‘Manjummel Boys’ effect: Guna Caves now Kodai’s top tourist spot

MADURAI: ‘Manjummel Boys’, a Malayalam language movie shot mostly in ‘Guna Caves’, the popular tourism spot in the hill station of Kodaikanal, Dindigul district, appealed so much to youth, who keep flocking to it.

It leaves the movie goers with different experience and after watching this survival thriller film, which hit the screens last week and performing pretty well, many of them were turning up to ‘Guna Caves’, which traditionally known as ‘Devil’s Kitchen’

The arrival of tourists mostly from Kerala has created a newest trend in Kodaikanal tourism during this off peak season, A.Robin, tourist guide, Kodaikanal said, adding that usually these days people especially students devote much of their time preparing for annual exams, A. Robin, a tourist guide in Kodaikanal said on Wednesday.

Guna Caves, known for its scenic beauty with foggy weather emanating from the caves and giant tree roots seemingly growing above ground, is one of the top tourism draws on Twelve Mile Road in Kodaikanal. The holidaymakers could access some portions in front of the Guna Caves, but were restricted by the Forest Department to spend their time inside the Caves, citing safety reasons, he told DT Next. Since the tourists could not access the caves, the authorities concerned could put up a photo gallery featuring the natural wonders of the ‘Guna Caves’.

It’s so calm and serene where the Devil’s Kitchen, the ancient treasure of Kodaikanal, discovered by the British citizen in 1821, became so familiar after a Tamil film ‘Guna’ donned by Kamal Haasan and premiered in 1991. Based on a true incident occurred in the Guna Caves in 2006, the play centered on a group of friends from Manjummel, a town in Kerala, spent their vacation in Kodaikanal, where it turned upside down for the vacationing youth as one of them got trapped accidentally and eventually got rescued by his fellow friends, he said.

Recalling his first visit to the Guna Caves along with a group of eleven friends in 2000, Jean Mackenzie Samuel, a tourist from Madurai, said it’s not restricted then when they lit candles while entering the Caves. The authorities could contemplate building skywalk structure beside the watch tower to have a good view, he said.

According to H. Govindaraj, Kodaikanal Tourism Officer, says there’s a good turnout of tourists especially at Guna Caves on weekends.

D Sudha, Assistant Tourism Officer, Kodaikanal, said monthly average turnout of tourists in Guna Caves is about 14,000.

But these days of growing mania depicting scenes in the Caves, the turnout of tourists is on the increasing trend. With a watch tower in place, the tourists were enjoying the view to some extent of the Caves.