Kumbakkarai Falls, Mountain waterfall in Theni district, India.

Kumbakkarai Falls lies in the foothills of the Kodaikanal Hills, 9 km from Periyakulam in Theni district. Water from the hills collects in large rock recesses named after wild animals, then the Pambar river flows 0.5 km to a second stage before dropping as the main waterfall.

The area was originally forested until 1942, when a businessman received permission to develop it as a destination for visitors. This marked the start of organized use of the site.

Local people say the name Kumbakkarai comes from Kumbalkarai, because the forest deities of the area — Madchinayakkan, Veerabhadran, Vairavan, Boothanatchi, Sezhumbunatchi, Sothumayan, Chinna Annan and Karuppanasamy — gathered in a crowd on this bank. The rock hollows where water collects are named after wild animals, among them the slippery rock, the elephant's pool, the mortar pool and the snake's pool.

Buses run from Periyakulam to the falls only at set times, and there is no guest house, so plan to leave the same day. Bathing is allowed, but some stretches of the water channels are marked as dangerous for swimming. The flow is heaviest during the rainy season.

The falls are named after the forest deities of the area, including Madchinayakkan, Veerabhadran, Vairavan and Karuppanasamy, who are said to gather in a crowd (kumbal) on the bank; locals say the old name Kumbalkarai became Kumbakkarai. A stone inscription at the falls records the contribution of businessman K. Chellam Iyer.