Idukki district
Idukki district is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala in the southwest of the country. It is the largest district in Kerala and lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district contains two municipal towns – Kattappana and Thodupuzha, and five taluks.
The district was constituted on 26 January 1972, by taking Peerumade, Udumbanchola, Devikulam taluks of the former High Range division from Kottayam district and the Thodupuzha taluk from Ernakulam district. Its division was previously headquartered at Kottayam city but moved to Kuyilimala near Painavu and Cheruthoni in June 1976. Malayalam and English are the two official administrative languages in the district. Tamil is the second most spoken language in Idukki district after Malayalam.
Around 66% of Kerala's power needs come from various hydroelectric power projects in Idukki district. Numerous cash crops and spices are cultivated throughout the district, making it The Spice Garden of Kerala. A significant area in the district is protected as reserved forests and wildlife sanctuaries. The Periyar River is a major river that originates and flows through Idukki. The Pamba River is another important river that originates from Idukki district.
Though it is the largest district in the region in terms of area, it has the lowest population density among the districts of Kerala. There are only two municipalities in the district and the urban population is comparatively much lower than the rural population, due to its mountainous nature. The high peak of Anamudi, which is also the highest point of elevation in India outside the Himalayas, lies in the northern portion of the district of Idukki. The Idukki Dam is one of the highest arch dams in Asia.
The major tourism destination of Idukki is Munnar.
Etymology
The name Idukki was derived from the Malayalam word ‘Idukk’, which means gorge.History
A perfect blend of the Malayali, the Tamil and various tribal cultures is found in the Idukki district. The temples and other older buildings in the High Range and the surrounding regions in Idukki have significant influences from the medieval era Tamil-Pandyan architectural styles. The mountain passes like Bodinayakkanur and Cumbum have facilitated trade and travel between the Tamil-Pandyan country which lied to east of the Western Ghats and various Kerala kingdoms west of it during the medieval period. Periyar, the longest river in Kerala, has its source of origin and major portion of its route of flow, in the Idukki district. Pamba, the third-longest river in Kerala, also has its origin in the district of Idukki. During the Travancore Era, Munnar has acted as the summer residence of the British residents in Travancore. Higher peaks like Anamudi on the eastern border of the Idukki district have acted as a natural boundary between the Malayalam kingdoms and the contemporary Tamil kingdoms in the past, thereby reducing invasions into the region from the neighbouring Tamil country as well as from other parts of the Indian peninsula. The 17th century Dutch work, Hortus Malabaricus, contains information about the flora and fauna of the region at that time.Pre-history
Archaeological findings found from the district include dolmens of the Neolithic era in the Marayur area. They are locally known as "muniyara", derived from muni and ara.Located on the highest point of elevation on the Peninsular India, the Cardamom Hills and its surrounding regions were inhabited by human beings during the Megalithic age itself. Numerous Megalithic monuments have been discovered from the mountainous regions of the district. The remnants of numerous Kodumkallaras and Kallaras have been found from various places at Marayur in Devikulam taluk. Megalithic remnants of Kallaras and Nadukkallus are also found at Kallarpattom colony in Udumbanchola taluk. Huge Kodumkallaras and Nadukkallus were discovered from the excavation sites in Vandiperiyar region as well. The Megalithic monuments found from Idukki show numerous similarities with the contemporary remnants those discovered from Deccan Plateau and other parts of the South India. Usage of Iron was common in the Megalithic culture of Deccan. Tribals are another culture that was established on the hills of Idukki after the Stone Age culture. Although many of the social elements that existed in the Stone Age can be seen in the tribal culture here, the two groups represent two different periods. There is no clear evidence of where the Stone Age people went later. It is also thought that the mountain may have come down due to the weather and difficulties in living conditions. Tribal people found in Idukki are Mannan, Muthuvan, Paliyan, Urali, Malayarayan, Malapulayan, Ulladan. According to those who have studied the oral forms and rituals associated with tribal culture, tribal life begins in Idukki in the period 13 – 15 BC. Tribal people who were in contact with Tamil culture came to Idukki, from present day Coimbatore, Madurai and Ramanathapuram districts, as evidenced by their language, customs and art forms. According to modern anthropologists, the aborigines here belong to the Proto-Australoid race. Many stories are popular about their mountain climbing. One is that they were given the position of forest chiefs as a reward for helping the Pandya Raja clan. At one point, they had to leave Madurai and reached Idukki via Kumily via Gudalur in Tamilakkam with the help of King Poonjar. It is also believed that those who were appointed to collect forest products for the local kings settled down here over time. The tribal people here may have migrated here in search of better living facilities. As the number of families in each tribal village increases, a new community is created. The clothing used in the early days was wood made from crushed arayanjil. They also made musical instruments from animal skins. Adivasis have great ability to weave household items using reeds. They worshiped the forces of nature and trees. All the tribes had their own system of administration. The heads of the huts are known as Muppan or Kani depending on the caste. It is king among mannans. Urali are believed to be the first tribe to migrate to the hills of Idukki. Uralis still practice some practices of the Stone Age in a nominal way. It is believed that the black stone placed over the grave after burial is a continuation of the Stone Age grass stone. There are 33 tribal sanctuaries in Idukki including Venmani, Mullaringad, Nadukani, Kurukanadu, Koovakandam, Kannampadi, Muthampadi, East Mattucutta, Vellall, Memarikudi, Poovantikudi. In later times, the people who came to Poovanthikudi, Ayyappancoil who fled from the forest where the Mullaperiyar Dam is located, they left agriculture with the migration of the Britishers, Tamils and the Malayalis. All the adivasi tribes were the owners of a great cultural heritage, the tribals who danced in the inner forests, engaged in handicrafts, organized their lives in their own unique way and created many rare charms of the ancient culture. Almost all the tribal tribes of the Western Ghats were owners of a life identity that was destroyed by various invasions. Most of the land that the British planters found to plant cardamom, tea and coffee was in the lands where the tribal tribes roamed freely. As the mountains were cut down and whitened one by one, each tribal community was pushed back. Each of the tribes has their own language closely related to Tamil and Malayalam.
Classical Antiquity
have been found from the regions like Edamaruku near Thodupuzha, indicating ancient trade between the Ancient Rome and the region during the Classical Antiquity. Spices might had been imported from the region as a part of the ancient Indian Ocean trade. Idukki district is still known as ''The Spice Garden of Kerala.''The Chera dynasty/The Keralaputras (up to 5th century CE)
The literary works of the Sangam period help to take a look into the contemporary period. According to those works, early members of the Chera dynasty had their original headquarters in a region called Kuzhumur at Kuttanad in the ancient Tamilakam and were sometimes known as the Kuttuvans. Some historians have identified Kuzhumur with Kumily in Peerumade Taluk of the Idukki district. The Chera dynasty is mentioned as The Keralaputras in the inscriptions of the emperor Ashoka of the Maurya Empire. The province Kuttanad in the ancient kingdom of Keralaputras included the modern-day districts of Idukki, Ernakulam, Kottayam, and parts of Alappuzha, which could be broadly defined as the region between the rivers Periyar and Pamba. It was bounded by the Ay kingdom to the south, which included the regions between Pamba River and Kanyakumari, and the province of Kudanad, which lies between the rivers Periyar and Chaliyar, to the north.It was during the reign of Uthiyan Cheralathan that the Chera dynasty began to expand towards the northern and the eastern regions of Kuttanad by conquering the provinces of Kudanadu and Kongu Nadu. Afterwards the dynasty got split into three branches and fixed their capitals at Muziris, Tyndis, and Caroura, respectively, as seen in the ancient Greco-Roman travelogues as well as the Old Tamil literary works of the Sangam period. During the reign of Narmudi Cheral, the regions included in the Kingdom of Ezhimala was also added to the Chera empire.
The ancient Chera empire collapsed due to continuous invasions carried out by the Kalabhras, the Pallavas, the Chalukyas, the Pandyas, and the Rashtrakutas during the period between 500 CE and 800 CE for nearly three centuries.