12. KODAIKANAL

Nestled amidst the Palani Hills in the Western Ghats, in the state of Tamil Nadu, 120 km from Madurai, in southern India, Kodaikanal is a precious tourist spot in the Indian subcontinent. Literally meaning ‘gift of the forest’ in Tamil, it is a quaint, unspoilt little hill station, where the air is romantic and dreamy, the landscape exceedingly charming, and tranquility prevails like it was eternal. History of Kodaikanal says that it was set up by American missionaries circa 1845, to seek resort in order to keep the glare of high temperatures and tropical diseases of the plains at bay.

Palani Hills of Kodaikanal The location of Kodaikanal at 2133 meters above sea level, makes it a traveler’s paradise with all its charm and charisma. The best way to utilize your leisure here is to saunter around the area appreciating the landscape. Or else, you can opt to go for facilities like boating, cycling, pony riding, angling, and golf. There are clubs to occupy your spare time in the evenings and you can browse and buy the books in the close by market. The region around Kodaikanal is replete with breathtaking natural beauty and a tour of the city should be undertaken to absorb the essence of it. Major sites to be visited in Kodaikanal are Kodaikanal Lake, Lutheran Church and King Church, Kodaikanal School, Colonial structure, Bryant's Park, Kodai Club, Green Valley View, Coaker’s Walk, Palani Hills National Park, Kodaikanal Solar Observatory, and Golf Links. Green Valley View (previous name was changed for better appeal to tourists), Pillar Rocks, Silver Falls, Kodai Television tower and the Guna caves are other places of interest in Kodaikanal.

The Kurinji Andavar Temple is renowned for its Kurinji flower which blooms once every 12 years. The blums, Berikke, Kodai milagaay, Red carrot are the commonly grown natural edibles here. Cauliflower, cabbage, chilies and onions are cultivated on the suburbs of Kodaikanal.

There is a brilliant market in Kodaikanal where you can purchase woolen clothing, vegetables, flowers, meats, fruit, handiwork, hot snacks, children toys, oils and medicinal herbs. The multi-ethnic nature of Kodai is obvious at the market place where it is common to bump into Scandinavian backpackers, retired French tourists and people from other corners of India relishing fresh pastries served by Tibetan refugees.


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