Munnar Tea Hills

The name Munnar is usually explained as three rivers in Malayalam, a reference to the Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala streams that meet here. Kerala Tourism records that a European planter, A. H. Sharp, first planted tea on about 50 acres in 1880. The estates grew under British companies, and the Kannan Devan Hills tea concession became the heart of the industry; Tata later acquired the plantations, which continue today.

The hills are also part of the ecologically rich Western Ghats. Eravikulam National Park, covering 97 sq km on the high plateau, was set aside to protect the Nilgiri tahr, a mountain goat found only in this part of southern India. Nearby rises Anamudi, which Kerala Tourism describes as the highest peak in South India. Every twelve years the slopes turn blue when the Neelakurinji shrub flowers en masse, an event that draws visitors from across the country.

Many residents are plantation workers whose families have lived on the estates for generations, including a large Tamil-speaking community, and the estate layouts of workers' lines, factories, schools and temples remain a distinctive feature. Munnar town has Hindu temples, churches and mosques, and its market sells tea, cardamom, pepper and home-made chocolate. The pace is unhurried, and evenings are cool enough for a jacket.