SHORT STORY OF KODAIKANAL

Kodaikanal is one of the most popular hill station in India. Located in the upper Palani Hills and an altitude of about 2,133-m high. Kodai is most popular among tourists for the many site seeing spots and all are situated in nearby locations. Kodai can be reached by road very easily and accessible by surrounding cities like Madurai, Trichy, Dindigul, Palani and Coimbatore by Road.

Short History of Kodaikanal:

There is proof of settlement of prehistoric tribes at Kodaikanal by visible artifacts such as dolmens homes of great stone slabs. After the primitive tribes of Paliyans and Pulyans in 14th century, villagers of Palani foot hills fled into Kodai hills, to escape from the oppressive rule in the plains and also from the invasion of Tippu Sultan.

The first European to visit Kodaikanal was Lt. B.S. Ward a surveyor in the year 1821. His Head Quarters was Vellagavi village. There were many American missions in South Tamil Nadu. The foreigners could not bear the oppressive heat in Tamilnadu and they faced sickness from epidemic diseases and consequential deaths. They wanted neat and healthy natural surroundings near Madurai to rest and improve their health. They were happy to find from the report of Lt. B.S. Ward about the hills with wonderful climate and easy accessibility from Madurai & Periyakulam. Many English and American missionary people visited Kodaikanal through various routes. Notable among them are J C Wroughton -Sub Collector, C R Cotton Judge and Dr. Weight. Dr.Fane built two houses in 1845 in the lake road. More houses were built by British Govt. The American Missionaries moved in and built a lot of dwellings in the southern side which is still there and now called 'Sunny Side' and 'Shelton' . In the year 1860, the first church was built jointly by the Bishop. American Madurai Mission built the union church in 1895. From year 1860, there was all round improvement due to the visit of several dignitaries. Roman Catholics came, purchased a bungalow for Jesuit fathers, as rest house which is now called La Providence in upper shoal road. Governors of Madras Sir Charles Travelyon and Lord Napier visited in the years 1860 and 1871. One major JM Partridge of the army introduced Eucalyptus and wattle trees in the year 1867. Bier Leverage, collector of Madurai lived in Pamhar house after his retirement. Only through his tireless efforts and initiative the man-made Kodaikanal lake, the foremost attraction of the tourists was formed. He arranged boat rides in the lake. He planned and executed several approach roads to Kodaikanal. He introduced several foreign trees and vegetables such as Pine Forms and Pears. In the year 1872 Lt. Coaker cut a path along the ridge of steep south eastern side which commends a magnificant view of the plains below. The path was named after him as Coaker's Walk

Places to Visit:

Kodai Lake:
One of the main attractions for the tourists of Kodaikanal is the Kodai lake which is at a distance of 3kms from the bus stand. In 1863, Vera Levinge, a former District Collector of Madurai settled in Kodaikanal after his retirement. He was the man of resource and creative ideas for this lake. By spending his own money he converted the marshy land with several streams of lake by constructing a strong bund and brought boats from Tuticorin. It is reported that the foreign resident's even used to swim in the lake.

The lake is situated at 10 deg 14' n latitude and 77 deg 28' longitude at an elevation of 2285m above sea level and it looks magnificent with star shaped glittering water, in the midst of evergreen lush slopes. The hills receive the rainfall during North-East Monsoon months of October, November and December. The lake is spread over 60 acres and surrounded by fine tarred road of 5 kms length, the maximum depth in 1962 was 11.5m but it is now about 9m due to siltation. The average depth is 3.0m. The boat club provides boats for hire. There are luxury boats als

KODAIKANAL

                                                                  
 kodaikanal
Coordinates: 10.23, 77.48
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Area
• Elevation 21.45 km² (8 sq mi)
• 2,133 m (6,998 ft)
District(s) Dindigul
Population
• Density
• Sex ratio 32,931 (2001)
• 1,535 /km² (3,976 /sq mi)
• M 51% F 49%
Deputy Commissioner Tmt. R.Vasuki, I.A.S.
Codes
• Pincode
• Telephone
• Vehicle
• 624601
• +240 - 242
• TN 57
Website:
www.dindigul.tn.nic.in/aboutdgl.htm
e-mail: collrdgl@tn.nic.in

           Coordinates: 10.23, 77.48
Kodaikanal (also known as Kodai) is a city and a Taluk division of Dindigul district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, India.

Kodaikanal is sometimes referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" and is a popular tourist destination. Much of the local economy is Hospitality industry based on national and international tourism. Kodaikanal was established by American missionaries around 1845, as a refuge from the high temperatures and tropical diseases of the plains.Contents [hide]
1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 Infrastructure
4 Places of Interest
5 Educational Institutions
6 References
7 External links


Geography
Kodaikanal topography

Kodaikanal stands in a 2,195 m (7,202 ft) high basin at the southern edge of the central part of the Palani Hills in the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal is at the top of a steep 2,000 m escarpment which is dramatically visible from Pillar Rocks. It is located between latitude 10°7' N - 10°20' N and longitude 77°16' E - 77°45' E. It has a beautiful lake and numerous scenic mountain views of the plains below. There are several waterfalls in the area, which are popular attractions. To the north east is Perumal Malai (Mount Perumal), a hill which resembles an extinct volcano.
Kodaikanal, the fog in the mountains.

Due to its high altitude, Kodaikanal has a temperate subtropical climate. Surface temperature varies from moderate to quite cool. During the summer average temperature is 11 - 20°C (52 - 68°F) and during the winter it is 8 - 17°C(46 - 63°F). In January, night temperatures sometimes drop to freezing, and thin ice is seen on the lake edges. [1]

The average rainfall is 1650 mm, mostly during the North East retreating monsoon from June to September.[2]. The best times for traveling there are from April to June and from September to October.[3]
                                             

Infrastructure
Kodaikanal farming estates

The nearest airports are Madurai (135 km), Trichy (200km) and Coimbatore (170 km). The nearest Railway stations are Palani Railway Station (64 km) north, Kodai Road Station (80 km) south east and Dindigul Railway Junction (100 km) east. The 2 - 3 hours drive to Kodai by bus or taxi via the Ghat roads is a fantastic experience. Travelers may stop at turnouts on the road and enjoy the scenic beauty of the Palani hills.[5] There is a 28 km shortcut from Periyakulam to Kodaikanal via Kumbakarai under construction. Bicycle rentals, taxis, vans and limited city buses are available. Rickshaws are not available.

There are at least 50 hotels of all classes and over 30 South and North Indian, Vegetarian and Non-vegetarian, Continental, Western and Chinese restaurants, not counting many bazaar shops and tea stalls. There are eight banks: Bank of India, Canara Bank, Central Bank of India, ICICI Bank, Indian Bank, Kodaikanal Urban Bank, State Bank of India and Union Bank of India. The two medical facilities are The Van Allen and Government Hospitals. Places of worship for Hindus, Moslems and Christians include the Kurinji Andavar, Mariamman, Vinayagar and Murugan Temples; Ellis Villa and Munjikal Mosques; and the Sacred Heart, Munjikal, St. Francis Xavier, Gorapur, St. Mary's, La Salette, St. Joseph's, Lutheran Mission and Lake End Churches.

Established social clubs in Kodaikanal are the Kodaikanal Lions Club Established 1985 under the jurisdiction of Lions Clubs International Dt. 324B., Kodaikanal Boat Club Established 1890 has nearly 650 permanent members. Kodaikanal golf Club (1895) has 18 holes, spread over 143 acres and The Indian Club (1915) on Poet Thyagarajar road.[6]

Places of Interest
View from Coaker's Walk near Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is a romantic hill station for the newlyweds to go for a honeymoon. An artificial star shaped 45 ha. (60 acres) lake built in 1863 is located close to the centre of town. Next to the lake is Bryant Park, a botanic garden. Rowing boats and pedalos and riding horses can be hired. A five-kilometer path that skirts this lovely lake is a favourite walk.

The Shenbaganur Museum, founded in 1895, is open for the public to view their outstanding collection of more than 300 exotic orchid species and artifacts of the ancient Paliyans tribes people whose descendants still live in these hills.[7] There are several popular hiking and trekking trails in the Palani Hills that originate in Kodaikanal.[8]
Kodaikanal lake

Kodaikanal is near the center of the proposed 736.87 km² Palani Hills National Park. The Kodaikanal Solar Observatory is at the highest location near Kodai. A former director John Evershed, discovered the phenomenon of radial motion in sunspots, now known as the Evershed effect. The Kodaikanal Terrestrial Telescope can view the complete surroundings of the hills which covers sothupparai dam, Vaigai Dam, periyakulam, Varaha river etc.

Green Valley View (previous name was changed for better appeal to tourists), Pillar Rocks, Silver Falls, Kodai Television tower and the Guna caves (made popular by the Tamil movie Guna) are popular places among the tourists. The Kurinji Andavar temple is famous for its Kurinji flower which blossoms only once every 12 years. The Plums, Berikke, Kodai milagaay, Red carrot are the most common natural edibles available. Cauliflower, cabbage, chillies and onions are cultivated on the outskirts of Kodaikanal.

There is an excellent bazaar where one can buy woollen clothing, flowers, vegetables, fruit, meats, handicrafts, hot snacks, children toys, medicinal herbs and oils. The cosmopolitan nature of Kodai is evident at the market place where it is not uncommon to see Scandinavian backpackers, retired French tourists and people from other parts of India enjoying fresh pastries served by Tibetan refugees.

Silver cascade, a beautiful water-falls situated en-route to Kodaikanal is a also major tourist attraction.It forms the first picturesque spot for tourists to Kodaikanal.Trekking is also organised by the Government agencies, which leads to many beautiful and undisturbed regions of Kodaikanal.






Kodaikanal
Tamil Nadu • India 
Educational Institutions




Kodaikanal is renowned for the Kodaikanal International School and the Kodaikanal Public School[1]. The other renowned schools are: St. Peters Matriculation Higher Secondary School(http://http://petersschoolkodai.com), Zion Matriculation Higher Secondary School Bhavan's Gandhi Vidyashram, Brindavan Public School, St. Joseph's Public School ,St. Xavier's High School and St. John's Girls Higher Secondary School. The two colleges are Kodaikanal Christian College and Sacred Heart College. Mother Theresa University is distinctive as India's only university devoted to exclusively women's issues.[9]

 
References

Kodaikanal Tourism Guide & Photos @ http://www.mytoursandphotos.com
^ DINDIGUL DISTRICT "KODAIKKANAL - A Beautiful Hill Resort", retrieved 4/12/2007"KODAIKKANAL - A Beautiful Hill Resort"
^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kodaikanal
^ Kodaikanal.org, Kodaikanal climateKodaikanal climate
^ India census Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns. (Provisional). Census Commission of India. Retrieved on 2007-09-03.
^ Dindugal District Collectors Office, retrieved 4/12/2007About Dindugal District
^ Kodaikanal General Information, retrieved 4/12/2007Hotels/Restaurants, Banks, Hospitals, Schools, Temple, Recreation
^ NLC Ltd. (2004) "Important places -Kodaikanal" retrieved 4/12/2007"Important places -Kodaikanal"
^ DINDIGUL DISTRICT "DESCRIPTION OF TREKKING ROUTES IN Kodaikkanal", retrieved 4/12/2007"DESCRIPTION OF TREKKING ROUTES IN Kodaikkanal"
^ kodaikanal.com, Mother Theresa Women's University, retrieved Feb 25, 2007Mother Theresa Womens UniversityRecently a new engineering college has been established 22km below kodaikanal town providing a lot of opportunities for the students studying there.Kodaikanal institute of technology under anna university,provides exciting careers for the students under a wonderful environment.

 
External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Kodaikanal

Wildvistas/Nationalparks/Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal.Mobi @ MobileKodaikanal Travel Information
Palani Hills Conservation Council
Princess of Hill stations

KODAIKANAL MAP

MAP