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HIDDEN GOLD
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Cardamon Hills: discrete and delightful, says SOMA BASU
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CARDAMOM HILLS exists in a place where you would least expect to find it — in an area around a small village called Athoor, frozen fast in time in Dindigul district. It is set around a 400-acre monsoon-fed water body called the Kamarajar and against the majestic backdrop of the Western Ghats, the slopes of which are full of cardamom estates. Drinking in the view with my eyes, I can't resist the smug feeling that I have discovered a rustic idyll for regular readers of RLT.
The approach from Madurai involves taking the road to Coimbatore, going up to the Sembatti crossing and then taking the road signposted to Palani all the way to Athoor. The hills of the Western Ghats overlooking the lake appear much further away than the five-kilometre distance they lie from the village square. A clutch of turns and bends, a ride across a small bridge, the climb up a small hill, the descent down it and I find myself on a narrow stretch of muddy tract that seems to take ages to negotiate. Each time a vehicle — even a cycle — comes from the opposite direction, I am forced to shut my eyes and hold my breath as the car squeezes by almost miraculously.
This is agricultural country. There are vast expanses of paddy fields, stretches of coconut groves, plantations of mango and banana and fields of groundnut and chilli. As they slip by, I sense that I am getting further away from noise and pollution and entering a zone of peace and tranquillity.
Despite the lack of rains, Kamarajar Lake is full. When the sun pierces the mist on the mountaintop, the lake is incandescent, almost blinding. Swimming is permitted but the only thing that resembles a boat are the coracles used by fishermen. A stroll is a pleasure in these parts but you could opt for a more serious hike if you are so disposed. A 90-minute climb to a hill top reveals a lovely waterfall, which leaps off the cliff and collects in a pond that is small, cool and inviting. There are small wayside temples along the cool streams in these areas or in the dank caves in the hills. Visit this place only with someone who likes to walk. A word of caution though. Leopards are occasionally spotted in these parts.
Oddly enough, quaint Athoor with its brimming lake and virgin mountains has escaped the attention of Indians. Not that of the foreigners though. Three of them have built resorts in these parts named Holland House, Lakeside View House and Cardamom House. The last is the oldest and appears to be the most popular.
Run by a retired British physician, it has seven rooms named after Indian spices. Chris Lucas' team of seven local boys — with no formal education or professional qualification — floor you with their British accent. They are perfect hosts. As I tuck into a meal of chilled gazpacho soup, pasta royale cardamom and a flambé of banana fritters, I can hardly believe I am in Athoor. As always, the food tastes even better after you have completed a long walk.
Book in advance if you want to stay overnight but places such as Cardamom House don't come cheap. But then why would it? After all, you are paying for a first-class, eco-friendly, non-invasive resort that is tucked away in a place that only few know about and fewer care to visit.
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