Top Station is a tourist destination located in Theni district of Tamil nadu. [1] [2] [3] Top Station is notable as the historic transshipment location for Kannan Devan tea delivered there from Munnar and Madupatty by railway and then down by ropeway to Kottagudi. [4] This area is popular for the rare Neelakurinji flowers. The Kurinjimala Sanctuary is nearby. Top Station is the western entrance to the planned Palani Hills National Park.
Top Station was a transshipment point for delivery of tea from Munnar to Bodinayakkanur. Top Station derived its name from its being the upper terminus of the Kottagudi Aerial Ropeway. It was also the location of the terminal railway station on the Kundala Valley Railway, built in 1902 between Munnar, Kundalai and this low point in the crest of the hills above steep cliffs. A monorail goods carriage system was initially installed along this cart route. [5] In 1908 the monorail was replaced by a 24 inch gauge railway. Kundalai is 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) west from Top Station on the way from Munnar station. [4] Some remains of Kundala Valley Railway can be seen at the Munnar Tea Museum. [6]
Tea chests arriving at Top Station from the Kundalai Valley were transported by a ropeway from Top Station 5 km downhill to the south to Kurangani, Tamil Nadu. The tea was then shipped 15 km by cart to Bodinayakkanur, then by rail to other places in India and by ship to England. [4] Remains of the ropeway station at Top Station are still visible. [6] [7] The elevation at the top of the Bodi ropeway was 1,911 meters (6,270 ft). [8]
Top Station offers a panoramic view of the majestic Western Ghats and the valley of Theni district. Top Station is located at 10°07′24″N77°14′02″E / 10.12333°N 77.23389°E . Its elevation is 1,880 meters (6,170 ft). It is 6.6 kilometers (4.1 mi) southwest of the highest point on the old Kodaikanal-Cochin escape road at 2,260 meters (7,410 ft) on the eastern shoulder of Vandaravu Peak, 10°08′58″N77°17′19″E / 10.14944°N 77.28861°E . [9] [10] [11]
An aerial tramway, sky tram,cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip of an aerial tramway cabin is fixed onto the propulsion rope and cannot be decoupled from it during operations. In comparison to gondola lifts, aerial tramways generally provide lower line capacities and higher wait times.
Munnar is a town and hill station in the Idukki district of the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. Munnar is situated at around 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) above mean sea level, in the Western Ghats mountain range. Munnar is also called the "Kashmir of South India" and is a popular honeymoon destination.
Idukki (ഇടുക്കി), IPA: [iɖukːi], is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Idukki district lies amid the Cardamom Hills of Western Ghats in Kerala. Idukki district contains two municipal towns - Kattappana and Thodupuzha. The district currently includes five taluks in it.
The Southern Railway, headquartered at Chennai, is one of the 18 zones of Indian Railways. It is the earliest of the 18 zones of the Indian Railways created in independent India. It was created on 14 April 1951 by merging three state railways, namely, the Madras and Southern Mahratta Railway, the South Indian Railway Company, and the Mysore State Railway. The South Indian Railway was originally created in the British colonial times as Great Southern of India Railway Co founded in Britain in 1853 and registered in 1859. Its original headquarters was in Tiruchirappalli (Trichy) and was registered as a company in London only in 1890. At present, after re-organization of existing railway zones and creation of new zones undertaken by the Indian Railways between 2002 and 2003, Southern Railway has emerged as the 4th largest zone after undertaking some gauge conversion projects and creation of new lines. The trains operated by the southern railway are rated the cleanest as well as cleanly maintained trains of the Indian Railways.
Theni District is one of the 38 districts of Tamil Nadu state in India. Well protected by the scenic hill locks, the district is located besides Madurai district. The town of Theni is the district headquarters. The district is divided into two natural divisions: The hilly areas are constituted by parts of the five taluk's Theni, Bodinayakanur, Periyakulam, Uthamapalayam and Andipatti with thick vegetation and perennial streams from the hills on the western side and Cumbum valley which lies in Uthamapalayam taluk. As of 2011, Theni district had a population of 1,245,899 with a sex ratio of 980 females for every 1,000 males.
Theni is a town and a municipality in Theni district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. As of 2011, the town had a population of 94,453. The metro area had the population of 202,100.
Usilampatti is a town and a second grade municipality in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is also a designated taluk and revenue division.
Kodai road is a railway station in Tamil Nadu state, India, lying between Dindigul and Madurai at 10°10′45″N77°54′34″E. It is formally listed as Kodaikanal Road.
Patiala State Monorail Trainways (PSMT) was a unique rail-guided, partially road-borne railway system running in Patiala from 1907 to 1927. PSMT was the second monorail system in India, after the Kundala Valley Railway, near Munnar in Kerala, and the only operational locomotive-hauled railway system built using the Ewing System in the world. The Kundala Valley Railway pre-dated this, also using the Ewing system between 1902 and 1908, although this only used bullocks for haulage. Following the conversion of the Kundala Valley Railway from a monorail to a narrow gauge railway in 1908, PSMT was the only monorail system in India until its closure in 1927. These were the only instances of a monorail train system in India, until the Mumbai Monorail was opened on 2 February 2014.
Kannan Devan Hills is a large village located in Devikulam taluk of Idukki district in the Indian state of Kerala. The village of Kannan Devan Hills in Devikulam Taluk, was given on lease on 11 July 1877 by the Poonjar Thampuran to John Daniel Munroe, of London and Peermedu, for tea plantation. The lands and plantations were later resumed by the Government of Kerala by the Kannan Devan Hills Act, 1971.
Kundala Valley Railway was the first monorail system in India, later converted to a 2 ft narrow-gauge railway, that operated in Kundala Valley, Munnar of Idukki district in Kerala, India. The railway line had 35 km length.
The Kodaikanal–Munnar Road was located in Dindigul District and Theni District of Tamil Nadu and Idukki district of Kerala in South India. It covers 81 kilometers (50 mi) from Kodaikanal to Munnar. The road was improved by the British in 1942 as an evacuation route in preparation for a possible Japanese invasion of South India. With a maximum elevation of 2,480 meters (8,140 ft) just south of Vandaravu Peak, it was among the highest roads in India, south of the Himalayas, prior to its closure in 1990.
Meesapulimala is an Indian peak, the next south of the second highest peak of the Western Ghats on the border of Idukki district, Kerala state. Its peak is 2,640 metres (8,661 ft) above sea level. The name derives from its appearance from the southwest of a tiger with prominent whiskers ("Moustache"). It is located in between the Anaimalai Hills and Palani Hills near Suryanelli around 20 km away from Munnar. The Kolukkumalai tea estate, Top Station and Tipadamala is also nearby.
Bodimettu is a locality in Theni district in the state of Tamil Nadu in India, near the border with Kerala. It is 10 km from Poopara on the way to Bodinayakkanur by the side of National Highway 85, which runs from Dhanushkodi to Kochi. Bodimettu is the main cardamom-growing area of Tamil Nadu. It is close to famous tourist destinations such as Munnar, Marayur, Thekkady, Kodaikanal, Anayirangal Dam.
The Great flood of '99 (Malayalam:'തൊണ്ണൂറ്റി ഒമ്പതിലെ വെള്ളപ്പൊക്കം' occurred when the Periyar River in Kerala state of India flooded in the month of July 1924. This happened in the year 1099 ME in the Malayalam Calendar. As the Malayalam Calendar was popular in Kerala, the flood is generally referred to as "The Great flood of "99".The rain continued for about three weeks. Many districts of present-day Kerala were deeply submerged by the flood - from Thrissur, to Ernakulam to Idukki, Kottayam even up to Alappuzha and Kuttanad. A huge mountain called Karinthiri Mala was washed away by this flood and the road to Munnar also went along with it. As the road to Munnar was lost by this flood, a new road from Ernakulam to Munnar became necessary - the present day road from Ernakulam to Munnar was constructed after this. Kundala Valley Railway which was the first monorail system in India was also completely destroyed. Various remnants of the old Railway systems still exist at Munnar.
Bodinayakkanur railway station is a railway station on Madurai–Bodinayakkanur branch line, serving the town of Bodinayakkanur in Tamil Nadu state, India. Currently it is closed, as the line is under gauge conversion, from metre to broad gauge.
The KDHP Tea Museum is an industry and history museum situated in Munnar, a town in the Idukki district of Kerala in South India. Tata Tea Museum is its official name, but it's also known as Nalluthanni Estate where it is located, or Kannan Devan Hills Plantation (KDHP) Tea Museum.
Munnar Monorail Project is a project of the government of Kerala in Munnar. The mono rail is to be constructed in the same area where the erstwhile Kundala Valley Railway ran nearly a century earlier. As part of the project, a preliminary study led by Devikulam MLA S Rajendran was conducted. Primary study was submitted to railway department and railway will conduct feasibility study for showing green flag. The initial stage of the project aims at reviving 5 km of the original line. Extension of the remaining 35 km will be done if the project succeeds. The state Tourism minister Kadakmpally Surendran has said that the renewed railway line would draw more number of tourists to the hill stations.
Teni railway station is a railway station on Madurai–Bodinayakkanur branch line, serving the town of Theni in Tamil Nadu state, India. It was closed, as the line is under gauge conversion, from metre to broad gauge till 30 March 2022. From 31 March 2022 once again this station becomes operational after CRS inspection is successfully conducted between Andipatti to Theni railway station. It is one of the railway stations in Southern Railway zone. It falls under Madurai Division of the Indian Railways.
Kundala Dam is a dam built in Kundala, Madupetty Panchayat in Idukki district of Kerala, India, as part of the Pallivasal Hydroelectric Project on the Muthirapuzha River, a tributary of the Periyar River. It is also called Setuparvatipuram Dam. This dam was completed in 1947. This is a masonry arch dam having a height of 46.93 metres (154.0 ft). Length is 259.38 metres (851.0 ft). Release from dam is to river Palar and taluks through which release flow are Udumpanchola, Devikulam, Kothamangalam, Muvattupuzha, Kunnathunadu, Aluva, Kodungalloor and Paravur. The Kundala dam was constructed for Pallivasal Hydro Electric Project in 1946 and is considered to be Asia’s first arch dam.
Coordinates: 10°07′24″N77°14′42″E / 10.123396°N 77.24511°E
