Tea Museum, Munnar
Munnar is perhaps the choicest of places to preserve and showcase some of the
exquisite and interesting aspects on the genesis and growth of tea plantations
in Kerala's high ranges. With special emphasis to Munnar, and to the delight
of tea lovers and tourists, Tata Tea recently opened a Tea Museum which houses
curious, photographs and machineries, each depicting a turning point that contributed
to a flourishing tea industry, as seen today in the region.
The museum set up at the Nallathanni Estate of Tata Tea in Munnar is a fitting
tribute to the toils and rigours of its pioneers, who showed utmost determination
and were resolute in their efforts to transform Munnar into a major plantation
centre of Kerala.
The Tata Tea Museum diligently portrays the growth of Munnar tea estates, veritably
conveyed through some of the displays like the rudimentary tea roller to the
modern fully automated tea factory. Visitors to the museum can satiate their
curiosity on various stages of tea processing, and also learn a thing or two
about the production of black tea.
A sundial, placed on a granite block, which was made in 1913 by the Art Industrial
School at Nazareth, Tamil Nadu, greets a visitor to the Tea Museum. At the museum,
if one is curious to locate an item with some antiquity, then the burial urn
from the second century BC, which was found near Periakanal estate tops the
list.
Some of the attention grabbing items on display at the museum include the original
tea roller, the 'Rotorvane,' dating back to 1905, used for CTC type tea processing;
the 'Pelton Wheel' used in the power generation plant that existed in the Kanniamallay
estate in the 1920s; a rail engine wheel of the Kundale Valley Light Railway
that shuttled men and material between Munnar and Top Station during the first
half of the last century.
A section of the museum also houses classic bungalow furniture, typewriters,
wooden bathtub, magneto phone, iron oven, manual calculators and EPABX of the1909
telephone system.
A demonstration room for tea tasting is another attraction where one would come
across different varieties of tea. Those eager to understand the nuances of
tea processing can do so at the CTC and orthodox tea-manufacturing unit at the
museum. The museum authorities are also contemplating on the idea of allowing
tourists to pluck tea leaves themselves and have them processed in their presence.
The Tea Museum by Tata Tea would soon turn out yet another reason for travelers
to visit the enchanting plantation hills of Munnar, which have already become
one of the prime tourist destinations in Kerala.
Timings: 10:00 a.m. to 05:00 p.m. (open 7 days a week)
Entry Fee:
Adults: Rs.50
Children below 12 years: Rs.10
Museums in Kerala
Maritime Museum
|| Ambalavayal Heritage
Museum || Indo-Portuguese
Museum || Archaeological Museum
|| Tea Museum, Munnar || Napier
Museum & Art Gallery || Bay
Island Driftwood Museum || Sree
Chithra Art Gallery || Teak Museum,
Nilambur || Kuthiramalika Palace
Museum
