Valparai is a Municipality in Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. Valparai is located 3,500 feet above sea level on the Anamalai Hill Range of the Western Ghats.
Though popularly known as Cherrapunji of South India , Valparai remains somewhat untouched. Owned mostly by private tea companies, a large part of the area is out of bounds for tourists.[1] Interestingly, the Govt. of Tamil Nadu with the assistance of the Govt. of India has taken initiatives to promote tourism and develop infrastructure such as hotels, amusement parks etc to attract visitors.
Geography
Valparai is located at 10°22?N 76°58?E / 10.37°N 76.97°E. It has average elevation of 1193 metres (3914 feet Winding ghat roads at Valparai.
Demography
According to the Census of India 2001, the population of Valparai is about 94,962. Males making up 49% of the population and females 51%. Valparai has an average literacy rate of 72%, higher than the national average of 59.5%.
Economy
Valparai in concentrated with Tea and Coffee estates. Most of the people in Valparai work in these estates. Valparai can be accessed either from Pollachi or from Chalakudy, Kerala located on the western side of Anamalai Range . The climate is suitable for cultivation of Tea, Coffee, Cardamom and Cinchona.
Wildlife
Valparai is one of the highest mid elevation hill resort in the country[The tea plantations are surrounded by evergreen forest. The region is also a rich elephant tract and is known to have many leopards.
The Valparai range is also the habitat the Nilgiri Tahr, an endemic wild goat. These wild mountain goats inhabit the high ranges and prefer open terrain, cliffs and grass-covered hills, a habitat largely confined to altitudes from 1200 to 2600m. Their territory extended far and wide all along these hills in the past, but, because of hunting and large-scale habitat destruction, they now exist only in a few isolated sites like the Anamalais.
The human-elephant conflict here is a delicate issue. The tea plantations are a hindrance to the movement of wildlife, particularly elephants who walk large distances to reach water bodies and feeding areas.
Politics
Valparai assembly constituency (SC) is part of Pollachi (Lok Sabha constituency)..
Tea and Coffee plantations around Valparai
o Tamil Nadu tea plantation corporation
o Parry Agro limited
o The Bombay Burma Trading Corporation
o Jayshree Tea industries
o Periya Karamalai Tea Estate
o Tea Estates India limited
o N.E.P.C tea limited
o Tata tea Estate limited
o Puthuthottam tea estate limited
o Murugan Estate
o Sri Ram Estate
o Siva Coffee Estate
o Anali Estate
o Sajitha Estate
o Chenniappa Estate
o Manampolly Estate
Dams around Valparai area
o Sholayar Dam
o Neerar dam
o Kadamparai Dam
Powerhouse situated around Valparai area
o Sholayar Powerhouse
o Manampolly Powerhouse
o Kadamparai Powerhouse
Population
As per the census 2001, the population of the town is 94142. The different state & religious religious people are living in around Valparai.
