History

British gave Munnar, a pet name. And this pseudonym made it famous among the travellers from the west. For them,
its climate was quite similar to that of London, so they called it the ‘Little London’. Set at an altitude of 5000 sq. ft. above sea level, it became the favourite summer resort of the British rulers in the colonial days. In summer the temperature varies from 15°C to 25°C and in winter it varies from 0°C to 10°C.

In the year 1790, the Duke of Wellington became the first European to visit these hills. Later in 1870, the Poonjar
Chief leased out 588 sq. km. to J.D. Munro, a Scottish tea planter. And the first tea sapling was planted by A.H. Sharp at Parvathi. Munnar is the confluence of 3 mountain streams namely, Muthirapuzha, Nallathanni and Kundala. The Kannan Devan hills got their name from Kannan and Muthuvan who were the chieftains of the Muthuvan tribe and they literally owned the hills.