Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu – At an altitude of 7200 ft, this small hill town is a must visit for its scenic beauty and cool, misty weather
Standing at an altitude of 7200 feet above sea level Kodaikanal is situated in upper Palani hills of the western ghats near Madurai in Tamil Nadu. Kodaikanal is also popularly known as the princes of Hill Stations. Its name in the Tamil language means “The Gift of the Forest”. Kodaikanal is one of the very popular and most sought after holiday destination hill resorts in South India. The cool and misty weather, the scenic beauty of the rolling hills and the wooded forest of Kodaikanal and its surroundings will mesmerize any visitors there.
Places to see in Kodaikanal: The calm and serene surrounding of Kodaikanal, admired with high-forested mountains will offer you a true romantic escape. The location is dotted with a number of sight seeing spots. These include:
Bryant Park
Named after a British officer Glenn Bryant, Bryant Park holds an annual flower and vegetable show each year which attracts a large number of tourists all across the country. There also stands a glass house in the garden which hosts a wide collection of flowers, ferns and other plants. The glass house in the park hosts an annual horticulture show every year in the month of May.
Shenbaganur Museum
Shenbaganur Museum located in the city of Kodaikanal is a very beautiful museum depicting rare pieces of architecture from South of India. The museum is an initiative of the Sacred Heart College of Kodaikanal and it also houses a wide collection beautiful flowers and bird species which appeals to the senses of every new visitor of the place.
The Boat Club
The Boat Club in the city of Kodaikanal is known for giving rented boats for the purpose of entertainment. The club has 65 single, 10 punts, 18 two seater and 4 seater pedal boats at the disposal of the visitors. The club also offers membership to people and at present 900 people are permanent members of the Boat Club.
Kodaikanal Lake
It is a magnificent man-made lake, which spreads out in the shape of a star over an area of sixty acres among the greener surroundings of the place. Boating and Angling facilities are available at the KodaikanalLake. If you wish to have a panoramic view of the Kodai valley, then you should climb up the Pillar Rocks measuring to a height of about 122 meters.
Coaker’s Walk
Coaker’s Walk derives its name from Lt. Coaker, who prepared the map of Kodai and it is about a kilometer from the Kodaikanal Lake, which runs along a steep slope on the southern side of the Kodai This place is a heaven for the lovers of nature and all those who seek few moments of tranquility far away from the crowd and noise of the city. One needs to buy an entry ticket to enter the place.
Guna Cave (Devil’s Kitchen)
The sobriquet associated with the place itself makes one stop and take notice. Devil’s Kitchen is named so because it is a hidden ravine and has a deep fall but it looks like a small gutter which makes it more prone to the accidents. It is advisable to take along one of the locals familiar with the place in order to avoid any mishap. Telescope Houses provided at the place enable the visitors to have a panoramic view of the valley and the nearby towns.
Kurinji Andavar Temple
The spiritually inclined people can visit the Kurinji Andavar Temple, about 3.2 km from the Lake. The presiding deity of the temple is Lord Murugan. In Tamil literature “Kurinji” means “Hilly Region” and “Andavar” means God. From this temple, one can get a picturesque view of the northern plains and the Palani Hills.
Silver Cascade and Bear Shola Falls
Located at the Ghat Road about 8 km from Kodaikanal, Silver Cascade fall from a height of 180 feet and it is a great delight to look and hear the loud noise of these falls amidst the tranquillity that surrounds the place. Bear Shola fall is the place where once the bears used to come and drink water, hence it was named so. It is a popular tourist attraction of Kodaikanal and one can often spot families and young couples having a good time here.
Nearby attractions from Kodaikanal: The area around Kodaikanal falls in the Nilgiri Belt and thus offers lots of natural wonder to explore. Therefore there is no scarcity of excursion destinations around the city of Kodaikanal. These include:
Dolphin’s Nose
Dolphin’s Nose is located about 10 kilometers from the downtown Kodaikanal. It is a flat projecting rock from where you can have a breathtaking but intimidating view of the chasm below. The place is best for the photographers to click good pictures.
Perumal Peak
The Perumal Peak is about 11 kilometers from Kodaikanal. The place is considered a trekker’s delight in Nilgiris. Climbers begin their ascent from the Neutral Saddle and cover the entire distance in around 4 hours. No permission is required for trekking to PerumalPeak.
Kukal Cave
Kukal Cave is situated at a distance of 40 kilometers from Kodaikanal. The place serves as a camping site for trekkers. The place is great to view stalagmites and stalactites.
Berijam Lake
Located just 21 km from the city bus stand; Berijam Lake is surrounded by Upper Palni Shola Forest reserve hosting a large variety of flora and fauna. Some of the very useful medicinal plants like Digitalis, Pyrethrum, Dioscorea are grown here. A number of initiatives are taken to protect the lake and the area surrounding it from increasing pollution which is a threat to the green surroundings of the park. Tourists traveling to the state of Kodaikanal visit these parks in large numbers.
Things to do in Kodaikanal:Boating is a popular pastime and otherwise the pleasant weather and panoramic natural beauty which brings time to a stand still is what makes a stay here relaxing and rejuvenating.
Best time to visit Kodaikanal: the best time to visit Kodaikanal is from September to May.
How to go ?
By Air
The airport nearest to Kodaikanal is Madurai, about 120 kilometres away which is well connected to all major cities in India. From the airport, you can easily get a bus or car to Kodaikanal.
By Train
The nearest Railway station is Kodai road, which is about 80 km away from Kodaikanal. Coimbatore junction is the major rail head which is well connected to cities like Delhi (Kerala Exp), Kolkata (Guwahati Exp), Chennai (Duronto Exp) and Bangalore (Bangalore Exp) along with various other small and big cities across the country.
By Road
Regular bus services are available from the cities of Chennai, Coimbatore, Pondicherry, Madurai and many more.
Where to stay ?
You can find a number of nice resorts and hotels in Kodaikanal, offering decent accommodation and dining facilities.
Hotel Tamilnadu- Kodaikannal (TTDC): +91-04542241336, 9176995824, 8939896393
Hotel Pleasant Stay: +91-73730-93335 Website: www.pleasantstayhotel.com
Hotel Sivapriya: +91 -04542- 241226, 27, 28, 29, 242352, 53, 54 Website: www.hotelsivapriya.in
Hotel Ruby International: +91-04542- 243155, 246403 Website: www.hotelrubyinternational.com
Note : Phone numbers given above are according to the information available with us. If you find any contact number/s given above is/are incorrect or not in use, please let us know.
