Kodaikanal

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Kodaikanal v • d • e Tamil Nadu • India
Kodaikanal
District(s)	Dindigul
Coordinates	10.23° N 77.48° E
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	• 2,133 m (6,998 ft)
Population	32,931 (2001)

Coordinates: 10.23° N 77.48° E

Kodaikanal (also known as Kodai) is a city and a municipality in Dindigul district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Kodaikanal is a hill station on the southern tip of the upper Palani Hills. Kodai is also a tourist attraction, and many of the locals make their living through tourist services. Kodaikanal is sometimes referred to as "Princess of Hill stations."

[edit] Demographics

As of 2001 India census^GRIndia, Kodaikanal had a population of 32,931 on 21.45 km². Males constitute 51% of the population and females 49%. Kodaikanal has an average literacy rate of 78%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 82%, and female literacy is 73%. In Kodaikanal, 11% of the population is under 6 years of age. The languages spoken in Kodai are Tamil and English.

Kodaikanal was established by American missionaries around 1845, a refuge from inhospitable climes and the dreaded malaria. Besides being an escape from the heat.

[edit] Geography

Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal is located at a latitude of 10°7' N to 10°20' N and a longitude of 77°16' E to 77°45' E. and is situated at an altitude of about 2,133 metres (6,998 feet) above sea level. It is also a popular tourist destination, with an artificial lake and numerous scenic mountain view points including Coaker's Walk, which has magnificent views down to the plains. Next to the lake is Bryant Park, a botanic garden. To the South is Perumal Malai (Mount Perumal), a hill which resembles an extinct volcano.

[edit] Climate

Temperature varies from moderate to quite cool - during the summer it is between 20 and 11°C and during the winter it is between 17 and 8°C. The average rainfall is 1650 mm^[1]. The best times for traveling there are from April to June and from September to October.

[edit] Infrastructure

An artificial star shaped lake is located close to the centre of town. Rowing boats and pedalos can be hired.

The nearest airports are Madurai, Trichy and Coimbatore. The nearest Railway station is at Kodai Road, about 2 hours by bus via a Ghat road.

There are several temples, mosques and churches in the town. There are numerous hotels of all grades, various restaurants, six banks and three hospitals. Close to Kodai is the Physical Observatory. Its director John Evershed discovered the phenomenon of radial motion in sunspots, now known as the Evershed effect.

Kodaikanal is also renowned for the Kodaikanal International School. There are five further schools (two of them teaching in Tamil), two colleges and the Mother Theresa University.

Kodaikanal in near the center of the proposed 736.87 km² Palani Hills National Park.

There is an excellent bazaar where one can buy woollen material, flowers, vegetables, handmade articles, 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.

Best way to get there from the North is to arrive at Kodai Road by rail.Tuticorin express arrives at around 7.00am in the morning.Buses and taxis take you to Kodai in a little over 2 hours.Alternatively one can arrive from Coimbatore or Palakkad via Palani which gives you a fantastic experience. Stop at various spots on the road and click away the scenic beauty of the Palani hills.

[edit] External links

• Kodaikanal Videos
• Kodaikanal breathing hills
• Palni Hills Conservation Council
• Kodaikanal Photo Gallery
• Kodaikanal-The Pristine Beauty

[edit] References

1. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Kodaikanal

Palani Hills seen from the road leading to Kodaikanal

Kodaikanal Lake

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