Established in 1854, it is Darjeeling's 2nd oldest tea estate. Spread over 437-acre, it is situated at a height of 6,800 ft. (2,100 m) above sea level, 3 km north of Darjeeling, and employs more than 1500 people. The estate was established in 1854 making it the 2nd oldest tea estate of Darjeeling (after Steinthal Tea Estate which was established in 1852),[1] and at a height of 6,800 feet, it is al
so one of the highest tea factories in the world.[2] David Wilson, an Englishman, had named the garden Wilson Tea Estate and by 1860 had started cultivation of tea. In 1903, the estate was taken over by an Indian, Tarapada Banerjee, an aristocrat from Hooghly. In 1929, Banerjee bought the Windsor Tea Estate nearby, and merged the two estates under the name of Happy Valley Tea Estate.[3] G.C. Banerjee was the next owner of Happy Valley Tea Estate. He with his wife Annapurna Devi and three daughters (Nonimukhi, Monmaya and Savitri) lived there for some time. Annapurna Devi was related to the Ganguly family of Khandwa; her maternal uncle was Kunjalal Bihari, father of the famous cine Gangulys. Nandini Balial (Ganguly), a young prolific writer in LA is the great grand-daughter of Late Monmaya Debi. Happy Valley Tea Estate, Darjeeling. Happy Valley Tea Estate in Darjeeling. In March 2007, after remaining nearly dormant for nearly four years as the tea industry had experienced a slump, the estate was bought over by S K Bansal, of Ambotia Tea Group, which established a new factory within the premises, and started modernization process, replating and switching to organic farming.[1] Finally, the estate reopened to public in 2008, with the original factory turned into a working museum. It also displayed single piston slow-speed engines, and the shaft machines and sells tea-related mementos. Today, over 1500 people worked in the tea estate and processing unit.[2][4]
In 2008, the hand-rolled tea produced by Happy Valley was chosen to be sold at Harrods in UK, with price ranging from ₹5,000 (US$74) to ₹6,000 (US$88) per kg,[5] besides this, it is also available at Mariage Freres in France. The tea estate is spread over 437 acres, at a height of 6,800 ft. (2,100 m). The bushes in the garden are very old — the minimum age is 80 years, and some are 150 years old. Very little re-plantation has been done in the recent past. Situated around 3 km north of town, below Hill Cart Road, accessible via Lochnager Road from Chowk Bazaar, this tea estate is the closest tea estate to Darjeeling town, and tourists often visit the garden. The months of March to May are the busiest time here. when plucking and processing are in progress. It is open Tuesday to Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.[6][7]
Over the years several tea gardens in Darjeeling have closed down or have been taken over by the other tea estates. Once there were well over 100 tea estates. Currently there are 87 operational tea gardens in Darjeeling district covering an aggregated area of about 19,000 hectares (i.e. 46,950 acres) under tea plantation. The tea gardens in Darjeeling presently employ about 52,000 permanent workers (including both garden and factory workers). Most of the garden workers are women and almost all employees are Nepalese. The tea estates additionally employ around 15,000 contract workers in the gardens during the tea plucking season (i.e. between March to November). It is estimated that over 200,000 family members are dependent on the wages of the estate workers. Presently there are 72 factories operating in the estates for processing of tea. Any tourism is intended to provide an escape from the monotony of daily life and commercial life. That is the point which relaxes and rejuvenates our mind, which is the soul of travel and tourism. Do you think the present day tourist places provide you the same? Everywhere you go, in the name of tourism, you find only commercial and routine hick-bugs just to make you feel free from oven but into the frying pan. You find urself at the end of the day into another category of commercial and routine life. How far are we relaxed and rejuvenated? Though having spent money, either on package or on individual tour, we are left with unsatisfied and only confused soul of ourselves. To provide an economical solution to this unrealistic so called tourism we have developed the concept of ETHNIC AND NON-COMMERCIAL TOURISM which so far was available only to the high-hands of cream of people who are very few in this world. Now in India, situated in the queen of mountains - The Nilgiris, in the beautiful, small and clean city of COONOOR, we provide you with handsome and hand-some package of this ethnic and non-commercial tourism. Its not just an escape from the routine and commercial life but also a great escape from the commercial and routine tour. Its not just another tour, but an experience so different from any other tours you have taken so far in the elm. It is a fact that we have forgotten to laugh at ourselves, to enjoy the small beauties and joys of life, to get in touch with ourselves. Here you’re going to do just that. You will find yourself nestled in nature’s lap, with no one to intrude. Tea or Chai is the most widely drunk beverage in the whole world. The tea plant, Camellia Sansis, is a cultivated variety of a tree that has its origins in an area between India and China. There are three main varieties of the tea plant China, Assam, and Cambodia and a number of hybrids between the varieties. The China variety grows as high as nine feet (2.75 metres). It is a hardy plant able to withstand cold winters and has an economic life of at least 100 years. The Assam variety, a singlestem tree ranging from 20 to 60 feet (6 to 18 metres) in height. Regular pruning keeps its height to a more manageable 4 to 5 feet tall. It has an economic life of 40 years with regular pruning and plucking. When grown at an altitude near that of Darjeeling (Assam) or Munnar (Kerala), it produces tea with fascinating flavours , sought after around the globe. The Cambodia variety, a singlestem tree growing to about 16 feet (five metres) in height, is not cultivated but has been naturally crossed with other varieties. Once, long back in 1857, a British resident named John Daniel Munro came to Munnar. Interestingly, he came here, not to start any plantations but to settle the border dispute between Travancore and the nearby states of Munnar. Now, by seeing the beauty of Munnar, he got attracted or else we can say he fell for the beautiful Munnar. Seeing the hilly areas of Munnar, an idea hit into his mind. After all, he had an interest on plantations and now Munnar seemed to be the best place for that. Things were not so easy for him. Though Munnar was actually under the jurisdiction of Travancore, the place was the Jenmam land of Poonjar royal family. Daniel approached the Poonjar royal family to lend land for him. Daniel was accompanied by Kannan Thevar, the tribal chief of Anchunadu. At times Rohini Thirunal Kerala Varma Valiya Raja was the head of the royal family. Munro was successful in persuading the Raja. Naturally his eyes got hit on the Kannan Devan Hills. He realized it as the best place to start plantations. He bought the land from the royal family. In 1879, Munro formed North Travancore Land Planting & Agricultural Society. The society members started cultivation on coffee, cardamom, cinchona etc. Later all these crops were abandoned and they began to concentrate upon tea plantations. A W Turnor was the one who started plantation in Munnar. But it was neither Munro nor Turnor, who started tea cultivation in Munnar, but was A H Sharp, a European planter in 1880. He started tea cultivation in the 50 acres land at Parvathy. Now the land belongs to the Seven Mallay Estate. There was another setback in 1895, that Finley Muir and Company bought 33 estates in Munnar. These estates were later managed by Kannan Devan Hills Produce Company, which was formed in 1897. Now, in the year 1964 this Finley group collaborated with the Tata group to form TataFinley group and Tata Tea Ltd was formed in 1983. It was in the year 2005 that Kannan Devan Hill Plantations Company Pvt Ltd was formed and Tata Tea transferred all its rights to the company. Thus started the grand history of tea in Munnar and today the company is the largest tea corporate in South India having an annual production of around 21 million kg of tea. Munnar is always synonymous to tea plantation. A trip to Munnar will be incomplete without having a visit to these tea plantations. Munnar is a place known for its beautiful tea estates and tea cultivation. No one will return home without tasting or shopping the tea essence of Munnar. Never miss to visit the Tea Museum at Munnar, while making a trip to Munnar. It is India's first ever tea museum, ideally placed at KDHP's (Kannan Devan Hill Plantation) Nallatanni Estate in Munnar. Here you can have a journey through the tea history of Munnar. Come and have a memorable trip to the tea valley of the Kashmir of South India...
