Travel · Destinations · 8 min read

Kuttikkanam and Peermade: Misty Hills, Royal Retreats and Old Tea Estates

Long before Munnar became famous, the Maharajas of Travancore and the planters of the 19th century came to the cool hills of Peermade and Kuttikkanam. A guide to their misty climate, plantation history, pine forest, palace, viewpoints, Thrissanku Hills and Panchalimedu.

By GK Global, Adimali, Munnar · Trails & Tales by GK

Halfway up the winding road from Kottayam to Kumily, the air changes. The heat of the plains falls away, mist drifts across the road, and the hills on either side are covered with the neat green rows of tea. This is Peermade and its neighbour Kuttikkanam, the gateway to Idukki's southern high ranges. They are quieter and less crowded than Munnar, but they have a history every bit as rich, and some of the most beautiful viewpoints in Kerala.

For more than a century, these hills were a summer retreat for the Maharajas of Travancore and a home for British planters, and the old palaces, churches, bungalows and tea estates still give them a gentle, old-world charm.

A hill country with a history

The hill of the saint

Peermade (Peerumedu) means "the hill of the Peer". According to tradition, it is named after Peer Muhammad, a Sufi saint and mystic who came into these hills with the Mappila spice traders who crossed the Western Ghats, and who was so enchanted by the misty hills that he settled here. He is remembered as a friend of the Travancore royal family and is sometimes called the "Rumi of South India". A local, more secular tradition offers another origin: that the place was once Peramedu, "the hill of guavas" (pera), after the guava trees that grew here, and that the name slowly became Peerumedu. Before the 19th century the hills were forest, home to tribal communities such as the Malappandaram and Malayaraya, and the old mountain route between Travancore and Madurai crossed them.

Elephant trails and the first public company

In the early 19th century this was wild country, and the only paths through the forest were trails made by wild elephants. Before cart roads were built in 1872, the British built an aerial ropeway to carry goods down the steep slopes. The company that ran it, Aerial Ropeway Ltd, is remembered as the first public limited company in the state of Travancore.

From coffee to tea

The English missionary Henry Baker Junior, of the Church Mission Society, first tried to grow coffee at Peermade. When a devastating leaf disease destroyed the young coffee plants, he brought tea bushes from the Nilgiris and planted an experimental plot of about 10 acres. It was a great success, and it laid the foundation of the tea estates that still cover these hills. The Baker family's Ashley Bungalow, built in 1868, is one of the oldest surviving planters' bungalows in the high ranges, with its original floors of tar and black oxide, Victorian teak furniture and a garden of Norfolk pines.

Royal retreats

The Maharajas of Travancore came to the cool hills to escape the summer heat. At Kuttikkanam, Maharaja Sri Moolam Thirunal built a summer palace in the late 19th century, the Ammachi Kottaram, as a retreat for the royal consorts, who under Travancore's matrilineal system bore the title Ammachi. A part of Kuttikkanam called Thottapura is remembered as the place where the Travancore royals stored their weapons. Under the British, Kuttikkanam became a fashionable hill resort, and workers from Kerala and Tamil Nadu came to the estates; their descendants make up much of today's population.

(Read about the plantation story of the high ranges in the history of Munnar's tea workers.)

Key attractions

The Kuttikkanam palace (Ammachi Kottaram)

Set in about 14 acres at Kuttikkanam, the old Travancore summer palace is a rambling nalukettu-style building of the late 19th century, with tiled roofs and verandas, surrounded by trees. Local lore says secret underground tunnels once linked it to the Peermade Sree Krishna Swami Temple, some 5 to 7 km away, though no such tunnel has ever been documented. It has appeared in several Malayalam films, including Carbon and Lucifer. Access to the palace may be restricted, so check locally before you visit.

The Kuttikkanam pine forest

Beside the Kottayam–Kumily road at Kuttikkanam stands a planted pine forest of about 100 acres, its tall, straight trunks rising from a soft carpet of needles. On misty days it is haunting and beautiful, and it is home to around 30 species of birds. It is a favourite stop for travellers and photographers, and for films. Walk quietly and leave no litter.

Thrissanku Hills

A short walk from Kuttikkanam and Peermade, the Thrissanku Hills (also known as Baker Hills) are a set of gentle, grassy slopes with sweeping views over the surrounding valleys and tea estates. They are a lovely place for an easy walk, for a picnic, and above all for sunset, when the hills glow and cool breezes blow. The name recalls Thrishanku, the king of Indian legend suspended between heaven and earth.

Panchalimedu

About 5 km off the main road from Murinjapuzha, Panchalimedu ("the hill of Panchali", Draupadi) is a grassy hilltop at about 940 m with wide views over hills and valleys. Legend says the Pandavas and Draupadi stayed here during their exile, and a small pond, Panchalikkulam, is said to have been her bathing place. On Makaravilakku day in mid-January, devotees of Ayyappa gather here to see the sacred light at Ponnambalamedu near Sabarimala. The hilltop has a small temple of the goddess, and the site is a place of worship, so please visit respectfully.

Parunthumpara (Eagle Rock)

Near Peermade, Parunthumpara, "eagle rock", is a great rock outcrop shaped like an eagle, with sweeping views over forested hills and deep valleys, and on clear days as far as the Sabarimala hills. It is famous for its sunsets and is another place where pilgrims watch for the Makaravilakku light.

Waterfalls and viewpoints on the road

• Valanjanganam Falls: a waterfall of about 23 m right beside the Kottayam–Kumily road, at its best in the monsoon. Admire it from the roadside; the rocks are slippery.
• Nallathanni viewpoint and the hairpin bends between Mundakayam and Kuttikkanam, with views down over rubber and forest to the plains.
• Peeru Hills, about 1 km from Kuttikkanam, with views and the memory of the Sufi saint.

Ashley Bungalow and Thottapura

History lovers can seek out the Ashley Bungalow of 1868, one of the oldest planters' bungalows in the high ranges, and Thottapura, the old royal armoury site of Kuttikkanam.

Tea estates and walks

The tea estates around Peermade, Kuttikkanam and Vandiperiyar offer quiet walks between the bushes, with tea pluckers at work, old planters' bungalows, estate churches and temples, and mist rolling over the ridges. Some estates and homestays offer guided plantation walks and tea tasting.

Trekking and adventure

The open hills around Kuttikkanam, Thrissanku and Panchalimedu are ideal for easy treks and day hikes, and the area also offers off-road jeep rides through the estates and hills. (Read our guide to trekking and hiking in Munnar and Idukki.)

Best time to visit

• September to February: green, misty mornings and cool, clear days; the best time for viewpoints and walks.
• March to May: warmer, but still pleasant; a good escape from the heat of the plains.
• June to August: heavy monsoon rain, thick mist and roaring waterfalls; atmospheric but wet, and views are often hidden.
• Mid-January: Makaravilakku at Panchalimedu and Parunthumpara.

How to get there

• By road: Peermade and Kuttikkanam lie on the Kottayam–Kumily road (NH 183): about 75 km from Kottayam, 35 km from Kumily (Thekkady), 40 km from Vagamon and about 130 km from Kochi. Munnar is about 3 to 4 hours away by the hill roads.
• By rail: the nearest major station is Kottayam.
• By air: Cochin International Airport (about 140 km) and Madurai airport (about 160 km).

(Read also: Vagamon, Thekkady and Kumily, Gavi and the waterfalls of Idukki.)