Munnar is a popular tourist destination in Kerala. This marvelous place welcomes the guests with its cool and cozy weather, tea plantations and picturesque landscape. It is about 1600 meters above the sea level and an ideal place for refreshment. On the way to Munnar you could get glimpses of small waterfalls flowing on the side of the roadway. As the name of the place suggests you can find three mountain streams namely Kundala, Muthirappuzha and Nallathanni.
One of the popular sightseeing seeing places in Munnar is the Kannan Devan hills, where the lush green tea plantation is located and it is owned by the TATA Company. It runs under the name of Kannan Devan Hills Plantation Ltd and it is was setup in the year 1964 as a joint venture of TATA and UK based company. So, plan for a trip to visit this place and purchasing bus tickets beforehand is advisable in order to free you from last minute tensions
Kannan Devan Tea Museum
This is a first museum in the Indian setup for tea and is located at the Nullatanni estate of Munnar. This tea museum was established by the company to promote the growth of the plantation, which is about half a century old. At the entrance of the museum there is a granite sundial made by Art Industrial School in the year 1913.
All the tea processing activities are done in the factory, which is located near Madupatty. The Tea museum gives brief knowledge about tea manufacturing process and how it is packed and sent to the retail store. The museum also displays CTC type machine that were used for tea processing in 1905. Along with it other displays that are found in the museum are rail engine wheel (Kundale Valley Light Railway), Pelton wheel (power generation plant), iron-age burial urn of the 2nd century.
Other rooms in the museum display old fashioned furniture, magneto phone, wooden bathtub, iron oven, cash safe and also houses some antique equipment like typewriters and telephone systems. When you visit the museum you would get a chance to taste different varieties of tea.
Tourist Information
Visitors have to purchase tickets for entering into the museum and it is opened on all days expect Monday. Best time to visit this place is from August to March because during this time, the climatic condition is cool and pleasant to travel around this place.
How to reach Munnar
Munnar roadways are well connected to major cities and nearby states. Online booking of bus tickets is offered by private bus operators and Kerala Road Transport Corporation to reach this place safely. Through online service you can buy bus tickets instantaneously.
Nearest railway station is about 120 km, which is located at Angamaly and it is an important rail junction of Kerala. Nearby airport is Cochin International Airport, which is about 89 kms from here.
Food & Accommodation
Since, Munnar is a tourist place you will get all kinds of facilities to stay and it is well-equipped with basic amenities. The restaurant available here provides good quality food for tourists.
Martin Wynn
