The History of Kumily is nothing but the story of Man’s struggle with nature. Major changes occurred in and around Kumily only after the arrival of the British colonists who obtained these regions from the local rulers and transformed the forestlands into cultivatable areas.
The 1920s saw the arrival of many Malayalis to this area. While there are many such versions of how the settlers came to Kumily, We at “Kumily Calling” had the good fortune to meet and discuss the early history of Kumily with Satheesh Dhamodar, Managing Partner of Ranger Wood Nature Castle who is a third generation settler of the Damodhar Family which came from Alleppy during the early part of the 20th Century. We were also curious to know more about the Ranger Wood connection to Kumily.
According to him during the World War there came about a great shortage of food and to overcome this scarcity the then Travancore Raja offered land to anyone who was willing to settle down in Kumily under the condition that they cultivate food crops in the jungle to overcome the famine.
Satheesh’s grandfather was one such settler who came to Kumily from Alleppy but found the going very hard. Agriculture in these parts during those times was a very difficult endeavour and had to find alternate livelihood including catching the fish in the dam during those days.
Satheesh’s Father, Shri Dhamodar was a skilled Varma Kalai (The Art of Manipulating the Nerves of the Body) Asan and Kalari expert who became a contractor carrying out repair work in the dam and building homes in the area. He had four children. It was during the sixties that he built the “Ambika Tourist Home” giving the place his wife’s name. Ambika Tourist Home was very popular during those days for the dam and the wildlife around it began to attract Tourists from all over the world.
Satheesh and his brothers were trained by their father in the Art of Varma. During those days Varma and the Kerala style of Massage was not very common in Kumily. When the brothers grew up they began to provide spa services to Tourists under a tree near their Tourist Home in the nineties. Shri Dhamodar passed away in 1996 and the brothers then took over the upkeep of the Home though they also found different careers in other places.
It was only in 2008 that the Ambika Tourist Home was transformed into the Ranger Wood Nature Castle by the brothers in memory of a famous Anglo Indian Ranger of the 20th Century who was called Ranger Wood. According to Satheesh it was Ranger Wood who served the cause of conservation and curbed the poaching of Tigers which was then widely prevalent. It was nice to hear that the brothers had decided to pay tribute to him by naming their resort after him.
Set in an incredible natural environment near the Periyar Tiger Reserve Forest, The Ranger Wood Nature Castle is now a preferred destination for all nature lovers. The Tree Houses and rooms here offer a perfect view of the forest from which wildlife including deer, monkeys, and bison as well as the occasional Tiger can be spotted.
Ranger Wood’s Nature Castle also has a spa where many traditional rejuvenating therapies are offered for healing and pain relief. Guests can also enjoy a swim in the property’s swimming pool and taste the delicious continental and local Indian delicacies served at the in-house restaurant.
If you are in Kumily and looking for a perfect getaway “Ranger Wood Nature Castle” is a great place for you.
