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Short Walks in Kodaikanal

Levinge (Pambar) Stream

Walk Past the Kodai Club and Van Allen Hospital and when abreast of Jaffna House on your left, take the lower road and keep going up, up until you come to “La Providence”, a long wooden building on your left. Take the small path which runs parallel to the wall, and descend to a rack which takes you down to Levinge Stream. You may get a little lost but that is okay; the stream is clearly heard.

If you have the time and strong knees you can star hopping along the boulders downstream towards Pambar Falls. This is a spectacular sight, being the point where there is a sharp drop to the Manjalar reservoir. Another route to the stream and falls is past St. Peter’s Church and then down a steep path which passes and back entrance of “pambar House”. From here you can boulder-hop downstream to the falls; remember that it takes longer to get back!

Dolphin’s Nose

This hike takes one to some beautiful scenery; panoramic views of the plains, steep rocky escarpments, and what they call “rolling hills”. Get to Levinge Stream (above), and cross it. Getting to a Jeepable track, turn left. A twenty minute walk will bring you to a diversion. There is a stone sign-post which will point you in the right direction: left and down. Another fifteen minutes and you will see the board jutting stone cetacean snout. Adjoining it is a nice flat plateau. If you remembered to bring a flask of hot coffee, it will taste mighty nice up here. The rugged bridle path that you see below you comes up from Vellagavi, the first settlement and Lt. Ward’s headquarters during his survey in 1821. Farmers with 20 or 30 kg baskets of fruit regularly in 1821. Farmers with 20 or 30 kg baskets of fruit regularly trek up to Kodai, a feat which makes our little hikes seem rather feeble!

Pillar Rocks and Devil’s Kitchen

These gigantic, over 100 metre high sheer granite chimneys are a geological phenomenon, Millennia ago these solid columns were separated from the
Main hills and there they stand, in their lonely splendor. In the process of separation, a vast network of caverns where aspiring explorers have lost their lives. Tread carefully or better still go with a local guide. The chamber between the tow pillars is called Devil’s Kitchen.

Star off as for Dolphin’s Nose but don’t turn in at “La Providence”. Take the lower road to the left, at the Swedish School junction; this leads to Pillar Rocks, passing pear and plum orchards and the Golf Course. During the season, try to go before 9’0 clock, because this ha become one of those standard vantage points which everyone eventually reaches. Shops have sprung up, and you may well hear transistor radios instead of the whistling thrush, But the white mist rising below the rocks makes up for all this.

Bear Shola

There were one bears here; now, the name may as well be changed to Bear Shola as most of the forest has been cut down. However it remains a very pretty spot within two kilometers of the lake. Cross the lake bund or bridge, pass the Telephone Excange on your right, and at the junction take the lower road past clfton Hotel. Keep bearing left and ten minutes later you will come to the end of the road and a small track goes off to the right, over a little bridge.

Coaker’s walk

Hardly a hike; you will be there before you start. But this mountain boulevard which runs parallel to the Van Allen Hospital Road is worth a visit in the early mornig before the mist moves in. Constructed by Lt. Coaker in 1872, it offers a breathtaking wide-angle panorama of the plains; even Madurai can be spotted on a clear day. If you are not fond of crowds, avoid it on a weekend or holiday. If lucky enough to get there at a mist-less moment, try and identify some of the sailent features. Right below you is the Sacred heart College in Shenbaganur, alma mater for many Jesuit priests. To the south is Dolphin’s Nose, and to the south-east one looks down the valley of the Pambar River to the old Tope Bungalow, where the early traveler rested before climbing up to Kodai. Adjoining it is the former village of Periakulam, now a thriving town. At night, the pulsing shimmering lights of the plains make a truly unforgettable sight.

There is an interesting physical phenomenon associated with Coaker’s called the Brachen Spectre, At certain times when the afternoon sun is behind you and cloud and mist in front, your shadow appears projected on the cloud with a rainbow halo encircling it. Try your luck.

Priest’s Walk

This path connecting the tow seminaries, Sacred Heart College in Shenbaganur and “La Providence” on Upper Shola Road, is still pretty in spite of the developments of recent years. Some people find this hike scary because one is so close to the steep drop-off at some points, If you are the sort of hiker who likes to go down but not up, start off at “La Providence” and take the up from Shenbaganur when you finish.

Follow the route for the Levinge Stream hike but instead of going down to the Stream, Continue skirting the hill where St. Mary’s is situated.