Munnar
Munnar | |
---|---|
KL-06 | |
Literacy | 84.9% |
Website | keralatourism |
Munnar (IPA:
Etymology
The name Munnar is a combination of the words "Munnu" and "Aaru" in the local languages of Malayalam/Tamil meaning "three rivers",[5] referring to its location at the confluence of the Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundali rivers.[6]
History
The region has been inhabited by hunter-gatherer tribals like the Malayarayan and Muthuvan for thousands of years.[7] 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, later the Duke of Wellington, was the first British person to pass through Munnar 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.[8]
It was to be nearly 50 years later that
Eventually roads were opened to the lowlands and in
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. 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
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, 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.[9]
The former Kunda Valley Railway in Munnar was destroyed by a flood in 1924, but tourism officials are considering reconstructing the railway line to attract tourists.[10]
Geography
The region in and around Munnar varies in height from 1,450 meters (4,760 ft) to 2,695 meters (8,842 ft) above
Climate data for Munnar | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 22.4 (72.3) |
23.7 (74.7) |
25.3 (77.5) |
25.6 (78.1) |
25.6 (78.1) |
23.7 (74.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.8 (73.0) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
21.8 (71.2) |
21.9 (71.4) |
23.4 (74.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
18.7 (65.7) |
20.2 (68.4) |
21 (70) |
21.4 (70.5) |
20.3 (68.5) |
19.3 (66.7) |
19.5 (67.1) |
19.6 (67.3) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.3 (64.9) |
17.7 (63.9) |
19.4 (66.9) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.9 (55.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.1 (59.2) |
16.5 (61.7) |
17.3 (63.1) |
16.9 (62.4) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16.3 (61.3) |
16 (61) |
15.7 (60.3) |
14.8 (58.6) |
13.5 (56.3) |
15.4 (59.8) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.7) |
29 (1.1) |
47 (1.9) |
129 (5.1) |
189 (7.4) |
420 (16.5) |
583 (23.0) |
364 (14.3) |
210 (8.3) |
253 (10.0) |
164 (6.5) |
64 (2.5) |
2,470 (97.3) |
Average rainy days | 2 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 5 | 84 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 248 | 232 | 248 | 240 | 217 | 120 | 124 | 124 | 150 | 155 | 180 | 217 | 2,255 |
Source 1: Climate-Data.org, altitude: 1461m[13] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Weather2Travel for sunshine and rainy days[14] |
Transportation
Road
Munnar is well connected by both National highways, state highways and rural roads. The town lies in the
Distance from major cities & tourist destinations.
- Aluva - 109 km
- Varkala - 245km
- Trivandrum - 280km
- from Kochi - Ernakulam - 150 km
Railway
The nearest railway station is Bodinayakkanur (68 km) in Tamil Nadu and nearest major railway stations in Kerala are at Ernakulam (126 km) and Aluva (110 km).
Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus stand is in walking distance from Aluva Railway Station, and buses are available for Munnar every hour.
Airport
The nearest airport is Cochin International Airport, which is 110 kilometres (68 mi) away. The Coimbatore and Madurai airports are 165 kilometres (103 mi) from Munnar.
Administration
The Panchayat of Munnar formed on January 24, 1961, is divided into 21 wards for administrative convenience.
Demographics
According to the 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%.[15]
Flora and fauna
Most of the native flora and fauna of Munnar have disappeared due to severe
Endemic species
These protected areas are especially known for several
Land ownership
There has been action to address the problems of property takeovers by the
See also
- Bisonvalley
- Kolukkumalai
- Kunchithanny
- Marayur
- Mattupetty Dam
- Munnar Tea Museum
- 2015 Munnar Plantation strike
- Pallivasal
- Rajakkad
- Wayanad
References
- ^ Munnar - Fallingrain
- ^ "The Kerala Official Language (Legislation) Act, 1969" (PDF).
- ^ "Table C-16 Population by Mother Tongue: Kerala". www.censusindia.gov.in. Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
- ^ "Munnar - the Hill Station of Kerala in Idukki | Kerala Tourism". Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ^ Munnar History Archived 5 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Munnar". Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
- ^ "How the original inhabitants of Idukki were systematically displaced and deceived". OnManorama. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ISBN 81-85938-04-0.
- ^ Tamilarasu, Prabhakar (13 August 2020). "The 'no land's men' in Munnar's tea estates". The Federal. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
- ^ Abraham, Bobins (24 June 2019). "Munnar May Soon Get Train Service, Nearly A Century After The 'Great Flood Of 99' Destroyed It". indiatimes.com. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- ^ "Management Plan". Eravikulam National Park. Archived from the original on 12 May 2006. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "Frost hits plantations in Munnar". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 13 March 2004.
- ^ a b "Climate: Munnar — Climate graph, Temperature graph, Climate table". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ "Munnar Climate and Weather Averages, Kerala". Weather2Travel. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
- ^ Kerala, Directorate of Census Operations. District Census Handbook, Idukki (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Directorateof Census Operations,Kerala. p. 92,93. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
- ^ "Government of Kerala, Forest and Wildlife Department, Notification No. 36/2006 F&WLD". Kerala Gazette. 6 October 2006. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
- ^ Roy, Mathew (25 September 2006). "Proposal for Kurinjimala sanctuary awaits Cabinet nod". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2007.
- ^ Jacob, Jeemon (12 July 2011). "Kerala government launches eviction drive in Munnar". Archived from the original on 27 August 2012. Retrieved 10 July 2014.