Mallapuram Cliff Viewpoint.
Most Hogenakkal day-trippers do the coracle ride at the falls-base and head back — only ~10% drive the 5km east to Mallapuram on the gorge-ridge road. The viewpoint sits 80m above the river and shows the full waterfall complex (15+ cascades over a 1.2km width) from above, which the boat-level view cannot.WHY NOBODY KNOWS
Cliff viewpoint on the gorge-ridge 5km east of the Hogenakkal main falls — 80m elevation above the Cauvery. The full waterfall complex (15+ cascades over a 1.2km width, the result of the Cauvery dropping through Deccan trap basalt joints) is visible from here, but is not from the river-base level. Best at sunrise 6-7am for the morning mist effect (the "hogenakkal" Kannada name literally means "smoking rocks" — the dawn-mist over basalt is exactly that). Free / unfenced / no entry fee. Bring water; no shade. The 5km drive is via Sangadi-Mallapuram road off the main Hogenakkal-Dharmapuri highway.
