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| The
Kurumba Village Resort
is a rare aromatic arena; far from spicing
with mere words, we have established
the self-sufficing cottages amidst a
SPICE haven where nutmeg, cloves and
pepper abound. These spice trees were
originally introduced to the Nilgiris
by the English. We have consciously
enriched the “spice sanctuary”
with other enchanting trees such as
Jacaranda and Spathodia.
We already have the uniquely interesting
Jackfruit trees and the soaring and
sturdy Rosewood trees. It is not for
mere hyperbolical effect that we remember
William Shakespeare’s “never,
never lands” such as Arden and
Illyria, or, the other exhilarating
locales of A Midsummer Night’s
Dream.
The invigoratingly clean air of the
Kurumba Village Resort is to be breathed
to be believed! |
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| About
Kurumbas |
| Another
poet/novelist whom we often remember
is Thomas Hardy. We
are truly “Far from the Madding
Crowd.” Being “Under the
Greenwood Tree” and having endless
fun is an everyday experience at The
Kurumba Village Resort.
The name of the Resort simply reflects
our desire to retain whatever is available
of our ancient heritage. One of the
five ancient tribes of the Nilgiris
(Todas, Kothas, Kurumbas, Irulas and
Badagas), the Kurumbas were (and are)
closest in being in tune with the beauties
as well as rigors of nature. There are
several sects of them; the names of
all those groups speak of their intimate
connections with nature – our
reason for the choice of the name of
the Resort. According to the author
of Cultures and Tribes of South India,
the different sects of Kurumbas are
offshoots of the original Kadu Kurumbas
(Kadu = Forest). There are others such
as Betta (mountain) Kurumbas, Ane (elephant)
Kurumbas, Bevina (neem) Kurumbas, Jenu
(honey) Kurumbas, Mullu (thorn) Kurumbas
and Mannu (earth) Kurumbas. They used
to exist only with what they found in
the forest such as roots of wild yams,
honey and, perhaps, a few animals they
hunted. Kurumba is the Tamilised name
of either Kuruma or Kuruba in the native
tongue. The sect that inhabited Burliar
and its surroundings worshipped Kuribattaraya
(a male deity which meant the Lord of
many sheep) and Musnie (a female deity,
on the lines of Goddess Shakthi). They
also had another deity called Hiriabetta.
The Kurumba faith spoke of all beings
turning ‘devas’ after their
death; the kind ones became creative
‘devas’ and the others became
destructive devas.
We in our Kurumba Village Resort appreciated
many of the fundamental principles of
these ancient people and decided to
perpetuate their name. Our wish is also
to help our guests live more in tune
with the Infinity. |
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| Discover
Nilgiris |
Speaking
of cultural background
we could boast of a triumvirate
of cultures because Nilgiris
is in the confluence of
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and
Karnataka. “Half
English Neilgherry Air,”
is a poetic line attributed
to Lord Tennyson. The
anglicized epithet refers
to the Blue Mountains.
(Nila = Blue, Giri = Mountains).
One of the earliest descriptions
of the hill district where
The Kurumba Village Resort
is situated, is by Capt.S.B.Ward,
Dy. Surveyor General of
the then Madras Government:
“The climate of
these mountains,”
he said, “is perhaps
the finest known between
the tropics.” We,
in The Kurumba Village
Resort, are in perfect
agreement with him for
the simple reason that
the rain forests that
surround us have not been
tampered; the stream that
runs along the border
of The Kurumba Village
Resort is in its pristine
glory; the undula ting
mountains around us still
retain their age-long
majesty.
In the Kurumba Village
Resort, there is nothing
except the unobtrusive
hospitality, which is
quite in keeping with
the ancient tradition
of Tamil Nadu. There is
an episode (and its corresponding
verse) in Kamba Ramayanam,
an ancient classic in
Tamil, where Sita’s
sorrow is described in
terms of her thoughts
about Lord Rama’s
discomfiture over his
possible inability to
be a perfect host (in
the absence of Sita at
home!) The art of being
a perfect host is an essential
part of Tamil culture,
which is as old as earth
itself. (In fact, the
Tamils have an atavistic
saying which claims that
their culture began even
before stone and soil!).
Ootacamund, ‘the
Queen of Hill Stations’,
is only 32 Kms away and
is connected by road and
rail. Coonoor and Kotagiri
also have been developed
as enchanting tourist
spots. If you are a hitchhiker,
you can begin at the top
of them all! Dhodabetta
(big mountain) is the
highest reachable peak
in South India (8649ft.).
There are other beautiful
rainforest areas, such
as Mukurthi and unspoiled
hills and valleys, such
as Upper Bhavani. We have
professionally polished
facilities to help you
reach the other tourist
spots of Tamil Nadu from
the famous metropolis
Chennai (Madras) right
up to Kanyakumari where
the three seas mingle.
If you wish to extend
your trips to Kerala (God’s
own country) and Karnataka,
(the land of silk) we
can assist you too.. |
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| Climate |
| The
facetious remark that the Nilgiris has
only three seasons – cold, colder
and coldest – is absolutely unfounded
as far as The Kurumba Village Resort
is concerned because we are at an ideal
altitude. The climate is truly temperate
and there is no extreme of any kind.
The seasonal characteristics are generally
based on the onset of the North East
Monsoon and the South West Monsoon,
and their effects during the inter monsoon
periods. The rainfall around The Western
Catchment area such as Mukurthi and
Upper Bhavani is quite high. The Kurumba
Village Resort is never affected by
any of these extremes. However, the
perennial echoes of the climatic changes
are reflected in full in the spectacles
of our horizons. |
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| SEASON |
MIN |
MAX |
CLOTHING |
| OCT
- JAN |
11
Deg C |
24
Deg C |
Thick
Cotton |
| FEB
- JUNE |
20
Deg C |
30
Deg C |
Light
Cotton |
| MONSOON |
16
Deg C |
26
Deg C |
Raincoat |
| Please
bring your swim wear and sports
shoes |
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| Travel
Information |
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| Getting
to the Kurumba Village by road |
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| CITIES |
|
ROAD(Kms) |
| Coonoor |
: |
14 |
| Ooty |
: |
34 |
| Coimbatore |
: |
56 |
| Salem |
: |
221 |
| Kochi |
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249 |
|
Mysore |
: |
257 |
| Bangalore |
: |
335 |
| Chennai |
: |
547 |
| Hyderabad |
: |
958 |
| Mumbai |
: |
1321 |
| Distances
in kilometers |
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Time
taken to travel to Coimbatore
(Coimbatore has the Closest airport and
train station to the resort) |
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| Time
in Hours |
| CITIES |
|
AIR |
RAIL |
| Salem |
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-- |
2.5 |
| Kochi |
: |
.5 |
4 |
|
Mysore |
: |
-- |
5.5(bus) |
| Bangalore |
: |
.5 |
8 |
| Chennai |
: |
1 |
9 |
| Hyderabad |
: |
-- |
24 |
| Mumbai |
: |
1.5
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36 |
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| The
travel time between Coimbatore and the
resort is 80 minutes
by road. |
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| Location |
| Our
dreamland is situated adjacent to the
ghat road between Ooty and Mettuppalayam
at the area known as Upper Burliar.
Our resort could be reached also by
one of the most romantic of vehicles:
The Nilgiri Mountain Train except that
you reach Coonoor and travel by road
for 12 kms. According to the Discovery
Channel the Nilgiri Mountain Railway
is on the steepest track. And till Mettuppalayam
you could reach by the Blue Mountain
(The Nilgiri) Express on a broad gauge
train; From the bottom of the hill upto
Ooty it is by the Mountain Railway and
the Cog Wheel till Coonoor; To watch
the chugging of the train is one of
the most romantic experiences. The quaint
little stations with such old British
names as Runnymede Aderley and hill
grove are still there to charm you.
The plateau of the blue hills is about
35 miles from east to west and about
20 miles from north to south. Moyar
and Bhavani are the main rivers –
dents to which all the innumerable streams
join.
The vegetation of the valleys is typically
a dense and rather low (i.e. 50 - 60ft.)
forest with much undergrowth and many
epiphytes, mosses and ferns. Both tropical
and temperate flora occur, including
magnolia, rhododendrons and laurel. |
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The
Kurumba Village Resort
Ooty Mettupalayam Road
(between the 4rth and 5rth
hairpin bend)
Hill Grove Post
Kurumbadi - 643102
The Nilgiris
Tamil Nadu - INDIA. |
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