Pykara

The Pykara river, about 19 kilometres from Ooty, is held sacred by the Toda people. It rises at Mukurthi peak, flows north and then turns west at the edge of the plateau, passing through the Mukurthi, Pykara and Glenmorgan dams on its way to the Moyar, Bhavani and Kaveri. Near the end of its run it drops over a series of falls, the last two, of 55 and 61 metres, being known as Pykara Falls, about 6 kilometres from the main road bridge.

The area has fenced shola forest, Toda settlements, wide grassy meadows and good wildlife habitat. The dam, falls and reservoir draw many visitors, and a boat house operates on the reservoir. The Pykara power station, commissioned in 1932 with C.P. Ramaswamy Aiyar's involvement, is one of the oldest in south India and still generates about 60 megawatts. A forest rest house stands at Pykara.