A day at Ponmudi Hill Station

-Nidhin Sreekumar

To Trivandrum city, Ponmudi can be called as our own neighbourhood hill station. Situated just 60kms from the city centre, it becomes an attractive get away spot!. Just the drive to ponmudi itself is a treat to the eye. While driving to Ponmudi, the scenery shifts from the bustling traffic of the city to the lush greenery of the villages. The ideal time to start the journey to ponmudi is early morning at around 7 or so that we can leave the city before the wild stampede of vehicles hit the city. Once out of the city it’s a soothing drive till our destination.

The road is tricky and treacherous with lots of twists and turns. The major places in the route are peroorkada, vazhayila, karakulam, nedumangad, anad, tholikodu, vithura and kallar. From vazhayila the traffic reduces and the road seems to stretch-out long tempting us to test our vehicle’s maximum power. But if you fall to the temptation risks mount up, also you are going to miss the scenic beauty around. Enjoy the beautiful villages and be safe. We can also see the early village life, kids going to school (if it’s a weekday) and the busy roadside markets. After nedumangad we can sense from the change in temperature itself that we are approaching the forest. The road becomes more treacherous with more sharp turns and ditches on one side. But that is the beauty and challenge of a trip isn’t it.

The small roadside teashops will give a good treat to your taste buds with the indigenous cuisine. The changing face of villages and the influence of city culture can be seen throughout. The green fields and big old trees on the roadsides will surely attract you.

From kallar the ascent starts! The road will be like a big snake with steep twists and turns.

The hairpin curves of the ponmudi will surely give you a hard time. But once we reach the top everything pays off. The ascending road to ponmudi is a drive through a forest. The drop temperature and pressure will surely be felt. The scenic beauty makes it an unforgettable experience. At kallar, there is a Deer park maintained by the Government of kerala. The crystal clear water and the perfectly smooth stones of kallar adds to the picturesque beauty of kallar.

The ascending road from kallar to ponmudi has around 27 hairpin curves. Some of them are elevated hairpins. Be very careful and watch out for vehicles descending. This road is around 15 kms of steep climb. The fog and damp air will surely give you a chill down the spine. As we climb to the top through the tea plantations the clouds will welcome you.

Video Courtesy: Praveen (Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBsrsTVqKIY)

The Fog can be very tricky so be very careful!

The view at the top is a thing of heavenly beauty. If lucky enough then you will reach before the morning fog clears off. The fog here will be so thick that you won’t be able to see beyond your arm length. The air itself is light so that even if you run for a short distance you will find yourself out of breath. The big rocks, hills and valleys will give you a heavenly feel. From the top of hills you can touch the clouds. On top you can see the Kerala police wireless repeater station. Also now one part of ponmudi hill is being turned to ISRO’s Institute of space science and technology. The journey to ponmudi will give beautiful visuals for the photos if you are interested in photography. Make sure you complete your descend from the hilltop to kallar before dark. The fog will be thick as it gets late evening. The whole journey is sure to be an unforgettable experience and you are sure to be back for more of the heavenly and sensuous beauty of nature.