Kodaikanal–Munnar Road

[1][2][3] In 1864 Douglas Hamilton submitted a report stating that the Berijam Swamp area was the best site in the Palani Hills for a military cantonment or sanatorium.

[5] In 1900 the Kundale Road and Tramway between Munnar and Top Station was completed by the Kanan Devan Hills Produce Company.

In 1925, a second ghat road was started from Berijam Lake to Top Station, connecting with Munner, Kerala and eventually Cochin, a total distance of 257 kilometers (160 mi).

Many rich families from Madras moved permanently to the hill stations in fear,[9] while poor people were evacuated to both nearby and far-flung villages that lay along the railways.

[10] In 1942[7] in preparation for a possible Japanese invasion of India, the British began improvements to the road to facilitate its use as an evacuation route from Berijam Lake (Fort Hamilton) near Kodaikanal along the southern crest of the Palani Hills to Top Station.

Encounters with wild animals including bison, elephants, Leeches and leopards sometimes occur on the trail.

[1] At km 21 at 2,180 meters (7,150 ft) elevation, Berijam has a Forest Department Camp including an Eco-Education Center for visitors.

[11] At this point an old road, now just a trail, forks off to the north for 12 km (7.5 mi) down to Kavunji village at 1,975 metres (6,480 ft) elevation.

1.5 km over a hill past a rest house, it passes down across a bridge over Kathirikkai Odei (the Second Trout Stream).

The road then proceeds northwest, bridges the Pulavachiar river at km 39, makes a loop north and then passes south along the east side of Vandaravu Peak.

The road then proceeds sharply down to the southwest through 17 hairpin turns to Top Station (Again Tamil Nadu) at elevation 1,930 meters (6,330 ft) at km 60.

There is public bus service between kodaikanal to kilavarai, vattavada to munnar, the distance between kilavarai and vattavada is 17 km no bus service Berijam is located at the end of Pillar Rocks Road (old SH-18), 21 km (13.0 mi) southwest of Kodaikanal Lake.

[15] The Tamil Nadu Forest Department has restricted entry into the Berijam Lake area to between 9.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. for the general public.

including intact relics of primary indigenous vegetation and a large number of non-native plants.

[27] The road originally passed through an area of frost-tolerant shola/montane grassland mosaic interspersed with pockets of stunted shola forests in the valleys.

[28] This shola/grasslands ecosystem was effective in conserving monsoon rainfall and letting it soak in to replenish the watertable for year-round release into the streams.

[29] From 1948 through the 1960s the Tamil Nadu Forest Department planted large areas of indigenous grasslands along the road with black wattle for producing tanning agents for use in the leather industry.

[31] A detailed dynamic map of 2002 vegetation shows distribution of various plantation species that have replaced most of the grasslands and native evergreen forests.

[35] These extensive wattle plantations are sometimes blamed as the major cause of reduced soil moisture and stream flows across upper Palni catchments, though it is likely that reduced rainfall during the Southwest monsoon period, combined with a pattern of heavy downpours and longer dry spells between rain events in the non-monsoon months is also responsible.

[33] Though the old evacuation route is now impassable for vehicles, there remains a desire and need among farmers and tourists for a direct road link between Kodaikanal and Munnar.

It would provide a reliable link between the unimproved and unconnected rural communities of Vattavada and Kilavarai, improving the living standards of the people.