25-571: Ponmudi (the Golden Peak) is a hill station in the Peringamala gramapanchayath of Thiruvananthapuram district of Kerala in India . It is located 22km west of Vithura town, 53 km north-east of Thiruvananthapuram City , 78 km south-east of Varkala town and 69 km north-east of Kovalam Beach at an altitude of 1,100 m (3,600 ft). Ponmudi ( Varayadumotta ) peak
50-453: A hill town transformed by contemporaneous tourism practices as a hill station. Most hill stations, listed by region: Hundreds of hill stations are located in India. The most popular hill stations in India include: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Punjab Sindh Balochistan Gilgit Baltistan Travancore tortoise The Travancore tortoise ( Indotestudo travancorica )
75-611: A summer retreat. Hill stations in British India were established for a variety of reasons. One of the first reasons in the early 1800s, was for the place to act as a sanitorium for the ailing family members of British officials. After the rebellion of 1857 , the British "sought further distance from what they saw as a disease-ridden land by [escaping] to the Himalayas in the north". Other factors included anxieties about
100-423: A thrilling experience as drivers and riders have to navigate 22 Hairpin turns . Ponmudi is also a popular spot for backpacking and trekking. The climate is pleasant year-round. Other attractions near Ponmudi include Golden Valley and a number of rivulets and rapids, some even across the road. The lush forest area has tropical vegetation. A variety of wildlife inhabit the hills. The Golden Valley offers vistas of
125-424: Is a large forest tortoise growing up to 330 millimetres (13 in) in length. The species was first described by George Albert Boulenger in 1907. It primarily feeds on grasses and herbs. It also feeds on molluscs , insects , animal carcass, fungi and fruits. It occurs in hill forests at 450–850 m elevation. Males combat by ramming their shell during their breeding season between November and March. It makes
150-644: Is a part of the Western Ghats mountain range that runs parallel to the Arabian Sea . Ponmudi is a popular honeymoon destination in South India. The normal temperature of Ponmudi is between 18 and 25 °C (64 and 77 °F). Ponmudi is connected to Thiruvananthapuram by a two-lane highway (SH2 & SH 45). The last 18 km starting from Anapara has scenic views, as it winds through the mountains and tea gardens. The travel along this stretch provides
175-507: Is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The English term was originally used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges from the summer heat and, as Dale Kennedy observes about the Indian context, "the hill station (...) was seen as an exclusive British preserve: here it was possible to render
200-530: Is an interspersing of valleys and hills with forestland and plantations. Ponmudi is having an extensive importance of biodiversity, which plays a major role in maintaining the ecological balance of the area. Ponmudi is host to 283 species of birds , many of which are endangered and threatened. Birds endemic to this region include the painted bush quail , the Malabar grey hornbill , the Wayanad laughingthrush ,
225-538: The broad-tailed grass bird and the Nilgiri pipit . The grasslands of Ponmudi are the breeding grounds of the broad-tailed grass bird, a threatened species. Fifty-nine per cent of the 483 bird species in Kerala are found at Ponmudi. Of the 16 species of birds endemic to the Western Ghats , 15 are at Ponmudi. Of the 332 species of butterflies in the Western Ghats , 195 are found here. Of the 37 butterfly species endemic to
250-467: The 1857 revolt." As noted by Indian historian Vinay Lal , hill stations in India also served "as spaces for the colonial structuring of a segregational and ontological divide between Indians and Europeans, and as institutional sites of imperial power." William Dalrymple wrote that "The viceroy was the spider at the heart of Simla's web: From his chambers in Viceregal Lodge, he pulled
275-691: The Ghats, 24 are found at Ponmudi. The spot puffin , a rare butterfly, has been sighted at the Kulachikarai-Panayam-Merchiston area where ISRO's land comes. Similarly, Ponmudi is also host to many species of reptiles and amphibians, including the highly endangered Travancore tortoise , the Malabar Gliding Frog and the Malabar tree toad . Nilgiri tahr is also found in Ponmudi hill top. Kallar situated en route to
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#1732787399281300-460: The Indian into an outsider". The term is still used in present day, particularly in India, which has the largest number of hill stations, most are situated at an altitude of approximately 1,000 to 2,500 metres (3,300 to 8,200 ft). Nandi Hills is a 11th-century hill station that was developed by the Ganga dynasty in present-day Karnataka , India. Tipu Sultan (1751–1799) notably used it as
325-547: The dangers of life in India, among them "fear of degeneration brought on by too long residence in a debilitating land". The hill stations were meant to reproduce the home country, illustrated in Lord Lytton 's statement about Ootacamund in the 1870s as having "such beautiful English rain, such delicious English mud." Shimla was officially made the "summer capital of India" in the 1860s and hill stations "served as vital centres of political and military power, especially after
350-469: The hill station of Ponmudi, Kallar gets its name from the River Kallar, which flows through the region. Kallu means 'stone' and Aru means 'river', hence the name Kallar. The river is well known for its abundance of attractive, round-shaped boulders and pebbles, especially in the upper reaches and middle portion of its course. Here one can take a dip in the crystal clear waters to cool off, and also watch
375-763: The hill station, is the Ponmudi Falls. Around 3 km from the Ponmudi Resort, is the Deer Park. The Meenmutty Falls, another tourist attraction of the region, is about 3 km from the Kallar Main Road. Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary , located on the outskirts of Ponmudi, is a preserve spread across 53 km (20 sq mi) and accommodates a variety of wild animals and birds like Asian elephants, sambar, leopards, lion-tailed macaques , Malabar grey hornbills , etc. Another main attraction in
400-526: The hills and access to the Kallar River . Flowing through a wilderness area, it has rounded pebbles, cool water, fish, and lush green trees. Some notable tourist attractions located in Ponmudi are Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Echo Point and various trekking spots. Mist-laden valleys, especially Golden Valley near Kallar River, also draw tourists. Travelers can find a deer park and wood and stone cottages coloured in bright hues. Located about 1.5 km from
425-515: The main impetus being "places to rest and recuperate from the arduous life on the plains". In the second half of the 19th century, there was a period of consolidation with few new hill stations. In the final phase, "hill stations reached their zenith in the late nineteenth century. The political importance of the official stations was underscored by the inauguration of large and costly public-building projects." The concept of Hill Station has been used loosely in India (and more broadly South Asia) since
450-496: The many rapids and small pools that dot a good part of the river in this area. Meenmutty Falls, Thiruvananthapuram is one of the main attractions located nearby Ponmudi hills and is around 45 km from Thiruvananthapuram. This waterfall is about 3 km away from the Kallar-Ponmudi road. The main attractions are waterfalls and the small natural pools and rocks located beside the way to the waterfalls. In order to reach
475-514: The mid-20th century to qualify any town or settlement in mountainous areas, which attempt to expand its local economy toward tourism, or have been invested by recent mass tourism practices. Kullu and Manali in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh , are two example of that misuse of Hill Station or more accurately deviation of its meaning. These two historical settlements existed prior to the British, and haven't been specially frequented by them or even extensively modified or shaped by them. However,
500-663: The non-western world in general." The historian of Himalayan cultures Shekhar Pathak speaking about the development of Hill Stations like Mussoorie noted that "the needs of this (European) elite created colonies in Dehradun of Indians to cater to them." This "exclusive, clean, and secure social space – known as an enclave – for white Europeans ... evolved to become the seats of government and foci of elite social activity", and created racial distinctions which perpetuated British colonial power and oppression as Nandini Bhattacharya notes. Dale Kennedy observed that "the hill station, then,
525-503: The place, one has to take a long trek that passes through dense forests , upon taking special permission from the Forest Department. A guide will be sent along with tourist groups to the falls. Facilities for trekking are easily provided at Kallar Vana Samrakshana Samithi, which is a forest protection group at Kallar. More about Ponmudi https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2qdiybXW_s Hill station A hill station
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#1732787399281550-442: The region is Agasthyarkoodam , one of the highest peaks in the Western Ghats , with the highest peak at 1868 m. This peak is known for its wilderness, and can be accessed only with the Forest Department's permission. Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve is another attraction covering Neyyar, Peppara, Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuaries and divisions of Achencoil, Thenmala, Konni, Punalur, and Thiruvananthapuram The landscape of Ponmudi
575-403: The rise of internal domestic tourism in India from the eighties and the subsequent reproduction of Hill Station practice by urban middle-class Indians contributed to the labelling of these two localities as Hill Stations . Munnar , a settlement in the state of Kerala whose economy is primarily based on tea cultivation and processing , as well as plantation agriculture, is another example of
600-419: The strings of an empire that stretched from Rangoon in the east to Aden in the west." Meanwhile Judith T Kenny observed that "the hill station as a landscape type tied to nineteenth-century discourses of imperialism and climate. Both discourses serve as evidence of a belief in racial difference and, thereby, the imperial hill station reflected and reinforced a framework of meaning that influenced European views of
625-467: Was seen as an exclusive British preserve: here it was possible to render the Indian into an outsider". Kennedy, following Monika Bührlein, identifies three stages in the evolution of hill stations in India: high refuge, high refuge to hill station, and hill station to town. The first settlements started in the 1820s, primarily as sanitoria. In the 1840s and 1850s, there was a wave of new hill stations, with
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