Overview
Gerard Manley Hopkins’ famous poem, “Pied Beauty”, is the most appropriate epigram for our initial brochure because of multiple reasons. To begin with, it could easily be our grateful prayer of thanksgiving for being able to establish a dreamland. In the past two years, we have had the opportunity of appreciating Nature’s infinite sights, sounds and significances, while plotting the landscape, or, piecing together the fifteen resort dwellings, which would retain the pristine glory of the hill country along with the ultra-modern amenities we have endeavored to incorporate. Therefore, we readily chant and gratefully repeat the great poet’s chiseled words. The Kurumba Village Resort, undoubtedly, contains an ambience with plenty of poetic possibilities. Our joyful seeking of a link with a jubilant poet’s scintillating list of Nature’s panorama is simple and natural; we are also intensely aware of the breath-taking beauty of the enchanting approaches to TKVR: the variously enchanting musical notes of the delightful chirping of nearly thirty species of birds readily noticeable in the Resort area.
The unique “sprung” rhythm of Hopkins’ poetry also has links with our thought process which includes the kaleidoscopic spectacles focused on the stretching skyline around The Kurumba Village Resort; we also think of the thrills emanating from fickle and fast-changing climatic conditions. Our deep appreciation of the meticulousness with which our architect has mingled the idyllic and pristine qualities of an ancient land with ultra modern amenities into a perfectly pleasurable blend has to be recorded at this juncture.
Resort Overview
The Kurumba Village Resort is a rare aromatic arena; far from spicing with mere words, we have established the fifteen 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!
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.
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 undulating mountains around us still retain their age-long majesty.
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.
Climate Conditions
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.
| 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
Travel Information
Getting to the Kurumba Village by road
| CITIES | ROAD |
| Coonoor | 14 |
| Ooty | 34 |
| Coimbatore | 56 |
| Salem | 221 |
| Kochi | 249 |
| Mysore | 257 |
| Bangalore | 335 |
| Chennai | 547 |
| Hyderabad | 958 |
| Mumbai | 1321 |
Distances in Kilometers
Time taken to travel to Coimbatore
(Coimbatore has the closest airport and train station to the resort)
Time in Hours
| CITIES | AIR | RAIL |
| Salem | -- | 2.5 |
| Kochi | 5 | 4 |
| Mysore | -- | 5.5(bus) |
| Bangalore | 5 | 8 |
| Chennai | 1 | 9 |
| Hyderabad | -- | 24 |
| Mumbai | 1.5 | 36 |
The travel time between Coimbatore and the resort is 80 minutes by road.
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 Mettupalayam 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 occurs, including magnolia, rhododendrons and laurel.
The Kurumba Village Resort
Ooty Mettupalayam Road, |
