Enchanting Nelliyampathy

Discover Nelliyampathy

Discover a peaceful plantation town where every turn invites wildlife encounters and vibrant birdlife. Nelliyampathy derived its name from the gooseberry trees (Nelli in Malayalam) that are found abundantly in the area.

The verdant hill ranges can be viewed at heights ranging from 467 metres to 1572 metres, and the region is blessed with a vast array of flora and fauna. Situated adjacent to the Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary and the Project Tiger zone, Nelliyampathy truly is an enchanting destination.

History of Nelliyampathy

The history of this quaint town dates back to the 1800s when Arthur Hall planted the first tea block at Kottangady near Kailas Estate. British planters leased land from Cochin and Kollangode Raj and turned them into coffee, tea, orange, and spice plantations.

More than 10,000 acres of plantation land in Nelliyampathy were connected by railway tracks to transport plantation produce. This was during a time when there were no motorable roads to Nelliyampathy. Train parts were carried manually by human labour and assembled in the hills.

The oranges from Nelliyampathy were so delicious that they were shipped directly to the Queen of England.

History of Kailas Estate

After independence, these British plantations were auctioned by the Kerala government to Indians. Kailas Estate was part of Kollangode Raj and was leased to the British for cardamom plantations.

After independence the 75 acre Kailas Estate was sold to Indians and in 1973 came into the hands of the present family. Kailas Estate was the cardamom division of the Pullala & Rosary Estate Group which consisted of six estates with a total planted area of 1784 acres in Nelliyampathy.

Because of the labour-intensive harvesting and maintenance required for cardamom, the estate is being converted into a high shade speciality Arabica coffee estate. Currently the estate has four blocks covering 68 acres, most of which lie along the slopes of the Kailas Mountain.