Kerala - Idukki
Idukki (Malayalam :ഇടുക്കി ) is one among the 14 districts of
Kerala state, India. The district headquarters is located at
Painavu. Other largest towns in
Idukki are
Thodupuzha,
Kattappana and Adimaly. Nedumkandam is another town in
Idukki District. It is well known for the cultivation and trading of spices, like
cardamom,
Black pepper and
tea leaf. The famous
"Ramakkalmedu" tourist place is situated only 12 Kilometers away from Nedumkandam Town.
Idukki is known for the splendid green mountains, streams and spices. It is one of the a main tourist destinations in
Kerala with its hill stations, such as
Devikulam surrounded by lush hills and tea plantations, and its valleys. The famous resort
Thekkady (Periyar Tiger Reserve), is in
Idukki District. Munnar is another hill resort of the district.
Mattupetty is about 11 km away from
Munnar.
Mattupetty, is the headquarters of the Indo-Swiss Cattle Project.
Mattupetty Dam is also here.
High ranges of
Idukki attracted Scottish planters in the 19th century and they left behind some bunglaows in an around
Munnar, which are quite notable for their architectural beauty. Perhaps the most visible one to the tourists is Ladbroke House,which is named after the Ladbroke's Square in London. The Salmon Trouts, coniferous trees and dark green planter's cap are all contributions of those planters. Quite interestingly,
Munnar had railway lines almost a century back! This started from the KDHP office at
Munnar and extended up to
Top Station near the Tamil Nadu border. The torrential rain and storm of 1924 destroyed the major part of the rail system and the
Mattupetty dam still has the remains of the rail lines. Quite few of the rails are used as electric posts in
Munnar. KDHP's tea factory has one of the wheels of the locomotives being kept there.
Idukki also has the largest arch dam in India, the
Idukki Dam, constructed for the
Idukki Hydro Electric Power Project in 1969 with the cooperation of the Canadian Government. This single project powers almost half of the entire state and some parts of neighboring states.
Idukki had a population of 1,129,221 as of 2001.
The eminent persons from Idukki district include
K.M. Beenamol (Sports), K.M. Biju,(Sports),
Shiny Wilson (Sports),
P.J. Joseph (Politics).
