Kodaikanal. If translated literally, it could mean several things -
a place to visit in summer, the end of forests, the forest of creepers or the
gift of the forest. Can one word have so many meanings? Well, yes. That is the
beauty of Tamil, that is the beauty of Kodaikanal.
My second
trip to this serene hill station started from the deep south city of
Tirunelveli, in the winter night of 26th December, 2014. Making rendezvous with the rest
of the touring party in Palani, we started climbing the Kodai hill the next day. The plan of
the tour was for two days - a day of sightseeing and a day of trekking - an
utterly insufficient duration to completely enjoy an hill station in winter,
but still with better planning and a dedicated tour guide, we were able to
visit most of the places of interest and have utmost fun.
Day 1 - Sightseeing
Beginning
of the tour was the Kodai lake, an
artificial lake credited to Sir Vera Levinge. We chose for pedaling boats,
although rowing boats and public ferry were also available. With two in a boat,
one can freely explore the beauty of this star shaped lake filled with
tranquility. Cool breeze from the misty mountains on a winter day in a lake.
What else could I ask for? The next spot was the Upper
Lake view, from where the same lake could be seen from a distance. The
enormity of the blue lake with its unique shape and white trails of boats was a visual treat.
From
there we moved on to the Coaker's walk, a
long stretch of view points running along the edge of steep slopes from where
one could see the Dolphin's nose, pambar river valley and the birds eye view of
the town of Periyakulam and other hill villages along the mountains in a
cloudless clear sky. It could well be the paradise for nature photographers.
Unfortunately, a mist covered winter day spoiled the pleasure of viewing all
these beauties. But still the walk treated us with local fruits and dishes sold
along the sides of its narrow path.
Moving on
to the suicide point, our tour guide gave an interesting information that the suicide point, that is open to public access, is
a ruse and the real suicide point's name is changed to avoid suicide
fatalities. As in Ooty, suicide point here is a major attraction (I still
wonder why!), that it was the most crowded place to be visited by us. The more
deadly Guna Cave was fenced and
prohibited from public access, may be to avoid accidents. Probably due to its
portrayal in the film Guna, it has also become a major attraction next to the
suicide point. Both these points could be potential photographic spots if they
are not so swarmed by tourists.
Pine Forest of Kodaikanal is small but
beautiful, with hundred to thousand year old pine trees. If one avails the
horse ride service, the whole forest could be covered in hardly about 15
minutes. We preferred to walk than take the horse ride. Once we went into forest,
we felt kind of lost our track amidst the evenly spaced trees. However tracing
back is easier in this small forest than one thinks to be. While returning back to
the hotel, we could see the pillar rock,
a giant monolith with steep cliff tagged with a thin water falls, quite a
mesmerizing view.
One
aspect of visiting an hill station in winter is that one can have a challenging
and thrilling night walk. A ten kilometer walk with various view points where
we could see the lights of towns downhill was the first such experience for me.
The dark road, with the sounds of strange animals and insects rhyming with the
howling cold wind, could kindle the deepest fears of anyone, for a moment
convinced me that the stories of ghosts in the hills are true.
Day 2 - Cycling and Trekking
At the
insistence of our tour guide, the second day of the trip started with a brisk
session of cycling around the Kodai lake. From kids to old-timers, there was a
large number of cyclists pedaling around the lake in the morning mist. Joining
them, our fun gang could experience the morning freshness of the hill
rejuvenating our hearts and body.
Once the
cycling session was over, we started our trek towards the Dolphin's nose. Walking through the dense
tropical forest, crossing rivulets, getting drenched in small falls, climbing small
cliffs and rises, it took two hours to reach the Dolphin's nose. It is a flat
rock projecting over a breathtaking chasm of almost two kilometers deep. When
we arrived there, the mist played spoilsport covering the valley and hiding the
actual depth. To our surprise, once we were standing at the edge of the nose,
mist cleared slowly and made us realize that we were standing on a cliff of two kilometers high. It was an
adventurous as well as dangerous moment, where any person would certainly
experience the fear of falling. After enjoying our time in the high cliff, we
started returning to the hotel through steep slope (I realised what an uphill
task really is..!), thereafter bidding adieu to the princess of hill stations.
The
beauty of Kodaikanal is not confined to the places mentioned in this post.
Several aspects of the hill is not explored here. Lying in the edge of a vast
rainforest, Kodaikanal is one of the spots where the human-nature interaction
has been sustaining for centuries. Village life in the hills and tribal life
deep inside the forest are illustrations of such sustainable interactions. The
whole town and adjoining tourist spots are in fact a sample of what lies to its
west. It is the start of the great Western Ghats, that shelters millions of
unique fauna and flora. It is the paradise for wildlife enthusiasts,
photographers, conservationists, ornithologists etc,., and certainly Kodaikanal is the Gift of
these Forests.
