Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal sits at about 2,200 metres in the Palani hills and was established in 1845 by American missionaries seeking relief from the plains heat, which distinguishes it from the British hill stations elsewhere. A star-shaped artificial lake made in the 1860s is the centre, cycled and boated around. Coaker's Walk runs along a cliff edge, Pillar Rocks are three vertical formations of about a hundred and twenty metres, and Bryant Park holds a garden of some three hundred years of introduced species. Pockets of shola forest survive on the slopes, and the neelakurinji blooms here on its twelve-year cycle.

History

The name joins the Tamil kodai, "gift", and kanal, "forest", and the Palani hills appear in Tamil Sangam literature. In 1821 Lieutenant B. S. Ward climbed up to survey the area and found about 4,000 people living in well-built villages; the hill station was established in 1845 as a refuge from the heat of the plains, in 1867 Major J. M. Partridge brought in Australian eucalyptus and wattle, and in 1872 Lieutenant Coaker cut the path along the ridge now called Coaker's Walk (Wikipedia, Kodaikanal).

What you'll find

• The lake - a star-shaped artificial water with boats and a cycle path.
• Pillar Rocks - three vertical rock faces about a hundred and twenty metres high.
• Coaker's Walk - a cliff-edge path with plains views on clear days.
• The shola pockets - surviving stunted evergreen forest in the folds.

When to go

October to June; April to June is the busy season and the town fills. The monsoon brings dense fog that closes viewpoints for days. Winter nights are cold.

Practical notes

Fog closes Pillar Rocks and Coaker's Walk frequently, sometimes for days. Peak-season traffic and parking are severe. The lake has water quality problems and boating is basic.

Nearby

Madurai lies southeast; Palani is north.

Key facts