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Tucked away among the
Palani Hills in Tamil Nadu, in South India, and jealously guarded
like a prized jewel by the dark forests, is Kodaikanal. In fact, the
name itself means ‘gift of the forest’-in Tamil. A more
appropriate and evocative name could not have been imagined for this
quaint, unspoilt little hill-station, where the air is intoxicating,
the scenery breath-takingly beautiful, and there is a serenity seldom
fund in other hill-stations.
Cradled in the southern
crest of the upper Palani Hills, in the Western Ghats 120 kilometres
from Madurai, Kodaikanal rises 2133 metre above sea level. Founded
by American missionaries in 1845, Kodaikanal is steeped in history.
Relics and artefacts of the Paliyans who once lived in these hills
can still be seen in the Shenbaganur Museum. Even today, a few
Paliyans can be seen near Kukal Cave. In the early days, there were
no roads – people had to travel by bullock-cart and palanquin,
braving the dangers of the forests. Slowly Kodaikanal developed,
missionaries established church properties, many of the then ruling
princes built summer holiday-homes, clubs were opened, school and
hotels were built, and civic amenities were introduced.
Nowdays, Kodaikanal is
easily accessible by black-top well-maintained roads via Kodai Road
Station, Palani, Batlagundi, Dindigul, Madurai and Coimbatore. The
nearest airport is Madurai, which is well-connected and the nearest
railway station in Kodai Road Station.
Driving into Kodaikanal
from Palani is a dramatic experience, reminiscent in parts, of the
drive up the ghat road from Kallar to Ooty. It is a relief to leave
the hot, dusty plains behind and drive up into the cool hills. The
vegetation changes gradually from palm-fringed paddy fields to wild
brush with flaming blossoms to plantations interspersed with stately
silveroaks. The view of the Amaravathi Dam, a shimmering sapphire
sheet of water is an unforgettable sight. Driving higher, banana
trees, give way to tall eucalyptus trees, and the whole countryside
is dotted with wildflowers in jewelled colours, magenta and purple,
predominating. There is a marked nip in the air, as one reaches for
one’s cardigan, or shawl. At a bend in the road, one is greeted
by the shimmer, and roar of ‘the Silver Cascade’, a natural
waterfall which seems to extend a natural welcome to visitors to
Kodaikanal.
Arriving in Kodai town,
one is greeted by orchards of pear trees with their graceful branches
silhouetted in artistic curves against the evening sky like stark Zen
etchings. Buildings with gabled roof dot the sky-line. Broken
fragments of light from the setting sun are caught and kindled in the
wind-rippled water appearing like a myriad lamps floating on the
lake. Soon, as though on cue, lights start twinkling all over
hill-side, and even the stars pick up the message and heaven and
earth are a riot of light, as though beaming messages of good-will to
each other.
Arriving at the Kodai
Club, one has the impression of stepping back into colonial India.
The lounge with its period fire-place, the piano, the Leigh Hunt
prints, the library stocked with books by Evelyn Waugh, Anthony
Trollope, and the bar with stuffed heads of bison, tigers,
deer-horns, and a picture of the Laughing Cavalier by Franz Hals, the
restaurant with old English plates, a glowing hearth-fire, and
landscape prints, are all British legacies. Cinnereras and primulus
add to the English atmosphere, and again one is struck by the
predominance of the lilac-purple theme. The dinner consisting of
steaming mulligatawny soup, roast chicken and potatoes, and apple
pie, is a further British legacy.
As one relaxes in the
comfortable chamber of the Kodaikanal Club, a cheerful log-fire
dances a tableau of flame and shadow on the hearth, keeping out the
chill of the night.
One wakes up with an air
of expectancy refreshed after a good night’s sleep. The
tree-fringed lake greets one in the crisp early morning. One
realizes that the lake is the cool heart of Kodaikanal. It is the
legacy of the then Collector, Sir Vere Livinge, who formed it by
damming the valley where three streams flowed. It spreads over an
area of 60 acres and is skirted by a three mile tarred road. There
is a Boat Club and a public ferry.
Just across the
Kodaikanal Club is the Kodaikanal School – an imposing campus of
verdant manicured lawns, dignified trees and solid stone buildings.
This co-educational, English medium boarding school offering a
pre-university curriculum in 12 grades, prepares students for
entrance to Indian and world-wide colleges and universities through
the Kodaikanal School Diploma. Selected students are prepared to
write the external exams of the International Baccalaureate, based in
Geneva. More than 30 nationalities are represented in the school
community of students and staff. On the wall of the principal’s
outer office is a plaque emblazoned with an appropriate quotation
from the French philosopher Teihard de Chardin: “Joy is the
infallible sign of the presence of god.”
Almost cheek by jowl with
the Kodaikanal School is the Lutheran Church – a Gothic stone
building with stained glass windows and modern paintings and batiks
portraying scenes from the life of Christ. Nearby is an even more
famous church – Christ the King Church – again, a very
Gothic and solemn granite structure with stained glass windows.
The names of the
buildings in Kodaikanal are very evocative – ‘Loch End’
and ‘Manasarovar’-these two houses by the lake-side bridge
the time-span from colonial times to the present. Hillbrook,
Furzbank, Wood-cote, whispering Pines, Rock Cottage all conjure up
the beauty and spirit of their natural ambience.
Jacaranda trees burst out
in purple profusion, as though singing hosannas to the skies.
Magnolia trees guard their ‘escaping’ fragrance, while
cherry trees sweep in graceful pink arcs.
On the east side of the
lake, is Bryant’s Park, named after the Forest Officer who
planned it’s lay-out around the turn of the century. Beautiful
pine and eucalyptus trees grow here. There is one ancient eucalyptus
tree dating back to 1846, 250 feet high and 10 feet wide. The
well-laid out gardens contain many annuals and perennials like
azaleas, watsonias, dahlias, stock, primulas, fusschias, asters etc.
Many exotic varities of orchids are housed in the Orchid House.
Walking along the lotus pond, the memory of a verse learnt in
childhood and since, long-forgotten, stirred in my mind:
“Four ducks on a
pond,
A grass bank beyond,
White clouds on the
wing;
To remember for years,
To remember with tears.”
About a kilometre from
the lake is Coaker’s Walk – named after St. Coaker of the
Royal Engineers, offering a fantastic view of the plains and the
distant hills. There is a rugged pristine beauty about these vistas,
and the mist rising in veils from the valley below, gives the places
an unreal quality.
Driving along the cool
green darkness with the trees making a canopy overhead, one reaches
Green Valley View. Gnarled cypress roots make a natural crazy path
to the sheer drop of 1000 feet which overlooks the Vaigai Dam. Clouds
are banked like snow and a violet haze envelopes the distant hills.
Hero too, the mist rises from the valley, imparting a solemn,
out-of-this-world beauty to the scene. The exclusive Kodai Golf Club
is very near Green Valley View.
Past the Golf Club is the
114 acre Golf Links, another colonial legacy – an undulating
green velvet carpet. Thick woods line the road leading to the
pillars standing shoulder to shoulder drops sheer below them,
creating a dramatic impact and affording a stupendous view of the
valley below. Soon mists wrap up the pillars in mystery and one
wonders whether they are real, or whether they were a figment of
one’s imagination. Then the sun melts the mists away and the
rocks rise, solemn and majestic, dappled in sun and shadow, the
effect is ethereal and awe-inspiring.
The abundance of pear
orchards is a striking feature of the Kodaikanal landscape. Here and
there a solitary snowy blossom seems to peep out tentatively to
reconnoiter the weather-conditions, and one has a hint of the
profusion of pear blossoms to follow, when the branches would be
heavy with their own blooms, leaving scant room for leaves.
Intoxicated by the air
and lush beauty, I do not notice the car stop. “Nearby, are the
Fairy Falls, madam”, the driver informs me. There is a quiet
serenity about this place, and I walk along the path imbibing the
tranquil atmosphere. Suddenly I come across a boy playing with a dog
at the clearing, against the back-drop of the sheer lacy curtain of
water, so aptly named ‘Fairy Falls’. There is an untouched
innocence about the boy, and only when he tries to speak to me in
sign language, do I understand that he is mute. There is complete
harmony between the boy, the dog, and the surroundings, and I come
away strangely moved.
About five and a half
kilometres from the lake is the Shenbaganur Museum, maintained by the
Sacred Heart of College – a Theological Seminary founded in
1895. The stuffed-birds and the butterfly collection are remarkable.
The archaeological collection is meticulously documented. One can
see the implements and the burial urns of the Paliyans here. One of
the best orchidariums in the country, with more than 300 species of
orchids, is also located on the premises of Sacred Heart College.
There are several
excursion spots in and around Kodaikanal.
Dolphin’s Nose,
located about eight kilometres from the lake, is a flat projecting
rock from where one can have a breath-taking view of the yawning
chasm below.
The Perumal Peak about 11
kilometres from Kodaikanal is a trekker’s delight, and is an
all-day expedition. Climbers begin their ascent from the Neutral
Saddle.
Berijam Lake supplies
drinking water to Periyakulam town, and is 21 kilometres from
Kodaikanal (beyond the Pillar Rocks). It is a popular picnic spot
with a beautiful view.
Kukkal Cave 40 kilometres
from Kodaikanal, is a favourite camping site for trekkers.
Reportedly, descendants of the Paliyans still live here.
The mute magic of
Kodiakanal with its beautiful scenery, its tranquility, the innocence
of its people, had once again woven its spell around me, and I left
with reluctance. Driving down the serpentine road on a chilly
February morning, with the stars still twinkling and the eucalyptus
and cypress trees etched against the eastern sky, one has the feeling
of driving into the dawn. With every turn of the road, the
kaleidoscope shifts to reveal ineffably exquisite images – the
sapphire Amaravathi Dam ringed with the violet-blue hills, the
morning glory hugging a roadside rhododendron in an ecstasy of purple
passion, the clouds banked against the sky like driven snow, and the
amethyst haze which pervades everywhere. One has the feeling of
being suspended in time, far above the cloud-line. Slowly, the hills
close in around their treasure, and the mists wrap it in
Shangrila-like mystery. As the car speeds on its homeward journey, I
feel privileged to have been part of such a beautiful, moving, and
mystic experience.
VISITING KODAIKANAL
GETTING THERE
By Air
The nearest airport is
Madurai – 120 kilometres away. It is well-connected to other
airports.
By Rail
The nearest rail-head is
Kodai Road Railway Station, which is 80 kilometres away.
LOCAL TRANSPORT
Taxis are available
during the season, Pandayan Roadways Corporation will arrange
sight-seeing trips on demand. There are no auto-rickshaws in
Kodaikanal.
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