Marottichal Waterfalls is a popular tourist attraction located in
Puthoor Panchayat in
Thrissur
Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...
district of
Kerala
Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile ...
.
Marottichal is about 20 km away from Thrissur town. There are two popular waterfalls in this area, one is named as Olakkayam Waterfalls and the other as Ilanjippara Waterfalls. Olakkayam Waterfalls is about 300-400 meters from the main road. Ilanjippara Waterfall is about four kilometers away from Illankippara Waterfalls.
Ilanjippara Waterfall, being the main waterfall is situated inside Reserve Forest and the entry to this waterfall is currently restricted by Kerala Forest Department. Any unauthorized entry will attract imprisonment of 1 to 30 years and a fine of up to ₹500 million.
Chess in Marottichal
The village of Marottichal is famous for its obsession with the game of
chess
Chess is a board game for two players. It is an abstract strategy game that involves Perfect information, no hidden information and no elements of game of chance, chance. It is played on a square chessboard, board consisting of 64 squares arran ...
. On 18 May 2017, the
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
's travel section featured an article on how the game has transformed the village, which was once rife with illicit gambling and alcoholism. A movie by the name of
August Club
''August Club'', also called ''August Club Since 1969'', is a 2013 Malayalam romantic drama film directed by K. B. Venu.It tells the story about the nuances in marital life. The film's screenplay is written by Anantha Padmanabhan and is based on ...
has also been made on the villagers’ obsession for chess.
In an effort to be gambling and alcohol-free, the locals sought help from excise officials by persuading them to raid their village and shut down the illegal brewing. This move didn’t help much as the real problem for the villagers was how to cope with addiction. To help them do so, C. Unnikrishnan, who runs his own restaurant in the village, introduced the villagers to the black-and-white board game, chess.
References
{{reflist
External links
* https://enteyathrakal.com/marottichal-waterfall/- മരോട്ടിച്ചാൽ വെള്ളച്ചാട്ടം
* http://travelmeout.com/thrissur-waterfalls-6-best-waterfalls-in-thrissur-district - Marottichal Ilanjippara Waterfalls
Geography of Thrissur district