Around 2 km from Munnar, the KDHP Museum, popularly known as Tata Tea Museum, is located in the Nallathanni Estate of Tata Tea. It is known for housing an assortment of old objects, out of which the most popular is the burial urn excavated from the area of Periyakanal Estate, which dates back to the 2nd century AD.
Tata Tea Museum Munnar tells the story of Munnar about how it was transformed from an unoccupied piece of land to an expansive plantation town. Photographs and old machines used in tea processing can be seen on display. Also, the objects that show the endeavors of planters who dreamt of turning this wilderness into a tea plantation with very little resources and negligible equipment are also exhibited.
The museum also has a tea tasting unit serving several flavors and varieties of tea. Another interesting exhibit is Rotorvane, an old tea roller used in the CTC type tea processing. The advancement in the manufacturing and processing of tea can be clearly seen here.
Visitors can also see the ‘Pelton Wheel’, used in the 1920s at a power generation plant at Kannamaly Estate. You can notice the infrastructure development at this tea-producing center in the country.
Tata Tea Museum also has a huge sundial made in 1913. Made at the Art Industrial School, Nazareth in Tamil Nadu, it lies on a granite block. Another separate section has vintage furniture brought here from colonial bungalows. Magneto phones, wooden chairs, decorative objects, tables, a wooden bathtub, typewriters, iron ovens, an EPABX, and manual calculators are on display here.
You can also see a half an hour documentary that explains the historical journey of Munnar.
Cost of Tea Museum Munnar:
- INR 75 per person (adults)
- INR 35 per person (children)
- Camera charges: INR 20 per still camera
- Tea Tasting Charges: INR 100
- Timings: 1000 hours to 1600 hours (Closed on Monday)
- Duration of Visit: 2-3 hours (approx.)
- Best Months: September to May
