Tea plantations in South
India are located on the Western Ghats, the eastern part of central Kerala and adjoining
parts of Tamil Nadu, usually at an elevation of 4300 to 6200 ft. above sea level. The high
ranges of Munnar were earlier known as Kanan Devan Hills, named after a certain Kanan
Devan, who had been a landlord in the Anchanad Valley on the eastern side of the district.
Coffee cultivation in India dates back to 1600 AD when Ba Abadan, a
Muslim saint from the holy city of Mecca brought seven precious coffee seeds and sowed
them in the Chandragiri Hills near Chikmagalore in Karnataka. The main varieties of coffee
cultivated today are Robusta and Arabica. Coffee plantations occupy 15,400 hectares in
Devikulam, Peermede, Thodupuzha and Udumpanchola taluka of Idukki.
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