Kerela
By Rajeev k. Manocha
I do not think the majority of North Indian tourists would believe that Southern Hills are no less beautiful than Northern ones and are having so many hill resorts to enjoy a pleasant sojourn. They are accustomed to hear the names like Srinagar, Shimla, Manali, Mussoorie & Nainital and think these are the only places to go for a mountain retreat. Sometimes they do talk about Ooty and Darjeeling too but their thought 
hardly takes fancy to southern beauties like Coorg, Kodai, Yelagiri, Munnar and Thekkady. I myself was no exception as far as the hill sights of Kerala are concerned. When I boarded on the bus from Trivandrum, I had no inkling of what was lying in store for me at Kumily.
Kumily is a kind of base camp for those who come to visit Periyar Lake at Thekkady. It is a small hill station, quite charming in itself. This border town of Kerala is so close to Tamil Nadu, that I could see the Policemen at the barriers of Tamil Nadu Border from the Bus stand of Kumily. You may say Tamil Nadu is walking distance from Kumily. As I came out of bus, nearly half a dozen persons pounced at my luggage with the offers of a suitable accommodation. I later came to understand they are mostly the owners and not agents who have constructed and garnished their houses in such a way that they can be used as Guest Houses as well.
The owner of my guest house was a Muslim local of Kumily who was married to a Christian girl from Trivandrum. He said it is not unusual in Kerala. He showed me the room I was allotted in his gracefully maintained house where everything was in perfect order and reminded me of the coziness of my own house. His house was situated in the centre of the town and nearly the whole of the Kumily was visible from its top floor. His wife served me their own ‘Munnar Tea’ that tasted a little lighter but was different and certainly not bad.
The town is quite charming if not beautiful. It has the look of a hill station and is not lacking in facilities. Transportation, both government and private, hotels of all budget and ranges, guest house lodging and a variety of meals are available in Kumily. I had my meals at a Bihari restaurant owned by a retired government servant from Patna who provides you with a nice variety of North Indian food including some selected Punjabi dishes. The gentleman was nearly in love with south Indian people who as per his own special judgement were the most trustworthy folks in the country. He corroborated his statement after ten minutes when he went to his house for the rest of the day giving the keys of his cash counter to his Malyali waiter. For some strange reason, I liked his gesture. That Malyali (Keralite) boy was very nice. At the cash counter, he proudly gave me the bill along with some tips about the town, especially of the Spice Gardens.
I HAD NO INKLING OF WHAT WAS LYING IN STORE FOR ME AT KUMILY. KUMILY IS A KIND OF BASE CAMP FOR THOSE WHO COME TO VISIT PERIYAR LAKE AT THEKKADY. IT IS A SMALL HILL STATION, QUITE CHARMING IN ITSELF. THIS BORDER TOWN OF KERALA IS SO CLOSE TO TAMIL NADU, THAT I COULD SEE THE POLICEMEN AT THE BARRIERS OF TAMIL NADU BORDER FROM THE BUS STAND OF KUMILY.
Kumily has Spice Gardens in plenty. In fact many of its residents with a sizeable land at the outskirts of the town, have their own Spice Gardens. The auto rickshaw drivers there generally include the visit of these places when you engage them for a tour of the town. Kumily appeared to me like a Spice Market when after paying to a private spice garden, I had a walk through the main market of the town. Most of the shops there are of spice traders. There were pots of cardamom, cinnamon and other spices at the counters of the shops. Usually tourists also buy something from these shops as the quality of the spices is good and the prices are very reasonable. I lost my first day of the stay to the aromatic rounds of this spice town.
Thekkady is not more than 3-4 kms from Kumily and I was there in just fifteen minutes, the next day. The weather was pleasant and equally so was the lake before me. That was Periyar Lake spread along side the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary is spread across 777 kms of which 360 kms is thick evergreen forest. The wild life sanctuary was declared a Tiger Reserve in 1978. The splendid artificial lake was formed by the Mullaperiyar Dam across the Periyar River. It adds to the charm of the park. This is the only sanctuary in India where you can have the unique experience of viewing wildlife at close quarters from the safety of a boat on the lake.
The boats though are not very modern. They generally have two portions upper and lower. The tickets for the lower portion are cheaper. The upper portion is like the deck of a ship with proper sitting arrangement for the viewers. The official on the boat are so strict that they do not allow the tourists from lower portion to come on the upper one. However, I did not know that and midway through my cruise along the charming Periyar, I went upside to have a wider look at the lake. The Malyali official politely allotted me a vacant seat and after sometime came back to tell me that I have to pay the additional amount for the ticket of upper portion. Anyway, the amount was worth it. The Periyar Lake is simply enthralling and watching a wildlife sanctuary around from the deck of a boat is no less than a heavenly experience. Birds, Rhinos and most of all Elephants are most welcome addition to that. Let me make a candid confession at that point, I never knew our south could be as beautiful.
It was a long ride and my hangover for the Periyar was still persisting in my mind as someone appeared from nowhere at the bank of the Lake. Your ticket Sir- he said. He was the same official who took excess amount from me for the upper side in the boat and I forgot it right there thinking that could be a usual practice for them to exact money from the tourists. But that fellow bought the ticket for the excess amount from the counter at Thekkady soon after the ride was over. For a jiffy, I was ashamed of my low thinking and watched that honest Keralite to vanish into the lush green pathways of Thekkady. The Bihari gentleman at Kumily was right anyway
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Nearby Attractions
Kurisumala
A place for adventure tourism and trekking. This will offer a panoramic view of Kumily town and Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary.
Murikkady (5 kms from Thekkady)
Washed in fresh spice-scented air, Murikkady is a panorama of cardamom, coffee and pepper plantations.
Pandikuzhi (5 kms from Kumily)
This picturesque spectrum of exotic flora, fauna and gurgling streams is cradled between Chellarkovil and the Tamil Nadu border. A popular picnic spot, Pandikuzhi offers great opportunities for trekking and is a photographer's delight.
Mangala Devi Temple (15 kms from Thekkady)
This ancient temple is hidden in the dense woods at the top of a peak 1337 m above sea level. The temple is built in the traditional Kerala style of architecture. Visitors are allowed here only on the Chithra Pournami festival day. The peak commands a panoramic view of the eastern slopes of the Ghats and some hill villages of Tamil Nadu. Permission to visit the area can be obtained from the Wildlife Warden, Thekkady.
Access
Situated in Kerala, close to the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border - Kumily is located about 257 kms (160 miles) from Trivandrum, 114 kms from Madurai Airport,
185 kms from kochi International Airport and 114 kms from Kottayam railway station. Thekkady is just 4 kms from Kumily. The sanctuary there is famous for its dense evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous forests and savanna grass lands.
Chellarkovil (15 kms from Kumily)
This sleepy little village with its breathtaking view of the plains and cascading waterfalls is a feast for the eyes. Th
e village slopes down to the famous coconut groves of Cumbum in neighbouring Tamil Nadu.
Vandiperiyar (18 kms from Thekkady)
The River Periyar flowing through the centre of this town nourishes its vast tea, coffee and pepper plantations. A major trade centre, Vandiperiyar is also home to a number of tea factories. The Government Agriculture farm and Flower Garden have a delightful array of roses, orchids and anthuria.
Vandanmedu (25 kms from Kumily)
This is one of the world's largest auction centres for cardamom. A walk through the sprawling cardamom plantations of Vandanmedu is a heady experience.
