District Idukki PIN 685531 Area 114.8 km² Local time Sunday 1:52 AM | Time zone IST (UTC+5:30) Vehicle registration KL-37 Population 25,768 (2001) Area code 04869 | |
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Weather 19°C, Wind E at 2 km/h, 93% Humidity Colleges and Universities Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology, Kuttikanam | ||
Peermade, also spelt Peerumedu is a hill station in the state of Kerala, India. It lies 915 metres (3,002 ft) above sea level in the Western Ghats (Sahyadri) some 85 kilometres (53 mi) east of Kottayam on the way to Thekkady through the nearby city of Kanjirappally.
Contents
Map of Peermade, Kerala
Geography
The landscape of Peermade includes spectacular waterfalls, open grass lands and pine forests. Predominantly it is classified as Malanad with an elevation ranging from 3,000 ft (910 m) from the mean sea level.
History
Peermade was once the summer retreat of the Maharajas of Travancore. Once these regions were quite unaccessible which were covered by dense forests and was inhabited by certain tribes like 'Malappandarams' and 'Malayarans'. Tamil people make up the majority of Peermade's population. The archaeological excavations points out that there was an ancient Neolithic culture flourished in the high-ranges which wasn't written or recorded. But the findings of cultural remnants from the hill tracks near Kumily and Vandiperiyar provides some factual evidences of the existence of a rich culture.
Peermade was the highest elevation on the mountain route that connected the Travancore with Madurai in ancient Tamilakam. The mountain barriers created by the ghats separated these two regions.
Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the largest wildlife reserves in India, is 43 kilometres (27 mi) away. It has herds of elephants and other wildlife as well as lakes.
Etymology
The name is sometimes related to the Sufi saint, 'Peer Mohammed', as "hill of the Peer" (പീരുമേട്).
Spices
The area is extremely fertile and until recently featured lush plantations of coffee, tea, cardamon, and coconut. With a long history of spice growing, the focus is now on the production of organic black pepper, white pepper, ginger and turmeric.
At a 2006 show, spice growers from Peermade displayed samples of organically grown spices including cardamom, black pepper, white pepper, nutmeg, mace, cloves, turmeric, ginger, vanilla beans, vanilla powder and herbs such as oregano, sage, thyme and rosemary. Oils of thyme and rosemary were also displayed.
Education
Mar Baselios Christian College of Engineering and Technology and Marian College are located at Kuttikanam in Peermade.
Politics
Peermade assembly constituency is part of Idukki (Lok Sabha constituency). E S Bijimol is the current MLA of peermade.