- A Short trek In search of Bison in Kodaikanal
- Top things to do at Kodaikanal
- Poombarai- the Garlic village in Kodaikanal
- Mannavanur Lake, Kodaikanal
The picturesque Poombarai- a village that grows GI tagged garlic, has an ancient Murugan temple and terraced hill farms all around, is a must visit place in Kodaikanal.
Kodaikanal is a green and serene hill station in Tamilnadu. It provides a much needed escape from the baking heat of South India. However, it is hopelessly crowded in summers. Your best bet to avoid the crowd is to go for short treks to enjoy the Shola forests and enchanting views of Valleys.
Read our adventurous short trek in Kodakanal here.
If you do not want to trouble your feet, then visit some pretty villages quite near to Kodaikanal which offer quiet atmosphere and laid back feel., true feature of being in a hill station.
In fact, visiting these villages and going for short treks is what I would recommend as “Things to do in Kodaikanal”. Poombarai- the famed, “GI tagged Garlic” village is one such village you must visit from Kodaikanal.
Poombarai sits cozy in a valley surrounded by green hills. Travelers usually have a look at it from above while visiting Mannavanur, another village in Kodaikanal. They ooh-aah at the views, get some selfies and pics and move on. This charming little village commands a closer view and stoppage.
If you travel from Kodai town to Mannavanur in the local bus, you will get a chance to have a picturesque view of the entire valley and village, as the buses mostly stop here for tea/coffee.
How to visit the garlic village of Poombarai from Kodaikanal
We did a day trip from Kodaikanal to Munnavanur and Poombarai village. We hired a cab but buses are available, though not frequently.
You can get buses to Mannavanur or Poondi from Kodaikanal, and get down at the main road and walk a couple of kilometers to the village. It is 19 km to Poombarai village from Kodaikanal and most of the journey is through thick forest.
You have to make it amply clear to the cab driver that you will take your time Mannavanur and you want to get down to the village of Poombarai. Otherwise, he will simply stop at the road high above to give you a good view of the village and valley, but will not take you to the village.
The villages of Kavunji, Vadakavunji, Kilavarai, Kookal, Gundalpatti, Mannavanur and Poombarai produce carrots and hill garlic in huge quantities apart from a variety of vegetables. These hill produce are of higher quality and command greater price in market. You can plan to visit any of these villages.
Kodaikanal’s hill Garlic- the Malai Poondu
Kodaikanal’s much acclaimed hill garlic or ‘malai poondu’ has unique piquant flavor, taste and enhanced medicinal value over other garlic varieties. It was given a Geographic Indication (GI) tag recently.
I read it sometime ago in newspapers that the application for GI tag relied on the ancient inscriptions of 1342 CE. The inscription states that the Pandian king ‘ Kulasekhra Pandian’ settled a dispute and mentioned the territories of Munnamannoor, Kumpoor, Kawinjee, Poondi, Klavarai, Kookal, Poomburra, Putthur and Vellaputty mannadies as “Vellaipoodu Kandam” meaning Garlic Continent.
We have seen and used Madurai Jasmine and Nilgiri Tea which are other GI tagged celebrities from Tamilnadu. I do plan to visit Erode sometime to see the Erode Turmeric, again a GI tagged variety from TN.
Soil conditions, altitude and climate conditions give it a unique flavor. The villages in Kodaikanal have been using it as Poondu Rasam for relieving body pains and digestive problems.
Pomabarai has garlic and has an ancient Murugan temple too!
The legendary “Kuzhanthai Velappar Temple” of Poombarai is believed to be 3000 years old. It was consecrated by Tamil Siddhar “Bhogar / Bogananthar”.
The saint is one of the famous 18 Tamil Siddhars. As per Tamil culture and beliefs, Siddhars were the enlightened beings having great power and knowledge of Tantra, Yoga and Alchemy.
As legend says, the saint created this deity of infant Murugan with a mind boggling mixture of herbs and other things and established the deity “Lord Muruga” here in this temple.
The temple is in the center of the village and you can not go for darshan unless you wear Mundu. The priest will give you a Mundu to wear if you want to go inside for Darshan.
Read the detailed and interesting account of the legends of this temple here.
Setting of the village
Some bright and other in pastel colors, red-tiled roofed houses surround this temple on a gradual elevation and add lovely colors to the frame. Minarets of a mosque rise above from the middle of the houses.
The temple compound is clean, large and gives you plenty of space and solitude to soak the village life and surroundings. However, the village is just like any other village in India.
From a higher point above, you get to see the terraced farms on the hills surrounding the village. Carrot and garlic are the main produce besides other vegetables.
People working in the fields bend down half or sit crouched for hours and remind you of the hard toil that earth demands to produce the life giving food for living beings.
Sellers line the main road to sell the garlic to passing visitors. But down in the village, you see people busy in various activities related to post harvesting- cleaning, sorting, drying and so on.
Is Poombarai worth visiting with Kids?
Absolutely. Travelling is not about mapping kilometers. It is about the experiences. Poombarai is definitely a place for them and for us to understand terraced farms, GI tags, village life and ancient temples, all in one place.
Read my satire on Kodaikanal and its touristy character here.
Where is Poombarai
Poombarai is a small village in Palani hills of Kodaikanal in TamilNadu. It is some 20 kms from Kodai town.
How to reach Poombarai
Kodaikanal is well connected by road and rail. The nearest rail station is Kodai road and Coimbatore. There are regular buses from both stations to Kodaikanal. You can take local bus or hire a cab from KodaiKanal to reach Poombarai.
Which season is best to visit Poombarai
As it is high up in the Palani hills, all the seasons are good. I prefer to avoid rainy season. Winter and summer are both good.
Places of stay in Poombarai
Poombarai has no place to stay as of now. You better visit it as a day trip from Kodaikanal along with Mannavanur.
Food options in Poombarai
There is no decent place to have food. Some tea/coffee shops are there if you want.
Wow! Wonderful article!
My team (husband & me haha ) runs a Travel Podcast called The Musafir Stories and I came across your profile on Pinterest and really enjoyed your blog, esp this post as I’ve been to Kodaikanal as I’ve been there during summer and Haha it’s pretty crowded. It will be a perfect plan to go to these neighboring villages & explore what it has to offer!
Keep the great work going!!
Loved your travel podcasts. In fact it was the first for me- the podcasts. I liked the idea very much, far more interesting than videos. Haha. We- I mean me and my husband, are oldies now!
Sorry for the delay in replying. It is the time when optimization of resources is being practiced at home in every department. Everyone has to work from home and boys have classes online. The laptops are in high demand and blog comes last for the time being. This too shall pass.
Thanks for liking the post and blog.