Visiting Kodaikanal after watching ‘Manjummel Boys’? Prepare to apply for an e-pass; here is how

Starting today, vehicles entering the Ooty and Kodaikanal hill stations of Tamil Nadu will need e-passes from the government. This pilot run of issuing e-passes—till the end of June—to monitor the influx of vehicles to these tourist hotspots, comes after a Madras High Court directive to the state government on April 29.

A bench of Justices N Sathish Kumar and D Bharatha Chakravarthy noted that over 20,000 vehicles enter Kodaikanal every day causing ‘irreparable damage to the environment’. However, there is no upper limit on the issuance of these passes.

Kodaikanal, steeped in history and natural splendor, has always been a favored summer destination since its establishment by American missionaries and British bureaucrats in the nineteenth century. At the heart of Kodaikanal’s allure lies the legacy of the 1991 movie Gunaa, directed by Santhana Bharathi with Kamal Haasan in the lead.

The movie featured the notorious cave dubbed ‘Devil’s Kitchen’, where the hauntingly beautiful song Kanmani Anbodu was filmed. Driven by the film’s influence, it has been called ‘Guna Caves’ ever since.

The town is experiencing a resurgence in tourism, thanks in no small part to cinema again. Manjummel Boys, which narrates the riveting real-life survival account of a group of friends and their misadventures in the ‘Guna Caves’ in 2006, put Kodaikanal back on the map for many.

The film has sparked a renewed interest in the region, with travelers from far and wide, flocking to the place to experience the second-hand horrors of the ‘Devil’s Kitchen’ in the flesh. This unprecedented surge has raised concerns about over-tourism and its impact on the environment and local communities.

Film-induced tourism, while a boon to local economic growth and cultural exchange, poses significant challenges such as overcrowding, environmental degradation, and risks to indigenous flora and fauna. The commodification of local culture and the favouring of tourist demands over that of the local community are crucial issues too.

Manjummel Boys, the highest-grossing Malayalam film of all time, boasting a 240 crore worldwide box-office collection, just concluded its 73-day run in the theaters. The movie is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.

How to apply for an e-pass for Nilgiris and Kodaikanal

Applications for entry permits can be made through the e-pass portal https://epass.tnega.org/. Here is a step-by-step guide.

1. Choose whether you’re travelling to these destinations from outside India or from within India

Source: epass.tnega.org

2. Once you choose you’re from within India, log in to the portal with your mobile number. You will need an OTP.

Source: epass.tnega.org

Source: epass.tnega.org

Source: epass.tnega.org

Source: epass.tnega.org

Mehadhiya KF is an intern at indianexpress.com