Chellarkovil, Thekkady(Periyar), Kerala India

Fifteen Kilometres from Kumily is Chellarkovil, a sleepy little hamlet, which offers a breathtaking view of the plains and cascading waterfalls. The village slopes down to the famous coconut groves of Kambam and the plains of Theni in neighbouring Tamil Nadu. A detour from here leads to Ramakalmedu, an enchanting retreat, which offers a bird’s eye view of the picturesque villages of Bodi and Kambam on the eastern slopes of the Western Ghats.

The facilities include a number of huts, a lovely watch tower, path ways, a herbarium of medicinal plants, a tourist amenity centre and an ecoshop. Visitors to this ecotourism community centre can walk through the winding path ways, lead through some huts, flowering plants, a variety of beautiful bamboos, a demo garden (ayurvedic/medicinal plants and herbs displayed with self explanatory label placards), and a lovely watch tower facing to the fabulous Tamilnadu valley.

There is an amenity centre and an eco shop functions here; Visitors can purchase some local products either produced by the villagers or sourced from other eco development committees. This includes forest honey, spices like pepper, cardamom, clove, nutmeg, vanilla, ginger, turmeric, aromatic turmeric, vettiver, home made products from women Self Help Groups(SHGs), local fruits etc

This little village is situated on the outskirts of Periyar Wild life Sanctuary in the Idukki district of Kerala, 15 kms. or half an hour excursion from its home town Kumily. Nestled in the unending chains of hills of the Western Ghats (1200 meters above from sea level) and the cool mountain air make Chellarkovil a perfect holiday retreat. Chellarkovil eco tourism cater to a number of community based eco tourism programmes of this region.