MUNNAR HISTORY

The present Munnar as a plantation area took birth during the mid 19th century. Prior to that, it was a dense forest with many endemic flora and fauna. It was abundant with wildlife such as Leopards, tigers, elephants, bisons, to name a few. At that time the tribes, Pallayers, Kaders, Kuruvas, Ooralers, and Muduvans inhabited it. The Muduvans came from the plains of Madurai in 900 AD during a politico-social turmoil. They established their settlement around the area in Munnar. In 1790, Duke of Wellington, Colonel Arthur Wellesley was sent to defend Tipu Sultan’s invasion at the lines of Travancore, which was an ally of the East India Company. Colonel Wellesley waited for Tipu with a small force in the Kumaly gap. Nevertheless, Tipu sensed the danger and escaped quickly. According to official records, he was the first European to visit Munnar. Even during 1817, a bullock-road headed across the Kanan Devan hills into Coimbatore. This was mentioned in the diary of a Madras Army Lieutenant. As time passed these hills became the frequent route of merchants who brought cloth to Travancore and took away betel nut. The architect of modern Munnar is Mr. John Daniel Manro. He was lawer in the Travancore Government. He could manage to get a large territory about 588 sq km in lease from the Poonjar Chief, a subordinate prince to the Maharaja of Travancore during 1877 to 79 for Rs 5000. Along with the tribal Chief of Anchanad, Kanan Thevar he visited Munnar. He liked the place very much and made up his mind to make it a plantation area. Then he joined with Henry Gribble Turner, an ICS Officer from Madras and A.W. Turner to develop Munnar. It was in 1878 when HG Turner and AW Turner came to Munnar for a shooting expedition that they could foresee the benefits of plantation in this place. Thus, they started the North Travancore Land Planting and Agricultural society. Their main objective was to utilize the cinchona boom. To honour the tribal chief, Mr. Manro named the high range, the Kannan Devan Hills because his support to establish the plantations was invaluable. A.W. Turner started the first plantation estate in 1877 near Devikulam Lake. He started it with the help of Tamil labourers. The first crops were cinchona, coffee, sisal, and cardamom. Mr. A. H. Sharp planted the first tea plant at Parvathi, now in Sevenmallay Estate. At that time, only 20 hectares were cleared for the tea cultivation. Coffee was planted mostly on Pullivasal, Munnar and Chattamannar, now a division of Talliar Estate. Sisal was planted at Madupetty, which was a commercial failure. Later in 1910, it was replaced by tea plantations, which covered this area completely. After few years, the society faced economic problems and the lands were sold. The first land to be sold was to Baron Otto Von Rosenbury and his sister. It was Manalay, now a division of Lockhart Estate. Then his son Baron Otto Jon Michael Von Rosenbury developed it. In 1888 KDPA was formed. New roads were laid through the old elephant tracks. In Devikulam the first post office was set up in 1892. During 1894, there were about 26 estates. Then in 1893-95, Finlay Muir and Co purchased this area and later it became James Finlay and Co ltd. In 1897, the Kannan Devan Hills Produce Company was formed and in association with other subsidiaries of Glasglow, UK based Finlays Group, namely the Anglo American Direct Tea Trading company and the Amalgamated Tea Estates Company they purchased 33 estates in the high range and 9 in the Anammallays. The first manager of KDHP Company was HM Knight who was succeeded by W. Milne and Davidson. It was during the tenures of P.R. Buchanan, H.L. Pinches tea was planted extensively, and new estates were established. By 1915, the tea factories grew to 16 numbers and few were being constructed. The machineries used at that time were driven by water, oil, steam, or electricity from the company’s control station in large factories. Then small power houses were started at Pullivasal and Periakanal.  Some factories situated at far places generated power by turbines and some used water-driven Pelton wheels. The increasing demand for tea changed the mode of transportation. From head loading, pack ponies, bullock-carts, horses, to monorail carriages pulled by bullocks, ropeways and a light railway line, the pace was fast. There was also a short distance railway from Munnar to Top Station, which was set up in 1908. It was washed away during the 1924 floods, which was beyond repair and was abandoned. After that, the railway station was used as the rice store, lodge, and occasionally for Church services. It now houses the present regional office. Many roads were built which were transformed to cart roads and later tarred roads. The first one was the northern outlet road to the Coimbatore plains. A bus service started from Udumalpet to Munnar in 1928. The Munnar-Neriamangalam road was opened in 1932. Soon hospitals and dispensaries were built with a doctor for four to five estates, and an apothecary on each estate. Today, this area has over 200 kilometres of tarred roads, 215 kilometers of transmission lines, over 200 telephones and telex facility. In 1963, the cattle breeding station got started at Madupetty with Swiss collaboration. All these years the face of the cattle population in the district has changed drastically. In 1964 the Finlays and Tatas collaborated to form a value added tea, and in 1976 Tata-Finlays Ltd purchased the black tea producing and marketing operation and other interests. Then in 1983 Finlays sold their remaining share holding which included the considerable land holdings and manufacturing facilities in North Eastern India. Then the name was changed to Tata Tea Ltd. It is the largest integrated tea company in the world with an entire gamut of activites in the Tea industry. In April 2005, the Tata Group transferred all the estates under them to Kannan Devan Hills Produce Co. Pvt Ltd. This company manages over 16 estates, which sprawls over an area of almost 8,500 hectares. This company is managed in a unique way that the shareholders are it employees.