Leaving behind the mesmerising smoking rocks (which is the literal translation for Hogenakkal Falls), we drove towards another promising destination—Kodaikanal, early in the morning. Packing with us memories of the roaring Hogenakkal, we bid goodbye to the mighty Cauvery.
The morning sun was smiling brightly and everything around was basking in its golden glory! The journey through the winding and undulating road made for a very good start. The shining sun illuminated PC’s heart and now a greedy smile on his face remained a constant feature—for the next hour, Venu, our driver, had to put on the brakes every now and then. All that we had seen on our way in to Hogenakkal but could not capture on film due to dim light, now became the centre of focus for PC.
Through the path that neatly cut between paddy fields, we sped into a green kingdom, where the soaring coconut trees on both sides resembled palace pillars embraced in green motifs! Sometimes the royal green courts (paddy fields) would pass through banana plantations too.
We stopped at a service station at Penniagram to fill up on petrol. I was told that Tamil Nadu government vehicles have to fill fuel only from Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation’s outlets. While we were waiting there, PC and I got deeply engaged in appreciating a Papaya tree fully loaded with fruit, in one of the villager’s courtyard. From there on started our ‘fruit appreciation’ sessions throughout this journey.
Our next stop was Salem and even before stopping the vehicle, Venu quickly said in his broken English, ‘If you would have come in season you could have had Salem’s famous Mangos’. I think even he noticed our love for fruits! I grabbed a quick bite for breakfast and consoled myself with some bananas instead. The entire state was flooded with the fruit—every shop in every corner had countless bunches of banana hanging, as festoons decorate a shop.
Crossing Karur, we reached Batalakundu—a place where we savoured real Tamilian gourmet for lunch. It was a clean and decent-looking place and totally packed with hungry souls and why not—you get 13 different items on your plate and that too for as little as Rs 22! Still hungry? Just ask the person standing near your table clad in a white shirt and while dhoti folded up to his knee. He is ever ready with a smile to serve you a second or a third helping. Eat as much as you wish. Gorging, as if it was my last meal, I ate till I completely stuffed myself with the delicious fare.
The nearest airport is Madurai, which is 120 km from Kodaikanal.
The nearest railway stations are Palani, which is 80 km from Kodaikanal and Kodai Road Station, which is 64 km away from Kodai.
Kodaikanal is connected by road with Chennai (520km), Ooty (264km), Trichy (197km), Coimbatore (175km), and Madurai (120km). There are regular bus services from Madurai, Palani, Kodaikanal Road, Theni, Tiruchirapalli, Kumuli (Thekkady) and Coimbatore. For local transport, taxis and luxury buses are available for local transportation. There are no auto-rickshaws in Kodaikanal.
After Batalakundu, our uphill journey started. En route we saw acres of land, covered with either banana or coconut plantations. The greenery, with shades of dark green interspersed with light green, soothed my eyes!
Venu pointed out the Palani Hills to us and said that ‘Kodai is there’. I breathed a sigh of relief thinking that we would be there in another hour, but traversing through the spiral mountain roads it took us almost three hours. Just goes to show how deceptive looks can be!
Kodaikanal comes from the Tamil words kodai and kanal, which literally means ‘relief from heat’ and surely it does live up to its name. Closer to the destination, I had pulled out my jacket and shawl and curled up on the back seat while PC, in the front seat, got his gadgets ready for some shots of this magnificent landscape. Located 120 km from Madurai this beautiful hill station is situated 2,130 m above sea level, drawing people from every walk of life to its verdant charm and misty mysteries.
Making our way up the mountain roads to Kodaikanal from the Kodai road, we saw a bright stream of milky white water flowing down to the valley, parting the mountain range on the opposite side. From the side we were on (which was at a great distance since the valley in between was quite large) it looked like a very thin stream of milk rolling down through the barren mountain slopes. As our sole guide Venu did not know its name, we decided to carry on, hoping to get a closer look once we reach our destination. Much later we got to know from the Hotel manager that what we saw was the Thalaiyar Falls, also known as the Rat Tail Falls, I guess because of the way it looks. This is one of the highest waterfalls in the world measuring 975 ft high. He also informed us that as there is no approach route to this spectacular waterfall, we had to be satisfied with the view we got.
Knowing our passion for fruits, Venu stopped at the local fruit market, which was nicely laid out with exotic fruits like custard apple, avocado and red plantain for which this place is famous. Savouring some and packing a good load we proceeded further. By now Venu understood us so well that we developed an unspoken bond, he just knew exactly when we wanted him to stop.
Next we stopped to explore a Coffee and Cocoa plantation and as bonus we also got to see some Pepper plants. The clouds were gathering rapidly for a heavy downpour and with the diminishing light PC started muttering all those unsanctioned words looking through the camera and then looking up complainingly.
Further up, rain embraced us. By the time we reached the boundaries of Kodaikanal, it was raining heavily. On our way we stopped again amidst rain and chilly wind at Kodai’s famous Silver Cascade, which is 8 km from the Kodai Lake. This waterfall is actually the overflow of Kodai Lake, which comes down here as a 180-foot high waterfall. For those interested can bathe here and in fact we saw many enthusiasts having a good time in its Golden waters… yes the recent rain had brought down all the mud with it which has completely changed its hew—now making it a Golden Cascade. In the heavy rain, daring PC went ahead to capture the vista. After all it was a rare sight to witness!
One has a wide variety of choice when it comes to deciding on accommodation. The more luxurious ones can indulge in a stay at the luxury resorts or the five star hotels. However, those with a lesser budget need not worry as the guest houses and the budget hotels also provide standard service and facilities.
Besides the hotels, there are other kinds of accommodation in Kodaikanal like the guest houses. Apart from private concerns there is a very good hotel run by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Development Corporation which is also ideal for accommodation. All these private and government accommodations provide for a comfortable stay and assures a satisfying holiday in the hill resort of Kodaikanal.
We reached Hotel Tamil Nadu early evening and by then, rain had stopped. After putting our bags away, we took a round of the hotel premises—it was a well laid out property with spacious rooms and a decorated garden. PC went straight into action with his gizmos shooting one flower to another like a bee would jump in a garden. After satiating his camera’s hunger, we decided to take a stroll towards the lake before it gets too dark. This 2 km trek was quite pleasant and the best part was gazing at the tourists strolling on the roads or paddling merrily in the paddle boats in the lake. This 24-hectare lake is surrounded by a 5 km long black tar road and forms the focal point of Kodai. Sir Vere Hendry Levinge created it in 1863. He constructed the bund to form a lake and stocked the lake with fish. He brought the first boat from Tuticorin and later in 1890 a boat club was formed. As this lake is also the source of drinking water, motorboats are not allowed on this lake.
After a sumptuous dinner we called it a night. It rained throughout the night and listening to the rain song on the windowpane with occasional special effects from the rain insects I went into deep sleep.
Next day started with a divine touch, first we went to the Kurunji Andavar temple which is 3.2 km away, dedicated to Lord Muruga also referred to as lord of the hill. It offered us a beautiful view of the plains and the Palani hills. It was a spectacular sight to watch the mist clear from the temple top by the late morning, revealing the full expanse of the valley below.
PC casually mentioned that the wooded slopes of Kodai are filled with surprises. Kurunji a plant special to this region turns the slopes into a sea of purple once in 12 years! Hearing this, my mission became to look for the Kurunji flower, which the locals said had already bloomed last year. The next best thing, which I could do, was to be content with a glimpse of the plant. Well I did succeed in that, inside the temple premise we saw the Kurunji plant. It looked like a normal shrub but the fact that is blooms once in 12 years made me restless for just that one glimpse of the flower.
Leaving the lord’s abode we then went to Nature’s abode, Chettiar Park. Tucked away in the north-eastern corner was indeed a charming place to stop by and spend some time amidst the huge green lawn with nicely laid out beds of flowers in red and white with occasional dots of yellow and purple.
Next we moved on to Shembaganur Museum which was around 5.6 kilometres away from the lake. Its admirer calls it the Museum of natural science history of the Palani Hills, and why not, the museum has preserved the fast disappearing Wildlife and the rare flora and fauna of the region.
Shenbaganur Museum has some veritable gems hidden in its heart; it is one of the best Orchidariums in the country with more than 300 species of exotic orchids. This Orchidarium is also the house of 90 varieties of Ferns where as all over the world we have about 400 varieties. We saw banana orchids and cymbidiums and many other.
A shrill chirping broke the silence and the gardener laughed and said now rain is going to come soon. The rain insects have signalled the rain to come. Amused with this correlation we left the Museum enjoying a sunny day!
Post lunch Mr. Karmegham our trekking guide took us through the country side roads, passing small rain fed falls, lush green fields and titled roofed huts we reached a point, where the concrete road got terminated. Sliding beneath barbwire fencing we took to slopes trudging carefully through the rotten leaves and algae smeared pebbles 15 minutes finally we reached at the foot of Vattkanal Falls. This is also not perennial, come to life only when the monsoon showers. It was the best part of my trip to Kodai, water flowing down with a nice murmuring music, sprinkling drops all round, it was an rejuvenating experience. The rocks behind the falls had small steps carved out may be for those who want s closer look.
Next paddling Venu took us to the Berijam Lake, though we knew we would not be able to reach the lake as it required permission and also a lot of time. But the lure of spotting a Bison while crossing the Forest to drink water from the Berijam lake was too good a bait to resist. By now it was down pouring and some where I felt the rain insect were so very intuitive. The rain was so heavy that Venu had to put his headlight on at 3 pm! We reached till the check point but could see a single Bison all that we saw was non-stop cutting of trees in the restricted area! No wonder the Bison decided to change route, may be.
On our way back we went to see the Pillar rocks, it was a majestic sight, three boulders stood there shoulder to shoulder vertically measuring 122 meters high. It was 7.4 kilometers from the lake and the mini garden around the observation point was adding ore charm to the place. By this time as clouds had started to form, the smoky effects of the rocks escaped PC’s camera but my eyes got them all.
Just a little away from the Pillars Rocks was the Silent Valley View (few called it Green valley View) and the view from here of was breathtaking! It was 240-degree view of the entire valley that lay before us deep below, things were beyond comprehension but all those tiny things together gave the valley a very distinct shade of pastel and green. The back waters of Vagai Dam gave the much needed shades of Blue. From here Palani looked like a cluster of tiny pebbles of white and grey. The clouds above and the raising mist from below slowly restricted our view completely and with rain drops in our cheeks we moved on to the near by shacks for shelter and buy some Kodai’s famous home made chocolates!
Our next destination was the upper lake view, where by we saw the Lake in totality from an elevated point, from there the lake looked like thousands of glittering jewels has been put together in one place. The shimmering water is also the source of drinking water for the town, the Kodai lake dominates the sleepy hill station as most of the economic activities were also developed surrounding the lake.
Next day, we started early on to visit the Bryants Park, the last place in our agenda. It was on the eastern side of the lake, from outside it looked like another park with flowers but when the Park Manager Mr. Pandian took us around explaining the history or details of each plant I realized it really was different than others. This 200 years old Park was initially under the Forest Department.
We had many more destinations to cover in Tamil Nadu so we had to leave many things at Kodai untouched, like the Coaker’s walk (which is a hill-edged pathway was identified by Er. Coaker in 1872 about a kilometer from the lake, running along a steep slop on the southern side of Kodai), Solar Observatory (which was founded in 1989 located at an elevation of 2343 meters is the highest point in Kodai) and many more.