Travelling is like
a poem, it keeps you enthralled.
My husband and I
decided to listen to our girls and chose Munnar , a hill station in Kerala as
our summer vacation spot. Kerala though called Gods own country wasnt very
climate friendly. Kerala famous for its backwaters or inland lakes, sun and
sand , beaches, ayurveda, the verdant paddy fields and the kera or coconut from
which it drives its name. Always hot and humid . It is said that Kerala was
carved from the sea by a battle axe wielded and flung by an avatar of Vishnu
named Parashu rama. I always wondered how the Gods survived its sweltering
heat.
But we were told that Munnar being a hilly
area and a plantation location was cold. Cold in Kerala? Any way we packed
excitedly ( going anywhere with the family was exciting), putting in a few warm
shawls for good measure.Fastening the windows ,locking the doors, and tossing
the bags in, we were finally on our way. Dad took the wheel of our golden Honda
city and we all settled down. It is going to be a long journey with Dad at the
wheel, muttered my girls . It was true come hell or high water my husband
wouldnt go beyond 60km!
I switched on the
stereo . Hmmm heavan. I couldnt doze off as the highway was busy.We kept
talking and snacking . From Coimbatore
to Udumalpet and then Munnar. As we were on the leeward side of the Western
ghats , the landscape was dry and deciduous. We reached the Tata
tea estate,The Kannan Devan tea estate named after Kannan Thevar , a chieftain
of the hills.
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Munnar, at a height of
1600metres above sea level is the tea capital of Kerala with 45000 hectares
of land under tea cultivation. The British started tea plantations in
Munnar and the mountains and valleys here are draped with endless rows of
tea plants. This hill station was a summer retreat of British
India. The tea estate Bungalows of the erstwhile British
managers built in the colonial style are the remnants of the lifestyle of
these pioneer planters.
The Tata tea company owned most of the tea estates in Munnar. The hills of
Munnar got the name Kannan Devan hills from the headman of Anchanad valley
(a region in Munnar) Kannan Thevar. From Kannan Devan hills Tata tea's
famous brand name Kannan Devan originated .Now Tata tea has transferred the
estates to Kannan Devan hill Plantation Company a consortium consisting of
employees.
We checked into The Abad plaza
hotel and had a quick bath and change. None of us wanted to be indoors in
such invigorating surroundings and wonder of wonders it was indeed cold!But
after dinner we decided to sleep. We were tired .
Early
morning after a heathy breakfast
and Chaya straight from the tea estate we set out sightseeing. The
sight of the women picking tea leaves and putting them into bags slung over
the shoulder reminded me of Wordsworths highland lass.
A visit to the " TeaMuseum"
at Nallathani estate helped us understand
the history of tea plantations in Munnar.
The wild life sanctuary Eravikulam National park is just 15kms from
Munnar.Rajamalai, part of the park is the home to the Nilagiri Tahr, the
rare mountain goat.To our delight we actually spotted one.
The highest peak in south India Anamudi with a height of 2695 metres is at EravikulamPark. We learnt that Munnar, the name derives
from the "three rivers" Mudrapuzha, Nallathani and Kundala that
flows by to PeriyarRiver.
The green scenic beauty of the sloping tea plantations and the blue of the
sky were indeed a rare combination.I am sure Mom wants a sari in this
combo , smiled my daughters and I was sure I would too. By afternoon we
visited MattupettyLake
, a scenic picnic spot with boating facilities. The Indo-Swiss Live stock
project at Mattupetty, a cattle farm with a variety of breeds of high
yielding cattle is a place worth visiting. Echo point on the way to top
station is a favorite tourist spot where natural echo reverberates. All of
us stood and screamed our lungs out to hear the echoes.
Kundala has a golf course, which belongs
to Kannan Devan hill plantation company ltd. The Kundala dam and lake are
also a major attraction. Top station at a height of 1700 metres offers
fantastic views.The Nilakurinji (stroblanthus) flower would bloom once in
twelve years and the mountains would be abloom with it. But unfortunately
we couldnt see it.
Kerala 's only sandalwood forest is at Marayoor.There is a sandalwood
factory run by KeralaForest
department. The Stone Age Murals and etchings on the caves known as
Muniyaras at Marayoor is an interesting place. We were quite tired by now
and returned to Abad.
We did not go to some other
scenic spots as we had covered the important bits.We just relaxed in the
hotel for two days .They had arranged a few programs to keep the tourists
busy. An ayurvedic massage and sauna was also included. It was fun to sink
into near oblivion under the expert hands of the masseuse.
Anyway we returned to Bangalore
absolutely detoxed and rejuvenated.
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