Suryanelli is a resort settlement in the

Chinnakanal Chinnakanal is a village in Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala. The waterfalls here are popularly known as Power House Waterfalls. Demographics As of 2011 Census of India, 2011 Census, Chinnakanal had a population of 12,005 with ...

village in Idukki district,

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 ...

, bordering

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 ...

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 ...

. Situated 40 km South East of the popular tourist location of Munnar. It is surrounded by tea plantations and many resorts. Tea Sapling

Etymology

Suryanelli is a name derived from two words " Suryan( origin :Sanskrit)and Illai( Tamil)", which translates to No Sun. Long before the human settlements formed this placed used to be on the way to

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Temple (; ml, ശബരിമല ക്ഷേത്രം) is a temple complex located at Sabarimala hill inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in the Perinad Village, Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is one of the largest ...

and it was a densely

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

ed area. The tree were so dense that it almost covered the ground devoid of any sunlight.

Geography

Situated at 1,412 m (4,633 ft) from mean sea level in the southern Western Ghats it receives a very high rainfall. The maximum rains are brought in by the South-west Monsoon. It has a very pleasant climate throughout the year. However, the temperature drops drastically when the weather gets

wind Wind is the natural movement of air or other gases relative to a planet's surface. Winds occur on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hou ...

Water-Bodies

Since it is on the slopes of the western ghats, Suryanelli is fed with may streams and rivers. Most of these streams dry up during peak summer months or Late April and Early May. However, the waterfalls near the

power house never dries up. There is a clear view of the Anaiirangal dam from Suryanelli. Bathing and swimming in these are highly restricted because of the water being used for drinking purpose. Tribal temple at Rajakumari, Idukki district

Tribal temple at Rajakumari, Idukki district

Languages

The Major Languages are Malayalam and Tamil. However the locals are conversant in English and Hindi due to the heavy influx of tourists.

Places of Worship

Suryanelli has many small temples, the main one being a Lord

Ganesha Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu d ...

Temple. There is a prominent

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and a

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

Church.

Economy

Majority of the locals work in the adjacent

Plantation A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...

s, both

tea Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by pouring hot or boiling water over cured or fresh leaves of '' Camellia sinensis'', an evergreen shrub native to East Asia which probably originated in the borderlands of southwestern China and northe ...

and

cardamom Cardamom (), sometimes cardamon or cardamum, is a spice made from the seeds of several plants in the genera ''Elettaria'' and ''Amomum'' in the family Zingiberaceae. Both genera are native to the Indian subcontinent and Indonesia. They are rec ...

. Some of them are in the hospitality sector, working in the resorts and as tourist guides. Some work as transporters both cargo and passenger.

Health care

Suryanelli has a 20 bedded primary health center cum hospital run by the plantation catering to the needs of the hospital. The hospital conducts frequent health check-up and awareness programs.

Education

Suryanelli as a village has a very high literacy rate. There are many state-run schools in and around the There is a high end private Montfort School. Munnar Catering College is a prestigious hospitality residential college in Suryanelli.

Transport

Suryanelli is well connected to both the western and eastern foothills. The Closest International Airport is Kochi International Airport. which is 134 km away and the major railway junction is on the other-side at Madurai at 137 km. However, going towards cities

takes lesser time as the road quality is better. The nearest town in the Tamil Nadu side is

Bodinayakanur Bodinayakanur (also shortened to Bodi) is a Town and a municipality in Theni district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. Etymology In early days, it was called by the name Thenkasiyampathi (Tamil: தென்காசியம்பதி). ...

and

Theni Theni is a valley town situated in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu at the foothills of Western Ghats. It is the headquarters of the Theni district, located in a distance of 70km from Madurai. It is known for the large-scale trading of garlic, c ...

, where as on the Kerala side is Kothamangalam and

Aluva Aluva (; also known by its former name Alwaye) is a town in the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India. It is a part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is situated around from the city center on the banks of Periyar River. A major transpor ...

. Suryanelli is well connected to various places in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, by the state-run buses and

taxi A taxi, also known as a taxicab or simply a cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice ...

services. There are innumerable local

jeep Jeep is an American automobile marque, now owned by multi-national corporation Stellantis. Jeep has been part of Chrysler since 1987, when Chrysler acquired the Jeep brand, along with remaining assets, from its previous owner American Moto ...

services to travel in and around the town all the way up to Bodinayakanur. Suryanelli is the base station for

Kolukkumalai Kolukkumalai is a small village/hamlet in Bodinayakanur Taluk in the Theni district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is home to the highest tea plantations in the world with the tea grown here possessing a special flavour and freshness beca ...

visit which has the highest tea plantation in the world

Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous) native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' gut flora'' or '' skin flora''. E ...
and
Fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

Suryanelli is the midst of a very fragile ecosystem. Most of the surrounding places fall under the

Reserve Forest A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

Area. It is home to the highly

endangered An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching and inva ...

indigenous

Nilgiri Tahr The Nilgiri tahr (''Nilgiritragus hylocrius'') is an ungulate that is endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the southern portion of the Western and Eastern Ghats in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. It is the state animal of Tami ...

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus '' Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on u ...

s, Asian Elephants,

Red Squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

, and various types of Birds. There is always an Animal - Human Conflict here especially with the elephants. The elephants raid the cardamom plantations and the human interference of their habitat during

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...

season of

Tourist Accommodations

Suryanellli is home to a variety of Tourist accommodations ranging from home-stays to high end resorts hotels. There are a few

campsite A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using te ...

s too.

References

{{commons category, Suryanelli Villages in Idukki district