Kodaikanal is a Scenic Hill Station with Charming Attractions for Vacationers

chillibreeze writer — Divya Rajan

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You are walking up the wet serene road. The climate is chilly, and you have cold breeze wafting across your face. Everything around you is green. You find yourself walking through the clouds. You reach the pine woods and keep walking....Pine trees standing tall and erect, so tall, they seem to pierce into the skies. Your path paves its way to a lake. You wonder if it is water or crystal in the lake. The weather turns bright. The warmth of the sun embraces you. All you can hear is the rustle of the leaves, the whispers of the wind and the deafening silence. Beauty!! Bliss!! Bonhomie!! It feels like paradise. It feels like eternity……..

No, this is not a dream. This is Kodaikanal.

‘Kodaikanal’ literally means, ‘the gift of the forest’. The most inimitable of things certainly, are natural. Cradled in the southern crest of the upper Palani Hills, in the Western Ghats, 120 kms from Madurai, Kodaikanal is located 2133 m above sea level. Special efforts are being made by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department to prevent the commercialisation of this scenic beauty.

The best time to visit Kodaikanal is May, when she is bejewelled in a colourful attire of flowers. The Kodai Lake, which is 24 hectares in area and is skirted by a 6-kilometre tar road, is the focal point of the hill station. There are various boat clubs and you can choose from a variety of boats. Trotting through this charming town on a horse is another way of getting around. If you prefer a more inanimate form of transportation you can hire a bicycle and pedal around town. For a more lazy experience, you could just munch on ‘suda suda sundal’ and gaze at the lake.

Any hill station is incomplete without a botanical garden and that is exactly what Bryant Park is. The garden is a magnificent sight when the flowers bloom in brilliant shades of purple, red, orange, yellow, pink, white, blue et al, complimenting the lush green.

Another popular sight is the Pillar Rocks, so called because of three boulders, which are naturally arranged to resemble three majestic pillars. They trigger an aura of dominance and power around themselves. The chamber between two pillars is called the Devil’s Kitchen.

Coakers Walk is a hill-edged, kilometre-long boulevard that exhibits a panoramic wide-angle view of Dolphin’s Nose, Pambar River, a bird’s eye view of Periyakulam and also Madurai city.

Kurinji Andavar Temple is an abode of Lord Murugan. It is so named after the Kurinji flower which blossoms once in twelve years.

The Green Valley-View or Suicide Point gives a view of deep green valleys. Vendors trying to sell clothes, spices, accessories, showpieces and antiques dot the area.

At Berijam Lake you can sit peacefully in the woods besides the lake and try your hand at catching a few fish. It is a neatly maintained area, which is probably because it is not open to the public. You have to get a special permit to visit the lake.

Apart from the 21.5 sq. kilometers of the Kodaikanal hill-station, there are other places nearby which are worth visiting. Many of these are small villages. One such village is Poombarai. The 40 kilometer drive from Kodaikanal to Poombarai is extremely picturesque. From Poombarai one can walk up to the Kukkal caves, which are actually overhanging slabs of rock. If you are lucky, you may get to see some bison.

There is no dearth of accommodation in Kodaikanal and you can choose from a range of five star hotels, resorts, lodges and inns. The climate can be enjoyed throughout the year, though May and June can get really crowded with visitors flocking to take the blessings of Sri Sathya Sai Baba at Sai Sruthi.

Whether you are planning a family holiday retreat, honeymooning with your sweetheart or trekking in the pinewoods, Kodaikanal promises to be rewarding. The town’s attractions and beauty can be enjoyed in a week or a weekend and you could even go up in the morning and return by night. Do not leave without sampling some of the sweeter pleasures like the strawberries, plums, pears, cherries, butter-fruit, jamuns, apples, peaches and Malai Pazham, a variety of banana exclusively available in Kodaikanal. Pastry Corner is a nice place for a hot cup of coffee, natural ice creams and delicious cookies and pastries.

Mesmerising natural beauty and a host of sights and attractions contribute to Kodaikanal’s magneticism, making this hill town a hotspot for nature lovers and other vacationers.

(Divya: An aspiring travel journalist; looking forward to making travel films. Passionate about photography & a nature lover)

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—About our writer: Divya writes for Chillibreeze

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