Kodaikanal is situated in the Hills of Dindigul district,
Tamil Nadu. Kodaikanal is a popular tourist destination in Tamil Nadu and
Kodaikanal also recognized as “Princess
of Hill station “. It was established in the year 1845 as a protection from
greater temperature. As per 2011 census, Population of Kodaikanal was 36,500.
Altitude:
2,133 meter
Average
Summer Temperature: 19.8 Degree Celsius
Average
Winter Temperature: 8 Degree Celsius
District:
Dindigul, Tamil Nadu
The best thing about Kodaikanal is it can be visited
throughout the year, but the best time would be October and March. Connectivity
with Kodaikanal in terms of Roadways, Railways, and Airways is outstanding.
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| Kodaikanal View |
Airways:
Nearest
Airport: Madurai international Airport
Madurai Airport is around 120kms distance from
Kodaikanal.
Consistent flights are accessible from here for cities
like Chennai, Bangalore, and Mumbai, etc.
Travelers can easily access Bus or Taxi services to
Kodaikanal.
Roadways:
Nearest
City: Madurai
Kodaikanal is connected with major cities by Road such
are Bangalore (460km), Chennai (530km), Ooty (255km), Trichy (198km),
Coimbatore (175km) and Kumili (160km)
Madurai is 120km and it will take 4 hours to reach
Kodaikanal by Road.
Government Buses and Private Buses are available from
Madurai.
Buses are also available from Palani, Kodai Road and
Dindigul.
Railways:
Nearest
City: Madurai
The nearest Railway station is Palani Station which is
60km, located at North and Kodaikanal Road Station which is 80km, located at
South East
Nearest Railway Junction is Dindigul which is 100km,
located at East and Madurai Junction which is 120km, located at East.
Kodaikanal exhibits numerous places to visit such are
Kodaikanal Lake, Coaker's Walk, Pillar Rocks, Guna Caves, Dolphin Nose, Berijam
Lake, etc.
Kodaikanal
Lake
It is also identified as Kodai Lake. Kodai Lake is not
a Natural lake, its manmade lake. Kodaikanal Lake was created by Sir Vere Henry
Levinge, Collector of Madurai in 1863. The lake is located in Centre of the
town surrounded by hill range. The total surface area of the lake is around 59
Hectares. Boating is one of the major tourist attraction in Kodai Lake.
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| Kodaikanal Lake |
Kodaikanal Boat & Rowing Club was started in the
year 1940, which offers traveler to adore with various kind of boating. They have Pedal Boats, Row Boats, and
Kashmiri Shikara Boat. Kashmiri boats are well-known as Honey Moon couple
boats.
Entry Price Tickets:
Pedal Boat:
70rs for 2 people (Half an Hour)
140rs for 4 people (Half an Hour)
Row Boat:
245rs for 6 people
Shikara Boat:
415rs for half an hour
Berijam
Lake
Berijam Lake is obviously a reservoir which means the artificial lake and is situated at Fort Hamilton.
Berijam Lake is located at the completion of Pillar
Rock road, 21km from Kodai Lake. Berijam is one of the most standard spots among
travelers in Kodaikanal. Boating is prohibited because the lake is the
foundation of water for villages around Kodaikanal.
The Berijam Lake area has limited entry between 9:30 am
to 3 pm for the public. Travelers have to take permission from Tamil Nadu
Forest Department office prior to visiting Berijam Lake. A limited number of
passes are given to visit Berijam Lake each day.
Boating is banned inside the lake to prevent water from
contamination.
If you are a fishing enthusiast, then you have to get permission
for Fishing separate from Fisheries Department.
Berijam Forest rest house is used to provide
accommodations to Forest officers, Researchers, etc...
Berijam Lake is an impeccable vacation to spend time
with your family and friends.
Pillar
Rocks
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| Pillar Rocks |
The place is termed after three gigantic Rock pillars
to be found at the height of 400m, which is managed by Tamil Nadu Forest
Department. You can find Devils Kitchen
from a distance, which is situated between the two pillars. It is one of the
popular place visited by travelers throughout the year. The small garden is
available around the spot which makes kids enjoy more. Pillar Rocks is located
at 8km from Kodaikanal Bus stand. Entry ticket is free for this spot.
Coaker’s
Walk
It is recognized to be one of the celebrated walks
presented by Kodai Hills. If you love to walk in peace, with nature delight,
then you must visit this place on the trip. It is around 1km path constructed
on the mountains of the southern side.
Coaker’s walk was constructed by Lieutenant Coaker in the year 1872, so
it named after him.
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| View from Coaker's Walk |
The walk starts from Van Allen Hospital and ends at the
main road near St. Peter Church.
Telescope House is available inside Coaker's walk. It offers traveler to
sight the valley and other neighboring towns. Ticket price for Telescope House
is 20rs.
Entry tickets price for Coaker’s walk is 10rs. Still
Camera ticket price is 30rs.
Guna
Caves
The film Guna by Kamal Hasan made Guna caves more
popular. Guna caves were previously called as Devils Kitchen. As per Hindu
mythos, these caves are used by Pandavas to prepare the meal so the word
Kitchen came. No proper story behind Devil word, some traveler’s shares news as
the word Devil comes from the bats which belong to the cave.
It is located at the distance of 9km from Kodaikanal
and 2km from Pillar Rocks. It is situated on the top of two Pillar rocks. Travelers can view the cave from a distance
as the surrounding is fenced due to security reason.
Entry ticket price for Guna Caves is 5rs. Still Camera
ticket price is 10rs.
Bryant’s
Park
Bryant’s Park is located at the distance of 600m from
Kodaikanal. It is well preserved with 20.5 Hectares of Botanical Garden.
Bryant’s Park was planned and constructed in the year
1908 by a Forest Officer from Madurai, H.D. Bryant, so the Park was named after
Bryant. The Park has 325 species of trees, flowering shrub, and cactus. The
Park organizes summer festival every year in the month of May to overlap with
the peak season.
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| Bryant's Park, Kodaikanal |
Bryant’s Park has a beautiful Glasshouse, Children Play
area and a small lake to attract travelers. It is one of the neatly maintained
Park which results in huge travelers gathers in the evening.
Entry ticket price for Bryant’s Park is 30rs for adult,
15rs for Children. Still Camera ticket price is 50rs and Video Camera ticket
price is 100rs.
Dolphin’s
Nose
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| Dolphin's Nose, Kodaikanal |
Dolphin’s Nose is located at a distance of 8km from
Kodaikanal. It is situated at an altitude of 6600ft. It termed after the rock
hanging from the cliff which in shape of a Dolphin nose. It will be the
memorable tourist spot for Trekkers because Travelers need to trek downwards
around 2km, total time taken to reach the spot is nearly 2hr. While trekking
you will get to spot Periyakulam Town, Vaigai Lake, and view of the valleys.
Make sure you are carrying required things before trekking. No Entry ticket for
this spot.
