Located to the east of Munnar at an average elevation of about 5500 feet lies Guderale Estate, the second largest Tea Estate in KDHP Co Pvt Ltd.The estate comprises of 13 divisions and has a total area of 3527 hectares which includes an area of 1433.64 hectares planted with tea. When KDHP Co Pvt Ltd took over the plantation business from Tata Tea Ltd, the erstwhile estates of Arivikad, Guderale and Devikulam were amalgamated on 1’st April 2005 and Guderale Estate, as we know it today was formed.
The estate receives an average annual rainfall of 68 inches. There are 1820 permanent workers and 360 temporary workers on the estate. The total population on the estate is about eight thousand.
The estate did a record crop of 33.33 lac kgs of Made Tea in the year 1997/98.
No.1, No.2 and No.3 divisions of Silent Valley sections which is situated on the estate was rejuvenation pruned and infilled with the latest clonel planting cultivar. In fact 84% of the area on Silent Valley comprises of Rejuvenated tea fields. As a result, these divisions have a very impressive strand of tea with excellent bush frames.
Though the estate is spread out from Echo Point on the Top Station main road, at one end to Lockhart/Periakanal on the other end, it is contiguous in nature.
Like most other estates in the High Ranges, the history of the estate is very interesting. Devikulam was the first estate to be opened in the High Range in the year 1878. A W Turner gathered a workforce from Tamil Nadu and started turning the virgin land under the Devimallay peak into plantation. It was planted with Cinchona-a tree whose bark was used to extract quinine.
The first tea on the estate was planted in the year 1900 in Field No 2 of ODK division. The estate has a lot of beautiful and picturesque spots like the Devikulam Lake, the waterfall in Arivikad and the old Arivikad creek.
There is a rock in Field no 29 of Factory division, which has chessboard like engravings marked on it. Legend has it that the Panch Pandavas played the game of dice on this rock. Guderale is a place surrounded by rocks on all sides giving it a tent like appearance, hence the name Goodaarvalai, Goodaarum in Tamil meaning tent.
Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company Private Limited
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