Kodaikānāl, India
Kodaikānāl is a town of 36,501 people in Tamil Nadu, India, founded in 1845.
Why visit Kodaikānāl
Townapedia lists 10 museums and landmarks, 8 parks and trails, 53 places to eat, 48 places to stay and 10 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Silver Cascade Falls, Mother Teresa Women's University, Shembaganur Museum of Natural History and Wax World.
Weather in Kodaikānāl
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Kodaikānāl
Kodaikanal (ko-DYE-KAH-null, Tamil pronunciation: [ko'ɖaɪ'kaːnəl]) is a town and hill station in Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is situated at an altitude of 2,225 m (7,300 ft) in the Palani Hills of the Western Ghats. Kodaikanal was established in 1845 to serve as a refuge from the high temperatures and tropical diseases during the summer in the plains. It is a popular tourist destination and is referred to as the "Princess of Hill stations" with much of the local economy is based on the hospitality industry serving tourism.
From the Wikipedia article Kodaikanal (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Kodaikānāl on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do10
Silver Cascade Falls
Waterfall · 2.3 km
Waterfall in Tamil Nadu, India
Mother Teresa Women's University
School · 1.8 km
State public university in Dindigul, Tamil Nadu, India
Museums and landmarks10
Shembaganur Museum of Natural History
Museum · 1.6 km
Natural history museum in Tamil Nadu, India
Parks, trails and playgrounds8
Restaurants and cafes53
Cloud Street - Italian Pizza from wodden oven
Restaurant
Mo, Tu, Th-Su 12:00-04:00, 18:00-21:00
41 more on the map.
History
The earliest references to Kodaikanal and the Palani Hills are found in Tamil Sangam literature. Tamil composition Kuṟuntokai, the second book of the anthology Ettuthokai, mentions the mountainous geographic region (thinai) of Kurinji. The region is associated with Hindu god Murugan and is described as a forest with lakes, waterfalls and trees like teak, bamboo and sandalwood. The name of the region, Kurinji, derives from the name of the famous flower Kurinji found only in the hills and the occupants of the region were tribal people whose prime occupations were hunting, honey harvesting and millet cultivation. The hills were populated by the Palaiyar tribal people.
From the History section of Kodaikanal on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Where to stay48
Malabar Cottage - Panoramic Mountain View
Motel and hotel · 1.8 km
23/2C-1B Carmelpuram Main Road, Shenbaganur, Kodaikanal
De Huts Kodaikanal
Motel and hotel · 0.9 km
176 Lloyds road, Avery Avenue road, Kodaikanal
Churches and places of worship19
Shopping11
Gas and EV charging3
Schools, colleges and libraries12
Healthcare9
Map of Kodaikānāl
183 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Madurai International Airport (IXM) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 80 km away.
- Periyakulam 14 km southeast, about 14 min by car
- Pannaikadu 16 km east, about 16 min by car
- Tāmaraikkulam 16 km southeast, about 16 min by car
- Marayur 36 km west, about 36 min by car
- Munnar 50 km west, about 50 min by car
- Dindigul 56 km east, about 56 min by car
- Valparai 60 km west, about 1 h by car
- Tirupparangunram 75 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Madurai 78 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Srivilliputhur 82 km south, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Upper Lake vire kodaikanal, Challiyan at Malayalam Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
- The Silver Cascade, Challiyan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School gate, Marcus334, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Kodaikanal Wildlife Sanctuary-Bombay Shola-WUS04998, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- அன்னை தெராசா பல்கலைக்கழகம், Chathirathan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Nilgiri pipit from Perumalmalai peak, Kodaikanal Wildlife Sactuary, P S Aravind, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Acridotheres fuscus 150898641, Paulmathi Vinod, CC BY 4.0
- Mussaenda conferta, Paulmathi Vinod, CC BY 4.0
- Balcony window Kodaikanal (Unsplash), Kevin Fernandez kevingerardfernandez, CC0
- Salea anamallayana 139899246, Paulmathi Vinod, CC BY 4.0
- Funambulus palmarum 148701502, Paulmathi Vinod, CC BY 4.0
- Goats Grazing (39991370130), B Balaji from Chennai, India, CC0
- An evening ride, Lpriyatham, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Roots of trees near Guna cave 20161116, Prasanna2492, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mountain view 01, Dayan15, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal beauties, Aishwarya Rao Tiruvoipati, CC BY-SA 4.0
- View from Suicide Point - Kodaikanal, Ramkumar, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Lake View of Kodaikanal-2, Thamizhpparithi Maari, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Lochend Church-WUS04642, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal Lake-WUS04910, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal Lake-WUS04911, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Lochend Church-WUS04644, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Lochend Church-WUS04640, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Lochend Church-WUS04645, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Lochend Church-WUS04647, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- L13ake, Rahulmessi13, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-WUS05098, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal Lake 2, Devasenathipathi1957, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Assembley Hall-IMG 20250311 081841, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Assembley Hall-WUS05106, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Assembley Hall-WUS05099, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Margret Eddy Memorial Church-WUS05092, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Margret Eddy Memorial Church-WUS05093, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-WUS05108, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Margret Eddy Memorial Church-WUS04654, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Margret Eddy Memorial Church-WUS04655, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Margret Eddy Memorial Church-WUS04651, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Margret Eddy Memorial Church-WUS04653, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-Assembley Hall-WUS05103, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Kodaikanal International School-WUS05105, Rainer Halama, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Green valley view point, Sarankanth, CC BY 4.0
- Kodaikanal - Coakers Walk, Muralikrishna m, CC BY-SA 4.0
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
Page built November 3, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us or suggest a place.