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’’...But I being poor, have only my dreams.
I have spread my dreams under your feet.
Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams.’’
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That’s what mother nature would say to anybody who visits Munnar.
Have you ever dreamt of walking in the clouds with crimson sky enveloping the green valleys?
Have you ever dreamt of touching the clouds only to find that they melt in your palm?
If yes, then visit Munnar, where God has unleashed his creativity and has created a dreamland for the dreamers, a paradise for lovers, a playground for adventurers…
Welcome to God’s own country folks….
Munnar is a small hill station situated at the confluence of three mountain streams - Mudrapuzha, Nallathani & Kundala, nestled in higher reaches of Western Ghats of Kerela. Munnar was once summer capital for British government in South Indian Regime.
Geographically, Munnar is approximately 1600 m above the sea level. It is in eastern part of Kerela in Idukki district. It is well connected by road to Alleppy, Thekkady(Periyar), Cochin and Madurai(Tamil Nadu). Approach to Munnar is not that pleasant for those who are used to broad roads. It has got very narrow and bumpy road stretch. But then road to heaven was never that simple, isn’t it?
I had gone to Munnar after enjoying the backwaters cruise in Alleppy (so you know what I am going to write next). It was around 4 hours drive from Alleppy to Munnar. The sun was setting when we checked in the resort ’’Cloud 9’’ which is located a few kilometers ahead of main town, near Club Mahindra Resort. The resort was very ideally located near a beautiful valley and was surrounded by tea plantations. As evening dusk vividly painted the sky with splashes of all shades red and orange, strong gusts of winds added a hint of mystique to the whole environment and soon the whole resort was covered with clouds with visibility reduced to hardly a meter. It was New Year’s time and the whole area was decorated with strings of small lights. I felt like Alice in her very own wonderland.
Next morning greeted us with a clear sky and we planned out trips to tourist attractions around Munnar.
Munnar is famous for its Tea plantations most of which are owned by Tata Tea Company. In sharp contrast to the wild beauty of Himalayas, Munnar has a softer greener look, where most of the greenery is because of the tea plantations covering the hills and the valleys.
Munnar and nearby areas have got many natural and man-made waterbodies.
Mattupetty Dam is a picnic spot which attracts visitors with speed and motor boat joy rides.
Swiss authorities have taken up a project to develop grasslands, similar to Swiss Alpine landscape, in Munnar. As a result Indo Swiss Project for cattle farming has come up in Idukki, on way to Mattupetty Dam.
Pallivasal is famous for having the honour to home the first hydropower project in Kerala and is a place which provides a lovely panorama which is very soothing to eyes.
Idukki Dam is Asia’s second largest Arch dam and is a calm and serene place.
Eravikulam National Park is home for Nilgiri Tahr. This park is partly in Kerela and partly in Tamil Nadu. Anamudi peak, which is the highest peak in southern India, is located in this park. This peak attracts lots of trekkers all the year round.
Top Station is the highest point in Munnar. It is engulfed by clouds for 15 days in a month and rest 15 days are fairly clear. If you are lucky to be there on a clear day then you can enjoy the breathtaking view of array of valleys of tea estates. I was not that lucky, it was densely clouded that day. But then beauty lies in the eyes of beholder and I enjoyed every moment of the cloudy expanse covering the whole valley and playing around the hills.
Munnar is also famous for Neelakurinji, which is a special part of rich fauna of the place and it adds a touch of blue to otherwise green landscape of Munnar. But alas, it blooms only once in every 12 year span. Next bloom is expected sometime around 2006 AD.
I wanted to stay for long but then every dream comes to an end, and so did mine, and I left for Cochin. But I do intend to go back because I couldn’t visit Periyar. And this will serve as an excuse to go to Munnar once again.
Munnar is a place for nature lovers, for dreamers… So, my friends, if you want to be in your dreamland and walk in the clouds on a dusky evening, then do visit Munnar.