Marayoor
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Marayoor, a rain-shadow village on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats, is 40 kms from Munnar on the Udumalapet road. It holds a lot of nature's blessing to be unfolded before its visitors.It's also a unique place where tourism meets adventure. The fresh mountain air, the mist-clad hills and panoramic view make it worthy of a visit.
By travelling either from Marayur to Munnar or from Munnar to Marayur, one can feel the enchanting beauty of
nature's blessing to be remembered for life time.
The enchanting beauty of Marayoor offers diversity in every aspect of the land and culture.
Hamlets, rocky hills,
rivers, brook, cave temples, sugar cane fields, waterfalls,Neolithic period's stone coffins, sandal wood and
bamboo forests are all in store for the visitor. It is the only place in Kerala having a natural growth of sandal
wood trees. The rare Neelakurinji flower is native to this region.
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The road from Rajamala to Marayoor is flanked by lush green tea estates. There are occasional waterfalls. Then comes the sandalwood forest. First, the trees come one by one, and then these turn into a sea. The air is cool and one comes under the rain shadow. After reaching Marayoor comes the spot Muniyaras, or the stone coffins, which date back to the Neolithic period. The stone coffins are everywhere - they are stone slabs resembling crudely-made boxes, resting on vertical rocks. Descending the hill one can see cane crop dancing in the wind. A children's park formed under the canopy of a single Banyan tree spreads across a hectare of land and is a wonderful sight. Then there is the Thoovanam Waterfalls where one can spend endless hours romancing with the nature. A park named Rajiv Gandhi National Park is also nearby.
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This is the only place in Kerala that has a natural growth of sandalwood trees. The sandalwood factory of the Forest Department, the caves (muniyaras) with murals and relics from the New Stone Age civilization and the children's park spread across a hectare of land under the canopy of a single Banyan tree are of great interest to tourists. Thoovanam Waterfall and Rajiv Gandhi National Park are also nearby.
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Marayoor occupies a vast area on the slopes of the Western Ghats in Idukki district and is an important pre-historic site in Kerala. Apart from the Dolmenoid cists (Dolmenoids were burial chambers made of four stones placed on edges and covered by a fifth one called the cap stone) in Muniyara, Marayoor is famous for its natural sandalwood forests and pre-historic rock paintings.
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Anamudi the highest peak (2695 m) south of the Himalayas, towers over the sanctuary in majestic pride. The slopes of the hills abound in all kinds of rare flora and fauna. The Atlas moth, the largest of its kind in the world, is a unique inhabitant of the park. Other rare species of fauna found here are the Nilgiri Langur, the lion-tailed macaque, leopards, tigers, etc.
An ideal place for trekking, facilities are provided here and tourists are allowed to go on foot up to Anamudi.
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