View source for Munnar

{{Short description|Town in Kerala, India}}
{{About||the 2009 film|Munnar (film)}}
{{pp-semi-indef}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Munnar
| other_name         = 
| settlement_type    = [[Town]]
| image_skyline      = Munnar Overview.jpg
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = A view of Munnar downtown.
| nickname           = 
| map_alt            = 
| map_caption        = 
| pushpin_map        = India Kerala#India
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_alt    = 
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|10|05|21|N|77|03|35|E|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = India
| subdivision_type1  = [[States and territories of India|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Kerala]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of districts of India|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Idukki District|Idukki]]
| subdivision_type3  = [[Talukas of Kerala|Taluk]]
| subdivision_name3  = [[Devikulam taluk|Devikulam]]
| established_title  = Established
| established_date   = 
| founder            = 
| named_for          = Three rivers [[confluence]]
| government_type    = [[Gram Panchayat|Grama Panchayat]]
| governing_body     = Munnar Grama Panchayat
| unit_pref          = Metric
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_rank          = 
| area_total_km2     = 187
| elevation_footnotes = <ref>[http://www.fallingrain.com/world/IN/13/Munnar.html Munnar - Fallingrain]</ref>
| elevation_m        = 1532
| population_total   = 32,029
| population_as_of   = 2011
| population_rank    = 
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro   = 
| population_metro_footnotes = 
| population_demonym = 
| population_footnotes = 
| demographics_type1 = Languages
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Malayalam]]<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kerala Official Language (Legislation) Act, 1969 |url=http://www.lawsofindia.org/pdf/kerala/1969/1969KERALA7.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140911111246/http://www.lawsofindia.org/pdf/kerala/1969/1969KERALA7.pdf|url-status=usurped|archive-date=11 September 2014}}</ref>
| demographics1_title2 = Regional
| demographics1_info2 = [[Tamil language|Tamil]],<ref name="languages">{{Cite web |title=Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Kerala |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/10209/download/13321/DDW-C16-STMT-MDDS-3200.XLSX |website=www.censusindia.gov.in |publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India]]}}</ref> [[Malayalam]]
| timezone1          = [[Indian Standard Time|IST]]
| utc_offset1        = +5:30
| postal_code_type   = [[Postal Index Number|PIN]]
| postal_code        = 685612
| area_code_type     = Telephone code
| area_code          = 04865
| registration_plate = [[List of RTO districts in India#KL—Kerala|KL]]-68, [[List of RTO districts in India#KL—Kerala|KL]]-06
| blank1_name_sec1   = [[Literacy]]
| blank1_info_sec1   = 84.9%
| website            = {{URL|keralatourism.org/destination}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Munnar''' ({{IPA|ml|muːn̪ːɐːr|IPA}}) is a [[town]] located in the [[Idukki district]] of the southwestern [[States and union territories of India|Indian state]] of [[Kerala]]. Munnar is situated at around {{convert|1600|m}} above [[mean sea level]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.keralatourism.org/destination/destination.php?id=306 |title=Munnar - the Hill Station of Kerala in Idukki {{!}} Kerala Tourism<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=21 June 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118183559/http://www.keralatourism.org/destination/destination.php?id=306 |archive-date=18 January 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> in the [[Western Ghats]] mountain range. This ancient [[plantation]] settlement, dominated by its [[tea industry]], is also a growing modern [[hill station]]. 
==Etymology==
The name Munnar is a combination of the words "Munnu" and "Aaru" in the local languages of [[Malayalam]]/[[Tamil language|Tamil]] meaning "three rivers",<ref>[http://www.munnarweb.com/munnar-history.html Munnar History<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120205234035/http://www.munnarweb.com/munnar-history.html|date=5 February 2012}}</ref> referring to its location at the [[confluence]] of the [[Muthirapuzha River|Muthirapuzha]], [[Nallathanni]] and [[Kundali River]] rivers.<ref>{{cite web|title=Munnar|url=http://www.keralatourism.org/destination/destination.php?id=306|access-date=21 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140118183559/http://www.keralatourism.org/destination/destination.php?id=306|archive-date=18 January 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
==History==
The region has been inhabited by hunter-gatherer tribals like the [[Malayarayan]] and [[Muthuvan]] for thousands of years.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=How the original inhabitants of Idukki were systematically displaced and deceived|url=https://www.onmanorama.com/districts/idukki/2018/02/28/original-inhabitants-idukki-displaced-deceived-tribals.html|access-date=2021-01-28|website=OnManorama}}</ref> In the early days, only [[Tamils]] and few [[Malayalis]] lived there. They were brought as workers in the tea plantations. Tradition states that Colonel [[Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington|Arthur Wellesley]], later the Duke of Wellington, was the first British person to pass through Munnar<ref>{{Cite web |last=varghese |date=2023-12-14 |title=Kannan Devan Hills- A Historical Genesis |url=https://keralamuseum.org/kannan-devan-hills-a-historical-genesis/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=The Kerala Museum |language=en-US}}</ref> during [[Tipu Sultan]]'s campaign in [[Travancore]], but this is unsubstantiated. The first survey of the terrain was undertaken by Benjamin Swayne Ward in 1816–1817, who followed Periyar into the [[Western Ghats]] and established a camp at the confluence of three rivers, from which the name of Munnar is derived.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Planting Century 1893-1993|last=S|first=Muthiah|publisher=-West Pvt Ltd., 62-A Ormes Road, Kilpauk, Madras-600010|year=1993|isbn=81-85938-04-0|location=Madras}}</ref>

50 years later [[Sir Charles Trevelyan, 1st Baronet|Sir Charles Trevelyan]] who was the Governor of [[Madras]], instructed Col. [[Douglas Hamilton]] to explore the hill country in the western part of the [[Madras Presidency]], requesting special advice on the feasibility of establishing sanatoria for the British in the South<ref>{{Cite web |title=HISTORY OF MUNNAR |url=https://vocal.media/journal/history-of-munnar |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Journal |language=en}}</ref> and of developing revenue- earning projects without endangering the environment, as had happened in [[Ceylon]] where coffee had destroyed not only the rain forest but also paddy cultivation in the north-central rice bowl of ancient Ceylon. Hamilton climbed throughout the Ghats in Munnar region. 15 years later, John Daniel Munro noted that much of Munnar's land was suitable for coffee plantations. Munro, Henry Turn, and his half-brother AW Turner obtained ownership of the [[Cardamom Hills]] from the Raja of Travancore and began clearing forest around [[Devikulam]] in 1879. Soon many other Europeans began establishing tea plantations in the area throughout the 1880s. Early plantations had few facilities and were mainly huts of straw.

Eventually roads were opened to the lowlands and in [[Bodinayakanur]] in western Madras Presidency, planters got provisions from a local headman - Suppan Chetty. He and his son, Alaganan Chetty (later an [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (India)|MLA]]) would continue providing supplies to the tea estates in the region. By 1894, 26 estates were established in the hills, but all were facing losses. In 1897, a separate company, [[Kannan Devan Hills]] Corporation (KDHC) was registered to operate the tea estates which was later taken over by the American Direct Tea Trading Company Ltd., who owned 26 estates, most with coffee and some with [[cinchona]], almost all in the area except for a few in the lower areas.

In 1900, a ropeway was built and eventually monorails were installed for easier transport of goods to the plains. In 1901, P. R. Buchanan took over as General Manager and began the most extensive clearing of jungles for plantations. In 1908, construction started on a new railway which opened in 1909. By 1911, around 16,000 acres of the region was under cultivation.

In 1924, a flood swept through Munnar, damaged the road and destroyed the rail track.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sulaiman |first=Nejma |date=2024-07-17 |title=On 100th anniversary of 1924 floods, Munnar shivers |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2024/Jul/17/on-100th-anniversary-of-1924-floods-munnar-shivers |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> In its place it was decided to create a ropeway to transport tea. In 1930, this in turn was replaced by a modern road that made transport much easier. By 1952, almost 28,000 acres of land was under cultivation. After [[Independence of India|Independence]], Indian planters took over. In 1964, the KDHC which owned most tea estates was acquired by [[Tata Group|Tata]] and Finlay who started the first instant tea factory in the country.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Our History |url=https://kdhptea.com/our-history/ |access-date=2025-02-26 |website=Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company (P) Limited |language=en-US}}</ref> In 1971, the Kerala government wanted to reforest all land in the hills not used for plantations. However, negotiations that followed resulted in Tata keeping most of the land, leaving it with 57,000 acres.

To this day, most tea estate labourers are landless. In the early 2000s, the [[Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi]], a [[Dalit]] outfit from [[Tamil Nadu]], started demanding land for the labourers, started making inroads into Kerala. In 2009, [[V. S. Achuthanandan|VS Achuthanandan]] promised his support for providing land to the mainly Tamil Dalit estate labourers. However, the process became very slow and as of 2018, most families still hand no land.<ref name="Vignessh">{{Cite web|last=Tamilarasu |first=Prabhakar |date=2020-08-13|title=The 'no land's men' in Munnar's tea estates|url=https://thefederal.com/news/the-no-lands-men-in-munnars-tea-estates-2/|access-date=2021-01-28|website=The Federal|language=en-US}}</ref>

The former Kunda Valley Railway in Munnar was destroyed by a flood in 1924, but in 2019 tourism officials were considering reconstructing the railway line to attract more tourists to the area.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.indiatimes.com/news/india/munnar-may-soon-get-train-service-nearly-a-century-after-the-great-flood-of-99-washed-away-kerala-s-first-railway-line-369776.html|title=Munnar May Soon Get Train Service, Nearly A Century After The 'Great Flood Of 99' Destroyed It|date=2019-06-24|website=indiatimes.com |language=en|access-date=2019-06-24 |first=Bobins |last=Abraham }}</ref>

==Geography==
The region in and around Munnar varies in height from {{convert|1450|m|ft|sp=us}} to {{convert|2695|m|ft|sp=us}} above [[mean sea level]]. The temperature ranges between {{convert|5|°C|°F}} and {{convert|25|°C|°F}} in winter and {{convert|15|°C|°F}} and {{convert|25|°C|°F}} in summer.<ref>{{cite web|title=Management Plan |url=http://eravikulam.org/managementplan.htm |publisher=Eravikulam National Park|access-date=2013-08-28|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060512070354/http://www.eravikulam.org/managementplan.htm|archive-date=12 May 2006|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Temperatures as low as {{convert|-4|°C|°F}} have been recorded in the Sevenmallay region of Munnar.<ref>{{cite web |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040313020140/http://www.hindu.com/2003/12/17/stories/2003121707061600.htm |title=Frost hits plantations in Munnar |archive-date=Mar 13, 2004 |url=http://www.hindu.com/2003/12/17/stories/2003121707061600.htm |website=The Hindu}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=August 2013}}{{failed verification|date=August 2013}}

[[Köppen-Geiger climate classification system]] classifies it as [[subtropical highland climate|subtropical highland]] (Cwb).<ref name="Climate-Data.org">{{cite web|title=Climate: Munnar&nbsp;— Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table|url=http://en.climate-data.org/location/34154/|publisher=Climate-Data.org|access-date=2013-08-28}}</ref>

{{Weather box
|location= Munnar
|metric first= yes
|single line= yes

|Jan high C=22.4
|Feb high C=23.7
|Mar high C=25.3
|Apr high C=25.6
|May high C=25.6
|Jun high C=23.7
|Jul high C=22.4
|Aug high C=22.8
|Sep high C=23.2
|Oct high C=22.7
|Nov high C=21.8
|Dec high C=21.9

|Jan mean C=17.6
|Feb mean C=18.7
|Mar mean C=20.2
|Apr mean C=21
|May mean C=21.4
|Jun mean C=20.3
|Jul mean C=19.3
|Aug mean C=19.5
|Sep mean C=19.6
|Oct mean C=19.2
|Nov mean C=18.3
|Dec mean C=17.7

|Jan low C=12.9
|Feb low C=13.7
|Mar low C=15.1
|Apr low C=16.5
|May low C=17.3
|Jun low C=16.9
|Jul low C=16.3
|Aug low C=16.3
|Sep low C=16
|Oct low C=15.7
|Nov low C=14.8
|Dec low C=13.5

|precipitation colour=green
|Jan precipitation mm=18
|Feb precipitation mm=29
|Mar precipitation mm=47
|Apr precipitation mm=129
|May precipitation mm=189
|Jun precipitation mm=420
|Jul precipitation mm=583
|Aug precipitation mm=364
|Sep precipitation mm=210
|Oct precipitation mm=253
|Nov precipitation mm=164
|Dec precipitation mm=64

|Jan rain days= 2
|Feb rain days= 2
|Mar rain days= 3
|Apr rain days= 6
|May rain days= 8
|Jun rain days= 9
|Jul rain days= 10
|Aug rain days= 9
|Sep rain days= 10
|Oct rain days= 12
|Nov rain days= 8
|Dec rain days= 5

<!--
Not with that precision in citation
-->
|Jan sun= 248
|Feb sun= 232
|Mar sun= 248
|Apr sun= 240
|May sun= 217
|Jun sun= 120
|Jul sun= 124
|Aug sun= 124
|Sep sun= 150
|Oct sun= 155
|Nov sun= 180
|Dec sun= 217

|source 1 = ''Climate-Data.org'', altitude: 1461m<ref name="Climate-Data.org"/>

<!--
Sunshine isn't with that precision in citation
-->
|source 2 = ''Weather2Travel'' for sunshine and rainy days<ref>{{cite web|title=Munnar Climate and Weather Averages, Kerala|url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/india/kerala/munnar.php|publisher=Weather2Travel|access-date=2013-08-28}}</ref>

|date=January 2015}}

== Transportation ==

=== Road ===
[[File:Munnar K.S.R.T.C Stand - മൂന്നാർ കെ.എസ്.ആർ.ടി.സി ബസ് സ്റ്റാൻഡ് 02.JPG|thumb|Munnar KSRTC bus stand]]
Munnar is well connected by both National highways, state highways and rural roads. The town lies in the [[Kochi]] - [[Dhanushkodi]] National highway (N.H 49), about {{cvt|130|km|mi}} from Cochin, {{cvt|31|km|mi}} from [[Adimali]], {{cvt|85|km|mi}} from [[Udumalaipettai]] in [[Tamil Nadu]] and {{cvt|60|km|mi}} from [[Neriyamangalam]].

Distance from major cities & tourist destinations.
* [[Aluva]] - 109&nbsp;km
* [[Varkala]] - 245&nbsp;km
* [[Thiruvananthapuram|Trivandrum]] - 280&nbsp;km
* from Kochi - Ernakulam - 150&nbsp;km

===Railway===
The nearest railway station is [[Bodinayakkanur]] (68&nbsp;km) in Tamil Nadu and nearest major railway stations in Kerala are at [[Ernakulam]] (126&nbsp;km) and [[Aluva]] (110&nbsp;km).

Kerala State Road Transport Corporation ([[Kerala State Road Transport Corporation|KSRTC]]) bus stand is in walking distance from [[Aluva railway station|Aluva Railway Station]], and buses are available for Munnar every hour.

===Airport===
The nearest airport is [[Cochin International Airport]], which is {{convert|110|km|mi}} away. The [[Coimbatore]] and [[Madurai]] airports are {{nowrap|{{convert|165|km}}}} from Munnar.

==Administration==
The Panchayat of Munnar formed on January 24, 1961, and it is divided into 21 wards for administrative convenience. [[Coimbatore]] district lies to the north, [[Pallivasal]] to the south, [[Devikulam]] and [[Marayoor]] to the east, and [[Mankulam (Kerala)|Mankulam]] and [[Kuttampuzha]] Panchayats to the west.

==Demographics==
According to the [[2011 census of India|2011 Census]], Munnar Grama Panchayat had a total population of 32,039. 16,061 were males and 15,968 were females, with 7,968 families total residing therein. Children represented in the age group of 0-6 were 2,916 (9.1% of the total population), which constitutes 1,478 males and 1,438 females. Munnar Panchayat had an overall literacy rate of 84.85%, substantially lower than the Kerala state average of 94.00%. Male literacy stands at 91.05% and female literacy at 78.64%.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Kerala |first1=Directorate of Census Operations |title=District Census Handbook, Idukki |publisher=Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala |location=Thiruvananthapuram |page=92,93 |url=https://censusindia.gov.in/2011census/dchb/3209_PART_B_IDUKKI.pdf |access-date=14 July 2020}}</ref>

==Flora and fauna==
[[File:Varayadu.JPG|thumb|A [[Nilgiri tahr]] at Rajamalai near Munnar]]
Most of the native flora and fauna of Munnar have disappeared due to severe [[habitat fragmentation]] resulting from creation of the plantations. However, some species continue to survive and thrive in several [[Protected areas of Kerala|protected areas]] nearby, including the new [[Kurinjimala Sanctuary]] to the east, the [[Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary]], [[Manjampatti Valley]] and the Amaravati reserve forest of [[Indira Gandhi National Park|Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary]] to the north east, the [[Eravikulam National Park]] and [[Anamudi Shola National Park]] to the north, the [[Pampadum Shola National Park]] to the south and the proposed [[Palani Hills National Park]] to the east.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}

=== Endemic species ===
These protected areas are especially known for several [[threatened]] and [[Endemism|endemic]] species including [[Nilgiri Thar]], the [[grizzled giant squirrel]], the [[Nilgiri wood-pigeon]], [[Indian elephant|elephant]], the [[gaur]], the [[Nilgiri langur]],  the [[Sambar (deer)|sambar]], and the [[Neelakurinji]] (that blossoms only once in twelve years).<ref>{{cite news |title=Government of Kerala, Forest and Wildlife Department, Notification No. 36/2006 F&WLD |date=6 October 2006 |access-date=2007-12-05 |url=http://kurinji.in/sro.html |work=Kerala Gazette |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071230112312/http://kurinji.in/sro.html |archive-date=30 December 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Mathew |last=Roy |date=25 September 2006 |title=Proposal for Kurinjimala sanctuary awaits Cabinet nod |access-date=2007-12-05 |url=http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/25/stories/2006092510910400.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001045106/http://www.hindu.com/2006/09/25/stories/2006092510910400.htm|url-status=dead|work=[[The Hindu]] |archive-date=1 October 2007}}</ref>

==Land ownership==
There has been action to address the problems of property takeovers by the [[land mafia]] that have, according to successive governments, plagued the area. In 2011, the government estimated that 20,000 hectares of land had been illegally appropriated and launched a campaign of evictions that had first been mooted in 2007.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=WS120711kerala.asp |date=12 July 2011 |title=Kerala government launches eviction drive in Munnar |first=Jeemon |last=Jacob |access-date=2014-07-10 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120827093815/http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=WS120711kerala.asp |archive-date=27 August 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Galery ==
<gallery mode="packed">
File:Munnar 25-10-10 13-52-43-764.jpg|View of tea estates in [[Kolukkumalai]], a hamlet nearby Munnar, in [[Theni district]], [[Tamil Nadu]].
File:Mattupetty Lake View.jpg|[[Tea plantation|Tea plantations]] around [[Mattupetty Dam|Mattupetty lake]] in Munnar surroundings.
File:Tea plantations in Munnar, Kerala.jpg|Plantations in Munnar.
File:Munnar - Tea Plantations.jpg|The town of Munnar from the neighbouring plantations.
</gallery>

==See also==
{{Portal|India}}
* [[Bisonvalley]]
* [[Kunchithanny]]
* [[Marayur]]
* [[KDHP Tea Museum ]]
* [[2015 Munnar Plantation strike]]
* [[Rajakkad]]


==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Munnar}}

{{Authority control}}
{{Tourism in Kerala}}

[[Category:Munnar| ]]
[[Category:Hill stations in Kerala]]
[[Category:Populated places in the Western Ghats]]
[[Category:Cities and towns in Idukki district]]
[[Category:Tourism in Kerala]]
[[Category:Tourism in Idukki district]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Idukki district]]