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Marayoor Photos

Photo taken by : Tito Kochuveettil

Marayoor is a town in Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located 42 kilometers north of Munnar on SH 17 connecting Munnar with Udumalpet, Tamilnadu. Marayur is the only place in Kerala that has natural sandalwood forests

The most probable meaning of the place name is the Uru (Village) of Maravars; a tribe lived in this area during the turn of Christian Era, who used to attack travelers for looting, hiding in the forest. The word meaning is 'people who hide'. They were traditionally members of the army of tribal chiefs and the Maharajas of Chera, Chola and Pandya. The name Marayur is also said to be derived from two words “mara” and “ur”, in Tamil language. “mara” means hidden and “ur” means land. Another argument is that the name Marayur is derived from the words “mala” and “ur”, “mala” means mountain and “ur” means land, hence it was meant to be “the land of the mountains”, as the land is surrounded by mountains. Some scholars toyed with the idea that it can be both “mara” and “mala” as the name Marayur could be interpreted as the land hidden by the mountains.Legend has it the great Pandavas of Mahabharata epic, had stayed in the area during their exile and so the place was named as ‘Maranjirunna ur’ or the land (they) hide. Later it became the land’s name “Marayur

View @ Amaravathi Dam

Amaravathi Dam at Amaravathinagar, 25 km south on SH 17 from Udumalpet

View @ Dam top

Marayoor Photos

Marayoor Muniyara (dolmenoid)

Marayoor Muniyara (dolmenoid An impressive pre-historic site at Marayoor is a must-see recommendation for those with an interest in history, archaeology or anthropology. The 2000-year-old megalithic monuments and the scenic location of the site would win the hearts of ordinary travellers too.

Travellers can see here ‘Muniyara’ or dolmenoid cists which are burial chambers belonging to the megalithic age. The chamber is a simple one made of four granites slabs on edges and capped by another slab. Some dolmenoids consist of more than one burial chamber.

Marayoor sarkara Making

Marayoor and the nearby Kanthalloor are famous for a special variety of solid molasses produced here. The ‘Marayoor sarkara’, as it is known in the market, is of high quality with 97 percent sugar content. Marayoor falls in the rain shadow region and the quality of the molasses is attributed to the specialty in temperature and the ph value of the earth.

Though earlier sugarcane was cultivated in around 2,500 acres, today it has shrunk to around 1,500 acres. Molasses production is a cottage industry here. Don’t forget to taste it travellers, if you have planned a visit to Marayoor. And also, if you are lucky enough to reach Marayoor in the sugarcane harvest season, you can watch how the sarkara balls are made. If you want to take home some sweet balls, there are several local outlets here.

Beauty Of Marayoor

Muthuvan Tribals

According to tribal legends Muthuvas were loyal subjects of the dynasty of Madurai. When the dynasty was deposed, the surviving royal members migrate to Travancore, central Kerala, and established the famed Poonjar dynasty. On their way to Kerala, the Muthuvas carried the idols of Madurai Meenakshi, the deity of the royal family, in their backs. The word Muthuvas seems to be stem out from the word "muthuku" which means back in Tamil and Malayalam languages. The tribe which carried the idols in their muthuku later settled in the forests near Tamil Nadu, and came to be known as Muthuvans.