- Water Colored Landscape of Munnar – God’s own art
- Tea and Other Exotics – discovering hidden Munnar
- Nilgiri Tahr on the wild ramp of Eravikulam (Rajamalai) National Park, Munnar
- Boat Safari in Periyar Lake @ Thekkady
- Nature-walk in Thekkady
- A visit to the kingdom of spices in Kumily
- Backwater cruise from Kottayam to Alleppey
- Enticing Munroe Island – best backwaters in Kerala
- Flavors of Local Ferry Ride in Kollam
In this article, we would be discovering the hidden Munnar – its lush green Tea estates, Passion fruit, Echo Point, Top Station, Tree-Tomato and unexplored water-falls.
In my previous post of this series, we reached Munnar, had our first brush with its lush-green tea estates and explored the Cochin direction. Now let us move towards the Mattupetty direction.
Discovering hidden Munnar – Its Lush green Tea Estates
It is impossible to escape the calls of the mountain in Munnar that lures you with their magically green-carpeted slopes. The appeal of verdant green, dotted with red and blue and violet colors of clothes of women plucking tea-leaves, is too enticing to overlook.
We are passing through an aromatic tea estate. As far as our eyes could see, it is tea plantation everywhere. Cool, mild breeze is playing a melody.
It is difficult to continue further without making a halt and granting ourselves an opportunity to soak in the enchanting beauty of the surroundings.
Good quality tea leaves and why we see mostly women pluckers
We are in the midst of aromatic tea plantations. Let us start the trip with a slow sip of tea and for a change this time let other sensory organs enjoy it, not the usual beneficiary – the tongue.
The finest quality of tea is produced by plucking the smallest blossom, two tea leaves and the bud of the tea-plant. The smaller the size of the tea-leaf better is the quality of the final produce.
Ever wondered why we only see women plucking the tea leaves! A gender bias! Yes, and the nature has a role to play. Actually, good plucking needs nimble hand that are skilled enough to pluck the leaves without crushing them and so its advantage fairer sex.
Optimal Conditions for Tea Plantation
The optimal conditions for tea plantation are cool nights, dry weather, and bright sunny days. Such a favorable climate enables tea bushes to expedite the growth of new shoots.
Tea shrubs are generally pruned to waist height as it allows concentrated growth of the young shoots and the first few leaves of these tea shrubs are harvested to produce tea.
Tea leaves are picked twice a year in early spring and early summer. In the season every plant grow a new bud after approximately seven to ten days.
The Finest Tea
For tea connoisseurs, tea is like wine. Its taste varies with elevation, location and climate. The finest tea comes from gardens of high elevation where cooler temperatures slows down the leaf growth, producing leaves with concentrated flavor and aroma. After all ‘slow-food’ tastes better than the ‘fast-food’.
Why Silver Oak tree needed in Tea Estates
The silver oak tree that you see in the picture above, is among the tea plantations to provide for shade and windbreaks. Its leaves effectively filter light and provides shade during dry months. Also, its roots does not compete with tea plants for nutrients and moisture.
Earlier, fruit-trees were grown as shade trees, and also as inter-crops. Around a few decades back most of the fruit-trees got infected by pests and all efforts to revive them failed.
At this point the tea research institute came to farmers rescue and suggested them to grow these oak trees which are fast to grow with added commercial value of the timber.
Indo-Swiss Livestock Project
Our next stop is Mattupetty Dam/lake which is a picnic spot. Apart from boating, this place is also famous for – Indo-Swiss livestock project. Unfortunately the dairy farm is closed to tourists for indefinite period because of outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
Discovering Hidden Munnar – The Passion Fruit
Among all the usual setting of vendors selling cold drinks, chips, coconut water and likes, a few vendors are selling an unfamiliar fruit. We learn from them that the fruit is Passion Fruit.
Passion Fruit – a strange name! This fruit is a native of South Brazil through Paraguay to North Argentina. The Spanish Missionaries to South America were impressed by its beautiful flower and like all God-searching, religious minded people, found religious symbols in its flowers, the Christ’s crucifixion and hence the name Passion fruit.
It is sweet, in-fact very sweet with lots of seeds. It is definitely not a love in first taste, may be trying it several time might change my opinion.
In this era of globalization, it’s not surprising that I taste this S. American fruit in South India, photographed its flower in the mountains of Cinque Terre, Italy and then saw the flower and the fruit on the same plant in Meghalaya.
Discovering hidden Munnar – The Echo Point
Along the Matupatti lake lies Echo point. Until now, I found echo points unimpressive. Most of the time the echo is barely audible. The place did not even have hills in close vicinity, so I am skeptical.
However it is the first echo-point for the young kid. He is curious to understand what an echo means, so we both shout loud. To our delight, we could hear clear echoes. It is fun and prompts us shouting louder and louder.
Shouting – a destressing exercise
I enjoy shouting at the top of my lungs and feel that it’s a great de-stressing exercise.
At the time of college festivals, after shouting and hooting for around three to four hours, when I used to reach my hostel, I felt reposed, no thought wandering in the mind and no desire to speak for some time. Probably it is similar to the state of nirvana when the mind is blank, devoid of any wandering thought.
It was interesting to see Naseeruddin Shah preaching the same to Sanjana Kapoor in the cult Movie “Hero Heeralal”, “Whenever you are under stress, hold this tree and shout at the top of your lungs and it will drain out the stress.”
I can testify it does. However, it does not come without side effects. Recently, I lost my voice for a day, after presenting a seminar in which I spoke continuously for around four hours. It was a learning hard way (or rather calm-way) that it may be due to my earlier de-stressing exercises.
Haathi Mera Saathi
While coming back towards our vehicle we see an elephant with a mammoth task of putting several heavy logs of wood on a truck. I wonder, would it be able to lift them. Then we see how it works.
The elephant is pushing these logs with its forehead and as soon as the log rolls up a little, people around put stones to stop it from rolling down. Indeed an elephantine task! I wish the elephant is not hurt in the process.
Discovering Hidden Munnar – The Top Station
The last destination of our pre-lunch itinerary is Top-Station; the highest point on Munnar-Kodaikanal road, a tiny hamlet situated at an altitude of around 1600 meters, at the boundary of Kerala and Tamilnadu.
Top-Station, a strange name for a view-point!
Well, it is not only a view-point. Just a century ago, during colonial regime, it was a real station buzzing with activities.
Top Station was famous for the best quality of tea grown here and it was connected to Middle-Station (Kundalai) and the Lower-Station (Munnar) through ropeways and railways. The ropeways and the railways are not working now and the respective stations are converted into stores.
Discovering Hidden Munnar – Tree Tomato
Here, we notice vendors selling another unfamiliar egg-shaped fruit, Tree-Tomato or Tamarillo.
Top-Station is the only place in India, where I see this unusual fruit. The decision to taste it was quick. After palpitating the fruit, I squeeze it in my mouth. It tastes same as tomato. This Fruit is also a native to South America and grows in cherry like clusters.
Discovering Hidden Munnar – Neelakurinji Plant
The mountain slope around Top station is covered with dense vegetation and had abundance of rare NeelaKurinji Plant, Strobilanthus shrub. This plant blossoms only once in 12 years.
Last to last time it blossomed in year 2006, the last flowering was in 2018 and the next flowering is expected in year 2030. In its year of blossoming, this flower picturesquely carpet entire hillsides with its mauve blossoms. The honey collected at the time of NeelKurinji blossoming is considered to be the sweetest.
It is misty at this time and we miss the views of far-flung Western Ghats.
Discovering Hidden Munnar – The water-fall towards Coimbatore direction
Post-Lunch we move towards the Coimbatore direction. Our driver decides to show us some local charm and stops at a point where a rope is tied to stop unauthorized entry into a private tea garden.
He lifts the rope and we enter and start to descend slowly. There is sound of the water gushing down in close vicinity. As we descend further, we see a fierce and roaring cascade at some distance.
I am skeptical about going close to that wild cascade with my son. As we move further we realize that we don’t have to go to that cascade. There is a smaller, safer and beautiful waterfall at this point itself. Water droplets are creating a rainbow and the solitude enhances the beauty of the moment and the place many times.
Trivia
Tea reached Munnar when John Daniel Munro founded the North Travancore Land Planting and Agriculture Society.
In 1877, Henry Turner and his half brother arrived in Munnar from the Nilgiris and started Tea planting. Turner asked John Ajoo, a Chinese tea maker, who arrived in India with Robert Fortune, a Scottish botanist who brought Tea Saplings from China and was living in Nilgiris to come there. Ajoo eventually settled in Munnar, becoming a planter himself – his fields, known locally as Chinaman’s field is near the Talliar tea Estate.
There are two Tea museums in Munnar – one on Nullatanni Road run by Kanan Devi Hills Plantations Co Ltd (KDHP) and the other, the Lockhart Tea Museum run by Harrisons Malayalam Ltd. They tell Munnar’s tea journey through the machines used over the years and introduces visitors to the process of tea-making.
good
Thanks Gandhi Ramaligam.