Munnar - the jewel of the south

In today''s high strung and tension-filled world we all need a retreat where we can refresh our spirits and throw out the accoutrements of everyday existence. Munnar, in Kerala, offers one such retreat where you can definitely re-charge your batteries.

Situated at a height of over 1,700 metres above sea level, this place is a nature lover''s paradise. If you seek a sense of peace be sure to find it here. This is where you can fill your holidays with quiet moments and take in vast expanses of green that play hide-and-seek with the clouds which keep descending on thearea. This is where you can savour the peace and quiet (you would never get in a concrete jungle!) within the cool stillness of the several tea gardens that dot the skyline.

One of the ways of approaching Munnar is from Thekkady. The distance from Thekkady to Munnar is approximately 110 km through some of the narrowest roads that hug the hills. As the car veers from side to side in its quest up the hill, you see only hills and the valleys  alternating their position in line with the turn of the steering wheel.

Once every now and then, the calm scenery is broken by the quaint and small villages and towns with tongue-twister names -- Anakarai, Nedunkandan, Sanathapuram and the like. These hamlets seemingly spring up from nowhere and break the monotony of the undulating greenery forcing you to wonder "How do people live in such far flung places and what do they do to keep themselves occupied?" Truly, time seems to stand still at these places and, even a good speed of 40 kph seems excruciatingly slow.

That the boundaries of Munnar are fast approaching is announced very loud and clear. The dense forests give way to a great expanse of hills covered with neatly laid out tea gardens.

Yes, Munnar is the haven of planters -- having been discovered nearly a century ago by pioneer planters who came to India. The tea and cardamom estates dominate the entire landscape -- and, indeed, the entire life of Munnar. In particular, Tata Tea Ltd. is, like God, omnipresent at this place -- with nearly every acre of land being Tata Tea property and every third resident working for the company. Munnar has several sidelights to see and mentioned below are some of them.