Kodaikanal, one of the most scintillating and attractive hill stations in India. The beauty of this place is known to every person. Every person’s wish would be to visit this beautiful place once in their lifetime.
Kodaikanal is a city situated in the state of Tamil Nadu in the hills of Dindigul district near to Palani. It is one of the famous tourist spots and attracts people with its beauty. The climate is monsoon based and it is cool throughout the year. The climates vary from (8-20) degrees centigrade depending upon the seasons. It is situated 2,133 meters above the sea level.
Kodaikanal is a combination of two words, Kodai and Kanal and has many meanings according to the Tamil language. It can also be named as “Gift of Forest” and can be referred as “Princess of Hill Stations”.
Kodaikanal can also be named as “Place for Couples”. It is the best honeymoon spot for newly married couples.
I personally can give a tagline as “Get closer to Nature and Get closer to your Loved ones”. You will feel the essence of this tagline once you have a visit to this amazing place.
Having known the essence of Kodaikanal, my article will let you know about the beautiful places in Kodaikanal which make it a special and unique tourist place.
When you visit Kodaikanal do not forget to visit these places. Let me put them in the order of preference to visit them and the best time to visit these places.
Top places to visit in Kodaikanal
Kodaikanal Lake
Coakers Walk
Pine Forests
Silent Valley View Point
Pillar Rocks
Bryant Park
Guna Cave
Kurinji Andavar temple
La Saleth Church
Vattakanal Falls
Kodaikanal Lake
It is the center of attraction to Kodaikanal. It is of 60 acres in a roughly star shape and a 5 kilometers path. Horses and cycles are available to go around this lake. Rowboats are also available so that you can row in the water. There will be a time limit ranging from half an hour to 2-3 hours and a certain amount has to be paid to use them. The amount varies depending upon the demand for those boats.
Eatables and several petty shops are around this lake for food and entertainment.
Coakers Walk
It was constructed by Lt. Coaker in 1872. It is a 1 kilometer path through which you can clearly see one part of Kodaikanal. It is 500 meters away from Kodaikanal bus stand.
It is artificially constructed just for the visitors and there lies Dolphin’s nose to the south and river Pambar to the south-east of Coaker’s walk.
Shopping around this region is very famous for gifts and essentials.
You will take at least an hour to walk all over the place and there is a telescope over there from which you can see the whole Kodaikanal view.
Pine Forest
It is one of the famous spots which is located in the southwest of Kodaikanal. It is not a place with beautiful scenery but a good place to walk with your loved ones. Horse riding is available and is too costly.
The most important thing to do in the pine forest is to click pictures. You can get beautiful pictures of yours at pine forest.
Silent Valley View Point
It is close to Pillar rock garden. The scenic view from here is very astonishing and one has to be very careful while getting down from this valley.
Mornings will be the best time to visit this viewpoint.
Pillar Rock
It is ranked among the top 3 places to visit in Kodaikanal. It consists of three vertically positioned huge rocks which are the beauty of this place. They are the miracle to Kodaikanal.
Bird’s view is the added feature of this place. There is a chamber between the two rocks and it is called as “Devil’s Kitchen”.
The best time to visit this spot is during January-July.
Bryant Park
It is the most beautiful place in Kodaikanal which is located on the eastern side of Kodaikanal lake. This place is very astonishing to see with a wide variety of flowers.
Different types of roses, grafts, and hybrids grow in this park. Kids can play in this park and can be a picnic spot for the local people.
There are an entry fee and time limit to visit Bryant Park.
Guna Cave
It is named after a Tamil movie “Gunaa” and is very close to Pillar Rocks. Entry into this cave is restricted due to death of some people.
People are allowed to see this came from a distance and are not allowed inside this cave.
Kurinji Andavar Temple
This temple is 5 kilometers away from Kodaikanal bus stand and is dedicated to Lord Muruga. This place is famous because a very special flower called Kurinji grows here for 12 years. The flower is purple in color.
La Saleth Chruch
It is near to Coakers walk with around 500 meters distance and have a beautiful scenery around the church. There is a Unilever factory on the way to church from Coaker’s walk.
Though the church is small, it is believed to be the sacred place in Kodaikanal.
Vattakanal Falls
These falls are at a distance of 3 kilometers from the Kodaikanal and have very beautiful scenery. It is surrounded by hills and trees. There is a bridge near to these falls and very beautiful to click pictures.
You can get local food in this area and have a pleasant atmosphere. These waterfalls fill your hearts with great pleasure and is an eye feast to watch these waterfalls.
These are the top most places ought to be visited in Kodaikanal.
Final Word
I hope this article took you to Kodaikanal and feel the essence of the beauty of this place.
Let me know it by dropping a comment and do like it and share it with your friends and family.
Have a great day !!!!