Introduction (A Glance)
Munnar is a small little town located towards the southern part of Kerala in South India. It is basically a chain of beautiful hills and mountains situated at an altitude of 6000 to 9000 feet above sea level. This by itself would give you a fair idea about how cold and popular this place could be with regards to tourism. The name Munnar meaning ‘Three rivers’ is derived from the two common languages spoken in the area, Malayalam and Tamil. As a matter of fact there are three rivers called, Madupetti, Nallathanni and Periavaru which flow through the town and join a few kilometres away from the town. Like the many other famous hill stations in India, Munnar too was the one of the most preferred summer retreat for the British government in south India. The beauty of this place is so captivating that it has inspired many a mind including poets, artists, film makers, and even honeymooners young and old. The sprawling tea gardens reaching out to the horizon, the deep winding lanes, the picture perfect landscapes and sceneries make this a place ideal for everyone who is looking for a destination to lay back and let time pass.
The history of Munnar is quite interesting if u look at it. The place originally was developed mainly to cultivate tea by the British who then ruled India. Many people from the surrounding localities were solely employed to cultivate tea mostly comprising of Malayalis and Tamilians. Between the late 1890’s and 1921 the tea cultivated here was of high export quality and was shipped across the world. Soon there were plantations for coffee too. Munnar is almost entirely occupied and owned by the Tata Group of companies. The entire landscape owned is called the high range, also known as the Kanan Devan Hills from which the company named its famous tea brand. In April 2005, the Tata group divested its holdings on the tea plantations area soon after which the employees who worked there purchased most of the land and are still running the business under the mighty Kanan Devan brand name