It is neither Thodasis, the resident tribals who claim Pandava lineage, or the picturesque greenery that make Kotagiri famous. It is the proximity to Sathyamangalam forest, once ruled by forest brigand Veerappan, that first dragged Kotagiri out of its veil. But the spotlight fell on this sleepy village in Nilgiri when late Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, who ordered the elimination of Veerappan, set up a 6,000-acre summer retreat there.
Thodasis live on the Kodanad Hills on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border. Their village ends at the edges of a hill from where one can see the Sathyamangalam forest and parts of Mysuru.
Kotagiri is only an hour away from the more famous Ooty. The low profile it kept helped Kotagiri to stay well hidden in the tourism map until recently. But owing to its cooler weather and calmness, many travellers now prefer Kotagiri to Ooty as their travel destination.
One can reach Kotagiri from Mettupalayam, Coimbatore, through Palapetty-Kottakambai route passing Bangalada. This route has hairpin turns and several scenic locations and a viewpoint at Palapetty. St. Catherine's waterfalls and Kodanad viewpoint are the two popular tourist destinations in Kotagiri.
The hills of Thodasi
The Kotagiri town sits elegantly in the nature’s lap with neat roads, vast tea plantations and quaint houses. The cultural history of Kotagiri and Kodanad is intertwined with the history of Thodasis. At their centuries-old temple, the current adhikari (priest) Bedukalmund Sankaran, narrates the history of the tribe, “Thodas is one among the four Gotras or tribes of Nilgiri. The others include Kothas, Kurumbas and Irulas. The Irulas and Kurumbas stay inside the forest. Kothasis have moved to Ooty. We, Thodasis, belong to the Pandava lineage. Like Krishna, Arjuna is also a deity for us.” It is said they said are the descendants of King Pandu of Hastinapur.
The arch-shaped stone temple with thatched roof has an opening close to the ground. The priest has to crawl into the sanctum sanctorum. Only he has the right to enter the temple. The idol is made of a mix of five types of gold. Sankaran lives near the temple like his father Narasimhan and his forefathers, inheriting the stories and the legacy of his tribe. The temple is located on the planes between Kotagiri to Kodanad after Kaikatty, Ellada and Keramattom.
There are around 2,000 Thodasi families living on the Kodanad Hills. The Bedukal Mund where they live is close to Jayalalitha’s summer house.
The men use white blankets with elegant thread work sewed by their wives. This is a tradition followed by Thodasi women, said Rupavathi as she prepared for stitching another blanket.
Kodanad viewpoint
There are no pushy vendors on the streets of Kotagiri, but rows of shops that sell tea and other paraphernalia urges the traveller to indulge in the local culture. Kotagiri is much like Munnar but with less din and more of the charms of a Tamil village. From the MGR statue at the town centre three roads lead to Mettupalayam, Ooty and Kodanad. The weather is colder than Ooty and terrain more appealing than Coonoor.
The route from Kotagiri to Downing Town is flanked by villages of Sri Lankan refugees, who fled the country after the collapse of LTTE. The villagers grow cabbage, carrot, and long beans.
The villages in Milithan, Uyilatty, Kenkara, are home to Badugas who speak a mixed lingo of Tamil and Kannada. Like Thodasis, Badugas also believe they have a claim to the legacy of Kotagiri.
Beyond Bedakalmund lies the verdant forests of Kodanad. Lying next to the forest are tea plantations strewn with red and white houses and bungalows. The Rangaswamy Hills, named after a ‘sanyasi’ from Coimbatore appear on the east. The hills are a good 28-km trek through the forest. Kumar, a Baguda from Kenkara, attests the presence of a temple on top of the Rangaswamy Hills.
The Kodanad road leads one to the Kodanad viewpoint, one of the busiest tourist spots in Kotagiri. From the viewpoint, one could see through the canopy of clouds, an impressive portion of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.
The spread of green is the forest, the red spots are farm lands and the clusters of white and red buildings indicate small towns and settlements.
Check with the watch guard and they will point to where Tipu Sultan built a fort. Tourists are restricted from going into the forest since the region has a sizeable tiger and bear population.
Catherine Falls
The Dolphin Nose valley is one of the most scenic locations in Coonoor. The top of Dolphin Nose hill gives a view of half of Nilgiri town. One also gets a glimpse of Catherine Waterfalls which is 8 km off Kotagiri town.
The 250-feet waterfall surrounded by mammoth mountains on three sides was named Catherine by British settlers. It’s a two-tier waterfall on the Kallar River.
Road to Ooty
The hour-long journey from Kotagiri to Ooty is a traveller’s delight. The tea factories, tourist resorts and houses of plantation workers are familiar to Malayali tourists through the movies which have been shot on these locations.
The boat ride in the pond, a visit to the rose garden and tea factory, horse ride, a tour of the iconic Botanical Garden and Tibetan market are still the staples of an Ooty visit for the Malayali. Similar is the fascination for home-made chocolates and fresh Ooty carrots.
Ooty may have grown old and weary of the multitude of travellers, but for the Malayali tourist, it still remains the most comfortable and accessible destination to unwind.
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