Anakkara

Anakkara is a beautiful and picturesque farming and plantation town in Idukki district, Kerala situated on Kumily-Munnar State Highway. At an altitude of around 1300 meters above the sea level, Anakkara offers comfortable location for tourists and naturalenthusiasts. Town is well connected by road networks and has several passages to Tamilnadu . State Highway 19 which connects two famous tourist centers of Kerala, Thekkady and Munnar, passes through this town. Anakkara is also known as 8th Mile. Town is located 9 kilometers from Thekkady and 100 kilometers from Munnar.

Rice Fields

Anakkara is called paddy field of Idukki. It is one of the rare locations where paddy fields can be found in Idukki, a highrange district of Kerala. In the land of spices, paddy fields give a miniature of Kerala. It is a  rare place where rice, pepper, coffee, tea and cardomom grow together.

Anakkara has its unique place in agriculture. It has own indigenous rice variety called “Palthoni”. While several high yield rice varieties suffer from damage due to climatic change and pest attack, Palthoni is highly resistant against heavy rain or other climatic conditions and pest attack. After the heavily use of other high yield varieties, farmers are now switching to their own variety. There is a brand name for their own product called ” Anakkara Palthoni”.

Proposed Airport in Idukki

Anakkara was a major site proposed for the first airport in Idukki district. Airport was proposed to boost major tourist destinations of the surrounding areas like Munnar and Thekkady. Also it was believed to boost the export of spices products. Now the tourists are required to travel five to six hours through undulating terrain of Idukki to reach Munnar or Thekkady suffering from motion sickness. Anakkara has equal distance to Cochin International airport and Madurai airport in Tamilnadu. Due to heavy protest from the locals, projected was dropped. Locals complain that a large areas of rare paddy fields would be destroyed and local people will be displaced.

Anakkara is a major producer of cardomom, coffee and pepper in Kerala. It is located cardomom belt of India. Plantation workers from neighboring Tamilnadu give labour force to the cardomom plantations. One of the largest cardomom auction centers of the world is located close to Anakkara.

Anakkara has many spice plantations and ayurvedic massage centers for tourists.

Chellarkovil

Famous Chellarkovil viewpoint and waterfalls, also known as Aruvikuzhi viewpoint,  is located 2 kilometers from Anakkara. Aruvikuzhi is a fascinating and breathtaking viewpoint and waterfalls. The highly fertile Cumbum valley of Tamilnadu can be seen from Aruvikuzhi. A waterfall originates from Kerala falling into the plains of Tamilnadu.

Anakkara is an ancient human settlement place of Kerala, dates back to Mesolithic age. Weapons made of pebble stones have been found in Anakkara. Several Nannangadis have been found in and around Anakkara. Nannangadi is the practice of burying the remains of deceased by placing them it in big urn. This practice of burying system was widely used in Mesolithic age. These all excavations and findings signal that Anakkara and its adjacent regions were inhabited by ancient people.

Anakkara was under control of Poonjar dynasty, founded by Manavikrama kulashekara perumal of Pandyan dynasty. The name Anakkara means “land of dam”. Cumbam valley and Gudallur in Tamilnadu was arid land with less rainfall and western part of this area in Kerala side was rainforest with plenty of rainfall and water resources. A dam was constructed here in Anakkara and water reached in lower camps and Cumbum valley. Later Poonjar dynasty was conquered by Travencore. Later the dam was destroyed. Even before Mullaperiyar dam was constructed, a dam was in  existence here.

Anakkara – Chellarkovil – Maniyanpetty spice tourism circuit was established by Central Government and United Nations Development Program to promote rural tourism known as rural tourism centre.

Anakkara is one of the major and old spice trade centre of Idukki. Many cardomom and pepper trading shops can be seen in this town. These shops collect green cardomom and black pepper directly from the farmers.

Anakkara is the headquarters of Chakkupallam panchayath. Chakkupallam panchayath office and coperative bank are located here.

CPI(M) and Indian National Congress are the major political parties of this area.