Idukki district, Administrative district in Kerala, India
Idukki is an administrative division in the mountains of Kerala that covers wide forests and steep valleys. The landscape holds several large reservoirs that sit between forested peaks and dam the rivers.
The division was formed on January 26, 1972, from parts of Kottayam and Ernakulam to bring the mountain regions under separate administration. The first dams rose in the 1960s when engineers began to harness the water power of the rivers.
The names of the Kuravan and Kurathi dams recall two lovers from local folklore whose story villagers still tell today. Residents tend small tea estates on steep slopes where they hand-pluck leaves and dry them in the sun using traditional methods.
The capital sits in Painavu at 1200 meters elevation, while Kattappana and Thodupuzha are larger towns with market squares and bus links. Roads wind through steep slopes, so journeys take longer than the map suggests.
Two thirds of the electricity across all Kerala comes from the hydroelectric plants in this division, which work in deep gorges between the mountains. Visitors sometimes spot elephants that come to the reservoirs at night to drink.
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