Berijam Lake

Berijam Lake is a reservoir in the upper Palani hills at the end of Pillar Rocks Road, 21 kilometres south-west of Kodaikanal Lake, on the old site of 'Fort Hamilton'. A natural lake once formed here when a hillside slipped and dammed a stream. In 1864 Colonel Douglas Hamilton recommended the spot for a cantonment, though the outpost named after him was only a small hut. The present lake was created in 1867 with money given by Sir Vere Levinge, Collector of Madurai, and now supplies drinking water to Periyakulam.

The Forest Department controls entry: permits are issued at its Kodaikanal office, numbers are limited each day, and the area is open from 9.30 am to 3 pm. An observation tower beyond the 13-kilometre marker overlooks the lake and forest. A forest camp with an eco-education centre offers a nature trail, a medicinal garden, a museum, grassland and shola. The old roads to Munnar and Kavunji serve as walking trails, where bison, elephants and leopards are sometimes met.