page_title: History of Kodaikanal
section_title: Ancient times
hierarchical_section_title: History of Kodaikanal / Ancient times
caption_attribution_description: English: Hindu deity Karktikeya or Murugan with his consorts on his Vahana peacock. Français&#160;: Le dieu indou Kârttikeya (ou Murugan) avec ses consorts sur sa monture (ou Vāhana), un paon. മലയാളം: മയിൽവാഹനമേറിയ മുരുകനും ഭാര്യമാരും.
context_page_description: Kodaikanal is a city and a Taluk division of Dindigul district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India.
  The earliest residents of Kodaikanal were the Paliyan tribal people. The earliest specific references to Kodaikanal and the Palani Hills are found in Tamil Sangam literature of the early Christian era.
  Modern Kodaikanal was established as a hill station by American missionaries in 1845, as a refuge from the high temperatures and tropical diseases of the plains.
  In the 20th century a few elite Indians came to realize the value of this enchanting place and started relocating here. Kodaikanal is sometimes referred to as the "Princess of Hill Stations". Much of the local economy is now based on the hospitality industry, serving national and international tourists.
context_section_description: There is archaeological evidence of human habitation in this area before the Current Era (BCE). Megalithic dolmens dating from early Chera Dynasty times, earthen pots and other artefacts which have been found here prove that the earliest residents of Kodaikanal were the Palaiyar (Pazhaiyar, "old ones") tribal people. Some local relics and artefacts of the Palaiyar can be seen in the Shenbaganur Museum.
  The earliest written references to Kodaikanal and the Palani Hills are found in Tamil Sangam literature of the early Christian era. The classical Tamil poetic work Kuṟuntokai, the second book of the anthology Ettuthokai, contains poems dealing with matters of love and separation. It evokes the geographic thinai of the mountainous region of Kurinji. It is the scene of lovers' union at midnight, a forest rich with lakes, waterfalls, teak, bamboo and sandalwood. In this region millet grows and wild bees are a source of honey. 
  Love in this setting is exemplified by Murugan, and his consort, Valli, the honey collecting daughter of a Kurinji mountain dweller. He rides a peacock, the bird of the mountains. The name of the region, Kurinji, derives from the name of the famous flower Kurinji found only in the lofty hills of Tamil country.
  The once in ten or twelve years blossom of the Kurinji is an event of jubilation and purity symbolizing the frenzy of a sudden love shared, in concert with the unleashed forces of nature: the amorous dance of peacocks, their echoing cries, the splash of waterfalls, the roar of savage beasts. The lovers hold each other tighter still and forget the dangers of the mountain path.
  One of the Kuṟuntokai poems:
  The legacy of this epic Sangam love poetry is maintained by Arulmighu Dhandayuthapani Swamy Thiru Kovil, Palani at The Kurinji Andavar Temple in Kodaikanal. This holy place is famous for the Kurinji flowers which blossom nearby only once every 12 years.
  The deity here is called Sri Kurinji Easware. He is in fact Lord Murugan.
  Agricultural settlers of the Palani Hills, mainly Mannadiyar ("king's servants") caste, were allotted these hill lands about the 14th century by the Madurai Nayak Dynasty, according to some local people, though others claim that their ancestors came later as refugees from the Palani foothills who escaped from the invasions of Tippu Sultan.
caption: Murugan by – Raja Ravi Varma
exif: {"Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D3", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image Software": "Capture NX 2.0.0 W", "Image DateTime": "2008:11:25 18:36:30", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Centered", "Image ExifOffset": "19848", "Image XPComment": "[32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, 32, 0, ... ]", "Image Gamma": "11/5", "Image Padding": "[]", "EXIF ExposureTime": "6", "EXIF FNumber": "0", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Manual", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "200", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0220", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2008:11:24 16:31:52", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2008:11:24 16:31:52", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Spot", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire", "EXIF FocalLength": "0", "EXIF SubSecTime": "24", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "24", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "24", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "Uncalibrated", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "2682", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "3742", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF FileSource": "Digital Camera", "EXIF SceneType": "Directly Photographed", "EXIF CVAPattern": "[0, 2, 0, 2, 0, 1, 1, 2]", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Custom", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Manual Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Manual", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "0", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF GainControl": "None", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0", "EXIF Padding": "[]", "EXIF OffsetSchema": "4160"}