Lets Go to Kodaikanal: I have heard about Ooty-Kodaikanal since childhood. With so many movies shot there its not uncommon to see someone exclaiming ‘that’s ooty’ ‘that’s kodiakanal’ when they see hero-heroines dancing (with 100 co-dancers!) in scenic places. I guess these 2 shud be the coolest places in an otherwise burning hot Tamil Nadu. Looks like God did a balancing act in creating them ;-) I had not been to these 2 places, so when our church youth group leader said ‘We are going to Kodaikanal for 3 days’ I raised my hand even before he asked ;-)
How To reach: We a flock of 40 friends took an overnight train from Bangalore & got down early morning at Kodai Road station, which is 80KM from Kodaikanal. From here we moved in 2 hired private transport to Kodaikanal hill top.
Fact File: In this hill town, its about moving from one mountain to other. The town itself is spread over 22sq kms, at an altitude of 2133 meters above sea level. Though best time to visit are in months April-June this place can be visited anytime of the year. Average temperatures are: between 12 to 20 degree in summer & between 8 to 18 degree Celsius in winter. Even in summer evening one wud need light woolen clothing & heavy woolen clothes in winter time. Kodaikanal means the "gift of the forest"
Stay: I read that British ‘discovered’ & developed this place so as to escape from the harsh weather in the plains. Once the missionaries came & established religious/educational institutions the place began to grow. We were lucky to stay in one such monastery run by Sacred Heart Priests. The buildings there were built in 1800s & one gets to see greenery & scenery around. Do check my Kodai pics album for more. Generally Kodaikanal has many options to stay according to budget.
Local Travel: covering many attractions means hopping around from one hill to other. Seems one has to depend on private travel options. I also heard of bike rentals, but have not seen. Since we had arranged 2 20seater vehicles for all 3 days of our stay, we didn’t have to worry about it.
Attractions: 1) As you climb towards Kodaikanal you will find Silver cascade falls. Water takes 180 ft leap over a steepcliff. The place also serves as a break enroute – as you can eat hot vadas, fresh carrots with masala, pear fruits etc as you watch the water cascade.
2) Kodail Lake: This has to be the central most attraction in Kodaikanal. It’s a man made lake spread over 60 Acres & has a perimieter of close to 5kms. It looks magnificent with star shaped glittering water, in the midst of evergreen lush slopes.. The boat club provides boats for hire. Around the lake we went for cycling by hiring a cycle @ 10Rs per hour, also horse riding options available, but quite costly. A line of shops selling lot of woolen clothing, memorablia & eatable help u spend time near lake. A cutting-chai with pakoras or a bhutta will surely add warmth to the chill around ;-)
3)Dolphin Nose: This is cliff point ( point of no return, if u step further!) surrounded by mountains at all sides. We had to walk thru narrow paths to reach this place. There is a huge rocky edge shaped like a dolphin’s nose – at the point of which is a clean 6600 feet sooside option ;-) professional photographers here help you stand at the tip of the rock & send you magnificent photo of you standing at the edge. That one meter wide stone is one of the hardest to walk! There I wondered how God must have created this particular place, he must have formed it with his own mightly hands, he must have used his fingers in forming the dolphin’s nose! ;-) I saluted his artistry & craftsmanship there.
4)Bryant park: this is like a botanical garden housing many trees & flower garden. In every May a horticultural show is conducted by the department of Horticulture. The place is good for a stroll & for lying down on grass to watch the clouds – do have pen & paper if you are a poet ;-)
5)Shembaganur museum: This was adjacent to the building we stayed. This museum is Maintained by the Sacred Heart College – Theological Seminary founded in 1895. It is devoted to archaeological remains and the flora and fauna of the hills. One of the best orchidoriums in the country with more that 300 species of orchids is also housed here. You can find preserved specimens of many animals, plants, skeletons etc. Students will enjoy seeing this.
6)Coakers walk : It is a narrow pedestrian path, constructed by Lt. Coaker in 1872, a one kilometer mountain road which runs along the edge of steep slopes. The walk wide-angle spectacular view of the plains & valleys, which so often get covered in mist. One must be aware of a fascinating phenomenon called ’Brachem Spectre’ . if you are lucky you can see ur shadow on the clouds with a rainbow halo, when sun is behind and cloud and mist is in his front. We weren’t lucky – I blame Pluto for it :P
7)Pillar rocks: Three granite boulders each vertically measuring a height of 400 feet stand shoulder to shoulder. This we have to see from a nearby viewing point. The sight is majestic. I was told there is way to reach the rocks too.
8) Guna Caves: These are named so after a famous movie ‘Guna’ was shot here, seems now no one knows its original name. After meandering lot we got down from our vehicle & walked thru the woods to reach another cliff point. The cave itself is closed now, due to many accidents. So we just get to peep in thru iron grills. I wished entrance to the cave was open for public.
9) Pine trees: Many times I had seen in movie either hero-heroine romancing around pine tress & even some cases some fights between hero & villain – so it was nice to be among those tall trees which seemed to standing in such perfect lines that even school assemblies had to learn from it! ;-)
Food: Being a cold place one has to eat lots ( wat an excuse??). the place has all kinds of food available, most lodges will also have a attached restaurant. Another thing plentily available here is fruits of all kind. If you can eat, you have lots to eat here.
Shopping: Kodaikanal is known for chocolates, cakes & many items which are mainly forest based like honey etc. There are many shops run by Kashmiris & Tibetan which specialize in warm clothes. Apart from that there are lot of shops selling memorabilia, local handicraft stuff.
Who visits there: Anyone who has no problem with cold weather can go there. Usually we see lots of school excursion bringing students here. Also it’s a good destination for family & friends. Anyone who likes greenery-scenery & photography will surely like it.
I will be Back: After I saw Kodaikanal I was in awe, but then my friends told me ooty is even better – so I will have to go ooty now & then come back to kodaikanal again – to compare ;-) I hope to visit again, so if you are planning a trip, make me your guide ;-)