Valparai

Valparai is a Taluk and hill station in the Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu, India. It is located 3,500 feet above sea level on the Anaimalai Hills range of the Western Ghats. There are 40 hairpin bends on the way up to Valparai from Azhiyar. While major portions of the land are owned by private tea companies, large forest areas continue to be out of bounds. Earliest records of this area are from the year 1846 when Ramasamy Mudaliyar started coffee plantation here. In 1864, the Karnatic Coffee Company began their coffee plantation here but they could not make it profitable, hence they sold part of their land. In 1875, the roads and guest houses were built by soldiers for the visit of England’s Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII. Soldiers were posted here and horses and elephants were used for this purpose. However, the visit was eventually cancelled. In 1890, W. Wintil and Nordan bought a huge portion of land in Valparai from the Madras State Government under the British Raj. Wintil deforested the area and planted tea and coffee.

Tourists can also make a visit to the Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary, which is one of the most prominent attractions of Valparai. At this sanctuary, travellers can spot the lion-tailed macaque, barking deer, wild boar, the Nilgiri and the common langur among others. Visitors can also make a trip to the Aliyar, Sholayar and Nirar dams, which are the other popular attractions of the destination. Balaji Temple, Sidi Vinayak Temple and Annai Velankani Church are some of the other sightseeing pl