Ramakkalmedu is a

hill station A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia (particularly in India), but also in Africa (albeit rarely), for towns founded by European colonialists as refuges ...

and a

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

in Idukki district in the

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

n state of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. The place is noted for its panoramic beauty and numerous windmills.

Location

It is located about 15 km from

Nedumkandam Nedumkandam is the headquarters of Udumbanchola taluk which is situated in Idukki district of the Indian state of Kerala. Nedumkandam is among the fastest growing towns in the Idukki district. Nedumkandam is well known for its spices productio ...

on the

Munnar Munnar () is a town and hill station in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South Indi ...

Thekkady Thekkady( Idukki district) is a town near Periyar National Park, an important tourist attraction in the Kerala state of India. The name Thekkady is derived from the word "thekku" which means teak. Temperatures are lowest in the months of Dec ...

route. Nearby towns are Thookkupalam (5 km),

Kattappana Kattappana is a municipal town in the Sahyadri (or Western Ghats) of Kerala state, India. It is the main urban centre in the high ranges of Idukki district, situated about from sea level. It is the second city to became a municipality in ...

(25 km), and

Kumily Kumily also spelt as Kumaly is a revenue village and Gram Panchayat in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is a town in Cardamom Hills near Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve. Kumily is a gateway town into Kerala from Tamil Nadu. History The pr ...

(40 km).

Geography

Ramakalmedu stands tall in the western ghats at a height of above sea level.

Flora and fauna

The ecosystem of the area consists largely of grass land Shola forest type which is laced by sporadic bamboo forests.

Climate

Constant wind is another factor which makes Ramakkalmedu unique. Wind blows at a speed around 35 km/ hour at Ramakkalmedu throughout the year irrespective of the season and time.

Wind Energy

Villages like Pushpakandam and Kuruvikanam near Ramakkalmedu is the second place in Kerala where wind energy farm is installed, though it is private holdings. Currently the capacity is at about 14.25 MW of NEG MICON Make Wind Mills. This electricity is distributed to Kerala State Electricity Board.even though Ramakkalmedu has potential to produce much electricity, as it is said to be one of Asia's largest wind blowing area.

Tourism

Although Ramakkalmedu has potential for it to become an international tourist destination, and already attracts more than 100,000 visitors. However, as of 2015 not much had been done for the improvement of basic facilities nearby. The government of Kerala has announced plans to develop this tourist station by improving transportation facilities with buses, upgrading of the Kerala police and other measures.tortoise rock, kuravan hills, rama rock, wind mills view point, soolapara hilla, hyderamala hills are part of Ramaklalmedu tourisum circle

Kuravan and Kurathi

Ramakalmedu is a historic site with a Monument to Kuravan and Kurathi – a large statue that depicts the

Sangam Period The Sangam period or age (, ), particularly referring to the third Sangam period, is the period of the history of ancient Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam) spanning from c. 6th century BCE to c. 3rd century CE. ...

and

Sangam landscape The Sangam landscape (Tamil: அகத்திணை "inner classification") is the name given to a poetic device that was characteristic of love poetry in classical Tamil Sangam literature. The core of the device was the categorisation of poe ...

of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The monument provides a panoramic view of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

villages and towns, including Cumbum, Theni, Kombai, Thevaram, Uthamapalayam, Bodinaykannor and Vaiga. Rolling green hills and the fresh mountain air make Ramakalmedu an enchanting retreat. The view is striking at dusk when all these towns in Tamil Nadu, are lighted. ''Rama – kal – medu'' literally means "Land of Rama’s Stone" or "Land where Lord Ram set his holy foot" (Lord Ram is a Hindu God in the epic ''Ramayana''). One story says that Lord Ram along with Lakshman (younger brother of Lord Ram who was accompanying him during his 14 years exile in the forest) kept his foot at the top of Ramakkalmedu in search of his wife Lady Sita, who was abducted by the Demon King of Lanka, Lord Ravan. The Twin statue was sculpted by C.B Jinan and erected on the top of the hill in the year 2005. The statue depicts two historical characters who have some connection with the construction of the Idukki Dam. The Idukki Arch dam connects two massive rock hills named Kuravan Mala (Kuravan Hill) and Kurathi Mala(Kurathi Hill). .Thekkady.com
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Gallery

References

{{Idukki district Villages in Idukki district Hill stations in Kerala Tourist attractions in Idukki district Geography of Idukki district