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Sevenmallay Tea Estate situated
at 4890 feet AMSL in the South/West of the beautiful
Kannan Devan Hills, is the largest Tea Estate of the
Company in South India. The name of the Estate is
attributed to the Hindu God, Sivan and "mallay"
denoting a hill, which with the passage of time got
designated as Sevenmallay Estate. The six divisions
on the estate today are resultant to an amalgation
(in the year 1954) of the erstwhile Parvathi, Sevenmalley
and Munnar Estates.
Parvathi Division is named after Sivan's consort
Parvathi and the estate as such was opened by Mr.
A. H. Sharp a pioneer planter in 1900 which was one
of the first areas to be planted with tea in the High
Ranges. The estate which had a factory undertaking
'legg cut manufacture' was closed down in the year
1968 as the demand for that variety of tea had dwindled
and it was not considered economical any more. Green
leaf of the estate is diverted to other factories
of the company for processing.
Sevenmallay estate has the Munnar town along its eastern
boundary and historic landmarks of Munnar such as
the Munnar Christ Church, The Munnar Workshop, K.D.H.
Club. The Munnar Supply Association, the Cenotaph,
The Ropeway Station and the erstwhile Gymkhana grounds
dot the landscape of the town alongside the estate.
The estate receives an annual rainfall of 170 inches.
One of the hallmarks of the estate is the top-notch
football team which has been the winner of the prestigious
Annual Finlay Shield Tournament on more than 22 ocassions
in the history of tournament. Strawberry cultivation
is done on a large scale in the estate which accounts
for the major share of the strawberry in take at the
Dare Project for the Strawberry preserve. Cattle rearing
to the extent of grazing available is encouraged to
provide fresh milk to the community, apart from being
an additional source of income.
The Bharat Scouts and Guides Centre for Devikulam
is located at the erstwhile Gymkhana Building site
at Sevenmallay Estate. The Idukki Dam is visible from
the Ottaparai-Nagermudi Ridge bordering Pullivasal
Estate on a clear day. The Sevenmallay factory still
boasts of a very huge centre pillar of wood like a
ship's mast that holds the super structure which was
built in the year 1901.
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