Being
always on the lookout for a chance to travel, I was quite thrilled to receive
an invitation to a wedding at Coimbatore, a major city in the south Indian
state of Tamil Nadu. What made this little vacation extra special was that it
was in January, the very beginning of the New Year. I do believe it portends a
lot more travel in the year ahead.
We
arrived at Coimbatore airport late Tuesday evening and, boarding the vehicle
that had been sent to collect us, proceeded directly to the venue – Sri SNV Kalyana
Mandapam. Although we weren’t appropriately dressed for a wedding, we first
proceeded to meet & greet our host, the groom and then headed to the dining
hall for dinner. This I truly enjoyed. The dining hall had three long rows of
tables and chairs. The tables were covered with a sheet of paper on which were
placed banana leaves. We spotted a few seats vacant at a table and no sooner
had we seated ourselves than our ‘leafy’ plates were swiftly laden with a
variety of delicious treats – vegetable sambar (a spicy curry of vegetables and
lentils), dosas, yummy chutneys and so much more. Having had our fill, we
thanked the groom and crossed the street to Laxmi Guest House. We were allotted
a room on the second floor. The place was clean, comfortable and set in a
fairly quiet neighborhood. Needless to say, we had a good night’s rest.
Day 1. The Wedding.
By
6am the next morning we were back in the wedding hall, sipping on hot filter
coffee as we watched the proceedings. This time, unlike the day before, we were
more appropriately dressed in traditional Indian attire.
Now,
Tamil weddings are quite packed with rituals and ceremonies that are both
sacred and beautiful. One such ceremony (my favorite) is the Kashi Yatra. Here the groom pretends
that he does not wish to marry and is leaving for a pilgrimage to the holy land
of Kashi. He is even given a few bare essentials for his journey – a walking
stick, an umbrella etc. As he begins his ‘journey’, he bride’s father pleads
with him to give up his quest for an ascetic life and marry his daughter. After
a little persuasion, the groom agrees and is then led to the Mandap.
Once
the main ceremonies had been completed, we made our way, once again, towards
the dining hall to feast on a breakfast of steaming hot idlis (steamed rice
dumplings) and coconut chutney. While we’re speaking of food, let me take the
opportunity to describe some of what was going on around me. All meals served
at a Tamil wedding are pure vegetarian and prepared fresh, in an area reserved
for cooking at the back of the hall. The dining hall itself is abuzz with
activity. A great number of employees were walking around serving food, laying
the tables and clearing up after guests had finished eating. They kept hovering
around the tables ladling more and more food onto our plates. To indicate that
you’re done with your meal all you need to do is fold the banana leaf plate in
half towards you. This also conveys the message that you enjoyed your meal.
Post
breakfast, we decided to skip the next round of ceremonies and, instead, walked
towards Cross Cut Road to see what goodies we could buy for our friends back
home in Mumbai. What was finally purchased was a bagful of filter coffee,
packets of banana chips and Mysore Pak from
Sri Krishna Sweets.
For
lunch we made our way to the Dindigul
Thallapakatti Restaurant famous for its mouthwatering & flavorful
biriyanis. We were not disappointed and enjoyed a great meal of mutton biryani,
fried prawns and a salad of yogurt and onion. Absolutely delicious!
Later
that evening, we attended the wedding reception and then retired to our rooms
for much needed rest.
Day 2. Winding Roads.
Early
next morning, we began the four hour drive to Kodaikanal, also known as the ‘Princess of all
hill stations’. Somewhere along the
way we stopped at the Adiyar Ananda
Bhavan for a delicious breakfast of…..you guessed it, fresh, steamed idlis
and chutney! I also had a gigantic ghee-roast
dosa that was crisp and delicious.
The
rest of the drive was uneventful. We drove by fields, towns, rivers and even an
endless line of gigantic windmills. Soon we began our way up the winding hills
towards Kodai. Maybe I was just exhausted from the long drive, but to me it seemed
like there were way too many hairpin turns. Now, my husband was driving – and
he loves the mountains. I love the mountains too, but getting to the top is a
scary experience for me. I’m terrified of heights and looking out at the plains
far below is not something I can easily do. What little I did dare to see was
beautiful. Everything was green for as far as the eyes could see and fluffy
clouds hung low over the hilltops.
After
driving along the winding road for quite a while I caught my first glimpse of
Kodaikanal. The many pastel coloured houses clustered on the hilltop reminded me
of Shimla.
We
drove on to Hotel Kodai International, situated on Laws Ghat Road. My husband
remembers having stayed here when he last visited Kodai as a young boy, hence
the decision to stay here. The hotel offers decent accommodation in rooms in
the main building or in any of the villas dotting the well-sculpted lawns.
There are little picnic tables placed in the shade of the fir trees, a
children’s play area, a tennis/throw ball court as well as a gym and a Centre
that offers ayurvedic massages. There is also an aviary, some emus, rabbits and
geese.
Our
room faced the gardens and, save for the soft music floating in from the lobby
below, it was peacefully quiet.
Lunch
was at the in-house restaurant after which we drove to Pillar Rock Viewpoint. This
is a popular tourist attraction – a set of three giant rock pillars standing
400ft tall. One can get a great view of these pillar rocks from the little
garden located at the viewpoint. Purchasing a ticket for Rs.50 (inclusive of
camera charges) we made our way to the little garden. The place was not very
crowded and although the garden itself is not much to speak of, the view from
here was simply lovely. The pillar rocks seemed rather ordinary to me, but what
held me captivated more were the rows of hills looming above the clouds and
fading off into the distance. It was almost like seeing a watercolor painting
come to life.
Outside
the park, the street is lined with a few stalls selling piping hot tea/coffee,
snacks and souvenirs. I purchased a couple of thread earrings before we drove
on to another popular site – Coaker’s
Walk.
Constructed
by Lt. Coaker in 1872, Coaker’s Walk is a 1km paved pathway running along the
edge of the southern slopes of Kodaikanal, providing a panoramic view of the
plains far below. Being a cloudy day, we didn’t see much of the plains, but the
walk itself was a pleasant experience. There are a few traders selling their
wares along the way, but they do not make a nuisance of themselves. In fact, as
there were hardly any tourists along the walkway that day, a couple of traders
had gathered to one side, enjoying some hot tea and a game of carom.
Just
at the end of Coaker’s Walk is Bryant
Park. Planned and built in 1908 by H.D Bryant, a forest officer from
Madurai, this park is known to be a well-maintained botanical garden that hosts
horticultural exhibits and flower shows every summer. Sadly, we found the park
to be in quite a sorry state of disarray. On inquiry, we learnt that there was
much damage caused by the Cyclone Gaja that had recently affected many place in
South-West India.
In
fact, proof of Gaja’s destruction was visible all over Kodai as, at many
places, huge, gigantic trees were lying twisted and uprooted.
The
next morning, having enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we headed
towards La Salette Church, one of
the oldest churches in Kodaikanal. This rather small church painted in white
and brilliant blue is a beautiful example of Tamil-French architecture.
Photography inside the church is not permitted.
We
made our way next to the Pine Forest, but stopped a while at Moer Point. Today, being a Saturday,
busloads of tourists from neighboring places were streaming into Kodaikanal. If
it wasn’t for the crowds and the heavy cloud cover, Moer Point would be an excellent
place where one can spend awhile enjoying the view of the surrounding hills and
the plains below.
The
highlight of our trip and the most memorable experience was our visit to the Pine Forest. I have no words to
describe the beauty and magic of this forest. The place was almost teeming with
tourists, some of them finding great amusement in yelling and screeching loudly
for no reason at all. It is highly annoying the way some people cannot simply
appreciate the silence and quiet beauty of a place. All I wanted to do was walk
among the tall pines, place my hand on the bark and smell the fragrance of pine
that hung heavy in the air. And yes, I collected a few pine cones to take back
home.
What
added to the beauty and ethereal quality of the pine forest was the dense cloud
cover that blocked everything from view. One moment we could see the tall trees
reaching up to the Heavens, the next moment they were gone. What an awesome
experience that was!
Driving
back into town, we stopped for lunch at Cloud
Street (https://cloudstreet.business.site/). Located just across the street from
the Tourism Office, this charming restaurant is the perfect place to spend time
with family and friends. For those who are travelling solo, grab a seat beside
the fireplace and enjoy the sight of clouds floating by the window.
The
ambience is warm, welcoming, casual and super cozy. There are lovely pieces of
art on the walls and a bookshelf to one side. The place has a distinctly North-East
Indian feel to it and we loved it!
The
menu is varied and the food is excellent. On conversing with the proprietor, we
gathered that Cloud Street is even more charming in the evening when the lamps
are lit and the place is filled with diners seeking good food and great music. Definitely
a place you must dine at when in Kodai.
Post
lunch, we drove to the Kodai Solar
Observatory which is located at the highest point in Kodaikanal. Visitors
are not allowed inside the observatory, but there is a little museum on the
grounds that one can visit for free. Walk to the top for excellent, panoramic
views of Kodai and the surrounding hills. Cameras and cell-phones are not
permitted in the complex.
We
had planned to go boating on Kodai Lake, but were put off by the sight of the long,
serpentine queue of tourists at the Boat House. Driving straight back to our hotel,
we rested a-while and spend some time in the gardens.
For
dinner, we visited Muncheez, a
restaurant a few meters beside Cloud Street. More eclectic in its décor,
Muncheez served up some great cheesy beef fries and smoothies. Try the
banana-papaya smoothie – it’s thick, creamy and exotic in flavor. Really
delicious!
With
that, we came to the end of our little vacation. The next morning we had to
drive back to Coimbatore and then head back home to Mumbai. As we drove back
downhill, we passed an endless line of vehicles making their way towards Kodai.
We were glad to have missed the maddening crowds and the traffic.
God
had been kind to us for allowing us to enjoy two blissful days in the Princess
of Hill Stations that is Kodaikanal.
Pics
by Misha.
