When we mean South India, it is about a combination of different states, and each of them is different from each other by terrain, geography, people, languages customs, and rituals. It is like Europe where there were smaller kingdoms based on different languages and geographical divisions. A typical Tamilian village is what Athoor in Dindigul district has to offer. A Tamil village could very much be associated with a Dravidian lifestyle; agriculture would be the prominent occupation that everyone would be associated with.This agrarian village is located in the foothills of the Palani hills and is not very far from Madurai.
Located on the banks of Kamarajar Sagar Dam, a monsoon-fed dam, Athoor has some small properties where you can reside to experience the calmness of the place. One among them would be the Cardamom House, hosted by Dr. Chris Lucas. Cardamom house could be termed as a small retreat giving you time and space to rewind, allowing you to experience the beauty around. The dam which makes a large waterbody is home to many birds, including migratory birds. In four days, a group from Britain was able to document more than 150 species of birds. The dam forms a great habitat for many waterbirds like Kingfisher, Strok, Crane, and Heron. Since it is a monsoon-fed dam, the water level goes down during the dry summer seasons. Fishing is quite common in the dam and fishermen use coracles, those round boats for fishing. At Green Earth Trails, we organized a visit to a few temples, a typical village school, mango, coconut and many other agrarian farms, visit the saree weaving center, coir factory, and yes, of course, there are a few interesting walks through the banks of the Kamarajar Sagar Dam.
It is the silence and calmness that adds beauty to Athoor, Spending a day at the Cardamom House gave me a chance just to sit idle enjoying the whispers of the breeze. You should try doing this, sit idle and enjoy the greenery around at the sit out for a long time; you could see birds flying by and enjoy the soothing breeze, you will doze off for a nap for sure. We did the Athoor village tour as well that open up more insights about this place. Try going on for a bicycle ride through the country roads; you might spot something for sure. You can have a look at one of our South Indian or Keralan tour where we have incorporated Athoor village and the cardamom house; these elements make our tours more interesting.