Overview
Idukki is one of the fourteen districts of the Indian state of Kerala, located in the central-eastern part of the state along the Western Ghats. Predominantly mountainous and forested, the district is known for its hydroelectric power generation, spice and plantation agriculture, and high-altitude tourism. The name "Idukki" is generally believed to derive from the Malayalam word idukku, meaning a narrow gorge, a reference to the steep ravine on the Periyar river where the Idukki Arch Dam stands.
Key facts
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | Kerala |
| Region | Central Travancore / High Range |
| Headquarters | Painavu (Kuyilimala) |
| Largest town | Thodupuzha |
| Formation | 26 January 1972 |
| Carved from | Erstwhile Kottayam district (with parts from Ernakulam) |
| Major rivers | Periyar, Thalayar, Thodupuzhayar |
| Official language | Malayalam |
Geography
Idukki is the second-largest district of Kerala by area and one of the least densely populated. The terrain rises sharply from the midland in the west to the high ranges in the east, with elevations exceeding 2,000 metres at peaks such as Anamudi, the highest point in peninsular India, situated within Eravikulam National Park. The district shares a long boundary with Tamil Nadu to the east, with the districts of Ernakulam, Kottayam, and Pathanamthitta to the west and south, and Thrissur to the north.
Major protected areas include Eravikulam National Park, Periyar Tiger Reserve (largely within Idukki), Anamudi Shola National Park, Pampadum Shola National Park, Mathikettan Shola National Park, Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary, and Kurinjimala Sanctuary. The district lies partly within the UNESCO-recognised Western Ghats biodiversity hotspot.
Administration
The district headquarters is at Painavu, a planned township near Cheruthoni. Administratively, Idukki is divided into two revenue divisions, Devikulam and Idukki, and further into taluks including Devikulam, Udumbanchola, Peermade, Idukki, and Thodupuzha. The district contains the municipalities of Thodupuzha and Kattappana, along with several gram panchayats organised under block panchayats.
Idukki sends representatives to the Lok Sabha through the Idukki parliamentary constituency and includes assembly constituencies such as Devikulam, Udumbanchola, Thodupuzha, Idukki, and Peerumade.
History
The high ranges of present-day Idukki were historically part of the Poonjar chiefdom and the kingdom of Travancore. The region was sparsely populated until the 19th century, when European planters, beginning with the leasing of the Kannan Devan Hills by John Daniel Munro in 1877, established large tea estates around Munnar. Cardamom, coffee, and rubber plantations followed, and migration from central Travancore intensified after the 1940s, particularly through the "High Range migration" associated with food-crop cultivation.
The district was constituted on 26 January 1972 by combining Devikulam, Peermade, Udumbanchola, and Thodupuzha taluks, drawn primarily from Kottayam district, with Painavu chosen as the new headquarters.
Economy
The economy of Idukki rests largely on plantation agriculture, with cardamom, pepper, tea, coffee, rubber, and cocoa as principal crops. The district accounts for a major share of India's cardamom production, and Kumily and Kattappana host important spice markets. Tea estates are concentrated around Munnar and Devikulam, many under the Kanan Devan Hills Plantations Company.
Idukki is central to Kerala's electricity generation. The Idukki Hydroelectric Project, commissioned in stages from 1976 onwards by the Kerala State Electricity Board, comprises the Idukki Arch Dam across the Periyar, the Cheruthoni Dam, and the Kulamavu Dam, together impounding the Idukki reservoir. The Idukki Arch Dam is one of the few double-curvature arch dams in Asia. Other hydro stations in the district include Sabar