kerla

HILLSTATIONS OF KERALA

Devikulam :

Devikulam is a small hill station about 16 km from Munnar in the Idukki District of the southern state of Kerala in India. It is 1800 m above sea level.

Legend:

The name Devikulam means:

Devi -> Seeta Devi and Kulam -> Pond

According to legend, the goddess Sita Devi of the Ramayana epic bathed in the beautiful Devikulam lake waters surrounded by lush, green hills, now named Sita Devi Lake. The lake draws tourists not only because of its sacredness but also for the curative powers of its mineral waters. Most of the inhabitants in this town speak Tamil. Nearby, are the scenic Pallivasal Waterfalls, dense, green tea plantations, and the natural vegetation of slim red and blue gum trees.

Places Where You Can Visit:

Munnar: A hill station [a high station] of spectacular views, where three mountain streams confluence. Munnar waterway offers boating facility. Anamudi the highest peak in South India [2695m] is an ideal spot for trekking. Among the exotic flora found in the forests and grasslands is the Nelelakurinji, the flower that bathes the hills in blue every twelve years will bloom next 2006 AD. Eravikulam National park is another attraction. Munnar is 130 km east of Kochi and 70 km north of Kumily.

Chinnar Wildlife: From Munnar- Uthummal Petah route; 94 sq Km area the Chinar wild life sanctuary situated. Elephants, buffalo, tiger, leopard can be seen at this sanctuary.

Kumily: Kumily is the junction town straddling the Kerala Tamilnadu border just north of park boundary. It 's a busy place full of spice shops, located about 4 Km from Thekkady. The boat trip in the lake are the standard way of seeing the Sanctuary. The standard two hour boat trips available. Jungle walks can also be interesting.

Mangalam Devi Temple: this temple is just a jumple of ruins and the views are magnificiant. The festival of this temple falls on the day of 'Chaitra Pournami'

Marayur: Place of the Sandal Forest. Very old 'Sannyasi Caves also can be seen here. Famous for hand woven 'Pattu Sarees'. ' Marayur Sarkara' [Molasses] also famous.

Moolamattom: Kerala's biggest undergound Electricity generating project.

Idukki: The first dam in India at River Periyar. Wild life Sanctuary is also at Idukki. Plenty of elephants can be found here.

Rajamala: It is the part of the National Park,14 km from Munnar where Tahir Goats can be seen.

About the Weather:
You may enjoy the cool mountain air throughout the year,here at Devikulam.

 Munnar:

 Munnar (Malayalam: മൂന്നാര്‍) is a town located in the Idduki district of India's Kerala state, situated in the south Western Ghats of India, the name Munnar usually refers to the whole tourist area of the Idukki District of which the town forms only a small part.The name Munnar is believed to be derived from the Malayalam words Munu (three) and aaru (river), referring to the town's strategic location at the confluence of the Muthirappuzha, Nallathanni and Kundaly rivers. The Munnar panchayat in the Devikulam block is the largest panchayat in the Idduki district having an area measuring nearly 557 km². Essentially a pass  ; the area around Munnar is surrounded by vast jungles and remains wet and cold during most of the year. The entire area of Munna officially belongs to the government of Kerala; though the Poonjar royal family (its pre-independence owners) have made claims to the contrary. Sprawling tea plantations, picture book towns, winding lanes, trekking and holiday facilities make Munnar a unique experience for the tourist and traveller. Munnar is essentially a tea town. There is a large population of people from Tamil Nadu.

Geography and climate:

The region in and around Munnar varies in height from 2,000 meters (6,562 ft) to 2,600 meters (8,530 ft) above mean sea level. Munnar enjoys a salubrious climate. The temperature ranges between −10 °C (14 °F) and 0 °C (32 °F) in winter and 8 °C (46.4 °F) and 16 °C (60.8 °F) in summer. The tourist season in Munnar is from August to May. However, even the monsoons are lovely with many streams and rivulets in the area and post drizzle the dew drenched tea gardens looking majestic and heavenly enshrouded in light mist

Economy:

Most residents of Munnar are employed in the tea industry, or are involved in the tourism business. In 2000, the Government of Kerala declared Munnar as a tourist spot. This has helped in attracting more tourists to this beautiful hill resort. Several protected wildlife areas and the regions attractive climate area attract many tourists who support the many hotels, restaurants and transport businesses in Munnar and constitute an important, if seasonal, mainstay for its economy.

Munnar tea gardens.

 

Tourism:

Until the early 1990s, Munnar, despite its enchanting natural beauty and salubrious climate, continued to remain a sleepy plantation town. Its tourism potential was realised only by the Sterling Group and Mahindra Holidays. However, the promotion of Kerala globally as God's Own Country and the rapidly increasing spending capacity of middle class Indians has resulted in a virtual explosion of tourism activities in Munnar. Resorts, big and small,have started springing up all around the town and overnight the once sleepy town has became a bustling tourist destination. Many of the developments done by unscrupulous investors have had a significant detrimental impact on the environment in Munnar and the once romantic beauty of the "sleepy town of Munnar" has significantly eroded over the years. Moreover the huge throng of domestic and foreign tourists in their buses and cars have added to pollution in Munnar and stretched the town's infrastructure and service delivery systems to their limits.

 

Munnar hill station, Kerala	Munnar Top Station	Mattupetty Dam reservoir, near Munnar

Earlier most of the land around Munnar was leased out to planters and the only activity permitted on such leased land was plantation of cardamom. Ownership continued to remain with the Government and even cutting of trees on such leased land was prohibited. However, the recent development of resorts has resulted in large scale deforestation and violation of government regulations governing land use, forests and plantation cultivation. It ultimately came to a pass in 2007, and the Government sprung into action to demolish illegal resort constructions to restore the beauty of the town.

Irrespective of all this, tourism has flourished over the years in Munnar and important tourist activities include boating (in the reservoirs of the many dams), trekking, parasailing, hot air ballooning and camping and wild life safaris in the jungles and sanctuary.

The presence of all these activities and more has ultimately led to Munnar becoming a choice destination for foreign as well as domestic tourists. One can also see people from nearby districts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu thronging the town during weekends.

Munnar was the starting point of Kundala Valley Railway functional between 1890 to 1924.

Nelliampath:

 

Nelliampathi is a popular hill station 60 km away from Palakkad in Kerala a small state in south India. It is famous for its tea and coffee plantations and the excellent weather condition. The journey to Nelliampathi itself is an experience. The only route is from Nemmara, from where the first town of Nelliampathi, namely KaikattyPothundi Dam, a small irrigation dam which provides water for the rice fields in the surrounding area. The dam is at the foot of the Nelliampathi hills. From here, the road winds up for the next 17 km, with many hairpin turns on the way. Immediately after Pothundy dam, comes the government forest, where one can see massive teak trees. The road is very narrow and requires a skilled driver behind the wheels. On the way, one can see wild animals like monkey, deer and porcupine. The view of the Pothundy dam from the height is a breathtaking sight. There will be many waterfalls by the roadside during the rainy season. junction, is at a distance of 26 km. At the 9th kilometer is the

How to reach there:

Nearest Airports: Cochin International Airport and Coimbatore Airport

From Cochin Airport: Come to Thrissur - 30 km; take a taxi or bus from Thrissur bus stand to Nemmara - 48 km.
From Coimbatore Airport: Come to Palakkad - 50 km; take a taxi or bus to Nemmara - 30 km.
From Nemmara you can take a taxi or a four wheeler vehicle (jeep) to Neliiampathi.

Nearest main railway stations: Palakkad, Thrissur and Coimbatore

Peermade:

Peermade, also transliterated as Perumade Peerumed or Peermede, is a hill station in the state of Kerala, India. It is high in the Western Ghats, 915 meters above sea level, and 85 km east of Kottayam on the way to Thekkady.

The landscape of Peermade includes spectacular waterfalls, open grass lands and pine forests. It was once the summer retreat of the Maharajas of Travancore.

Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest wildlife reserves in India, is 43 km away. It has herds of elephants and other wildlife as well as lakes.

The name is sometimes related to the Sufi saint, Peer Mohammed, or means "hill of the Peer".

Spices:

The area is very fertile and the area had until recently lush plantations of coffee, tea, cardamon, and coconut. The area, with a long history of spice growing, now concentrates on producing organic black pepper, white pepper, ginger and turmeric.

At a recent show spice growers from Peermade displayed samples of organically grown spices like cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, mace, cloves, turmeric, ginger, vanilla beans, vanilla powder and herbs like oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary. Oils of thyme and rosemary were also displayed.