Kodaikanal Solar Observatory-a

Kodaikanal () (English: ) is a municipality and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of in the Palani hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a refuge from the high temperatures and tropical diseases during the summer in the plains. It is a popular tourist destination and is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" with much of the local economy is based on the hospitality industry serving tourism. As per the 2011 census, the city had a population of 36,501.

Etymology

The word ''Kodaikanal'' is an amalgamation of two Tamil language words: ''kodai'' meaning "gift" and ''kanal'' meaning "forest" translating to "gift of the forest".

History

The earliest references to Kodaikanal and the Palani hills are found in Tamil Sangam literature. Tamil composition Kuṟuntokai, the second book of the anthology Ettuthokai, mentions the mountainous geographic region ( ''thinai'') of ''Kurinji''. The region is associated with Hindu god Murugan and is described as a forest with lakes, waterfalls and trees like teak, bamboo and sandalwood. The name of the region, ''Kurinji'', derives from the name of the famous flower Kurinji found only in the hills and the occupants of the region were tribal people whose prime occupations were hunting, honey harvesting and millet cultivation. The hills were populated by the Palaiyar tribal people.

In 1821, a British Lieutenant, B. S. Ward, climbed up from his headquarters in the Kunnavan village to Kodaikanal to survey the area and reported of beautiful hills with a healthy climate with about 4,000 people living in well-structured villages. In 1834, J.C Wroughten, then revenue collector of Madura and C. R. Cotton, a member of the Madras Presidency's board of revenue, climbed up the hills from Devadanapatti. In 1836, botanist Robert Wight visited Kodaikanal and recorded his observations in the 1837 ''Madras Journal of Literature and Science''. In 1852, Major J. M. Partridge of the Bombay Army built a house and was the person to settle there. In 1853, only six to seven houses were there when then Governor of Madras Presidency Charles Trevelyan visited in 1860. In 1862, American missionary David Coit Scudder arrived. In 1863, acting on a suggestion of Vere Levinge, then collector of Madurai, an artificial lake was formed.

In 1867, Major J. M. Partridge imported Australian eucalyptus and wattle trees and in 1872, Lt. Coaker cut a path along the steep south east facing ridge which overlooks the plains below and prepared a descriptive map the region. In the later half of the 19th century, it became a regular summer retreat for American missionaries and other European diplomats as a refuge from the high temperatures and tropical diseases of the plains. In 1901, the first observations commenced at the Kodaikanal Observatory. In 1909, the area had developed into a small town with 151 houses and a functioning post office, churches, clubs, schools and shops. In 1914, the ghat road was completed. It continued to serve as a summer retreat during the British Raj and became a popular hill station later.

Geography

The town sits on a plateau above the southern escarpment of the upper Palani Hills at , between the Parappar and Gundar valleys. These hills form the eastward spur of the Western Ghats on the western side of South India. It has an irregular basin as its heartland, the center of which is now Kodaikanal Lake. The lake is a man-made lake of circumference , formed by blocking three water streams in 1863.

North of the town, high hills slope down into the villages and on the east, the hill slopes less abruptly into the lower Palani. A precipitous escarpment facing the Cumbum valley is on the south with a plateau leading to Manjampatti Valley in the Anamalai Hills in the west. There are many streams and waterfalls.

Flora and Fauna

In 1836, botanist Robert Wight visited Kodaikanal and recorded over 100 plant specimens. In 1861, Douglas Hamilton recorded 114 species of birds in Kodaikanal. In 1867, W T Blanford described a new species ''Callene albiventris'' of White-bellied blue robin, obtained by Samuel Fairbank from the Palani Hills. The native vegetation consisted of Meadows and grasslands on the hillsides with shola forests in the valleys. When the British established the town, big invasive species of pine, wattle and eucalyptus were planted and they became the dominant species replacing the native shola forests. There are numerous pear trees with flowering rhododendron and magnolia trees. Kurinji flower that blooms only once in 12 years is unique to the town.

Nilgiri Tahrs were reported in the open grasslands in the region in the 19th century. Other major fauna include Indian elephant, Indian gaur and Flying squirrel. There are many species of butterflies also found in the region. After multiple proposals over the years, the Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary was notified by the Government of Tamil Nadu in 2013 and covers over . The lake has various introduced fishes.

Climate

Kodaikanal has a monsoon-influenced subtropical highland climate (''Cfb'', according to the Köppen climate classification, with a ''Cwb'' tendency). The temperatures remain cool throughout the year due to the high elevation.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Kodaikanal had a population of 36,501 with a sex-ratio of 1,004 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 3,893 were under the age of six, constituting 1,945 males and 1,948 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 19.86% and .28% of the population respectively. The average literacy of the city was 79.78%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The town had a total of 9,442 households. There were a total of 14,103 workers, comprising 163 cultivators, 744 main agricultural labourers, 130 in household industries, 12,118 other workers, 948 marginal workers, 10 marginal cultivators, 51 marginal agricultural labourers, 34 marginal workers in household industries and 853 other marginal workers. As per the religious census of 2011, Kodaikanal had 48.8% Hindus, 12% Muslims, 38.7% Christians, 0.5% following other religions or did not indicate any religious preference.

Economy

The economy of Kodaikanal predominantly depends on tourism with about 3.2 million tourists visiting in 2009. Changes are made every year in the summer in preparation for the peak tourist season with major roads converted into one-way lanes to regulate the constant inflow of traffic and special police are brought in for the safety of the tourists and protection of local businesses. Plums, pears, peppers, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, garlic and onions are cultivated by terrace farmers in surrounding villages and are trucked to the market.

Administration

Kodaikanal is administered by the Kodaikanal municipality, established in 1899. It became a Grade Two municipality in 1960, upgraded to first grade in the year 1975 and Selection Grade in 1983. It is a Special Grade Municipality with effect from 31 May 1994. The Municipal Council has 24 wards. There is a government run hospital and a few private centers, which are not equipped for complicated diagnoses and surgery.

Transportation

Early travelers traveled by bullock cart and then the last journey to Kodaikanal was undertaken by foot, horse, or palanquins with hired coolies. In 1854, an improved bridle path was built and was extended up to Kodaikanal in 1878. Engineer Major G. C. Law was deputed to study and submit a plan to build a motor-able road to the hills and the road was finally completed in 1914 and opened for public traffic in 1916. The road is currently designated as SH-156 with a length of and starts at the intersection with Grand Southern Trunk Road (NH-45), about west of Batlagundu. Also, during World War II, the Kodaikanal–Munnar Road, an evacuation road from Kodaikanal along the hillcrest to Top Station and Munnar was built, which was abandoned in 1990. The two main road routes to reach Kodaikanal are via Palani and Batlagundu. Bus services are operated by the state owned Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC).

In 1875, the Indian Railways extended its line from Chennai to Tirunelveli and a train station named Kodaikanal Road to facilitate visits to Kodaikanal. The nearest railway stations are Palani () and Kodaikanal Road (). The nearest major rail-head is Madurai Junction () in the east. The Kodaikanal-Gudalur Railway line was under the contemplation from 1889 with the first survey in 1897 and several surveys till 1920. In 1922, the district board of Madurai initiated the Government to cancel the sanction of the railway line. The nearest airports are Madurai International Airport () and Coimbatore International Airport () with regular flights from/to major domestic destinations and international destinations like Sharjah, Colombo and Singapore.

Education

Kodaikanal comes under the Batlagundu educational district. The town has a government school and many private schools. There are a few colleges, major of which is the Kodaikanal Christian College and Mother Teresa Women's University.

Tourism and recreation

Kodaikanal has several clubs and civil society

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