarayan hill range of the Eastern Ghats, Tamil Nadu. Water overflowing from Yercaud Lake drops 91 m (300 ft) into the Kiliyur Valley. The fall spreads over dark, layered rock in several tiers and channels, with tree trunks and bare branches crossing the foreground.
Kiliyur Falls is fed by the overflow of Yercaud Lake, a reservoir in the Servarayan hills of the Eastern Ghats. The lake was created in the 19th century by the British engineer Sir Thomas Munro, who dammed a stream to supply water to Yercaud town. The falls form where the lake's surplus spills 91 metres into the Kiliyur Valley.
The falls take their name from Kiliyur, the valley below Yercaud into which the lake water drops. Visitors reach the base by a steep path of 200 to 250 steps, and the flow is strongest after the monsoon, when the Yercaud Lake overflows.
The falls lie 2.5 km (1.6 mi) from Yercaud Lake, and the last 500 m of the approach is an unpaired, steep path. From the nearest road, reaching the base means walking down 200 to 250 steep steps. The flow is strongest when the lake is full and during the monsoon, so the period right after the monsoon gives the fullest view.
The volume of water changes dramatically by season, reaching its peak between June and October when monsoon rains swell the upstream lake. During drier months, the flow becomes much thinner and less impressive.
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