Wikipedia
Kuninji is a village in the Idukki district of Kerala, India. It is located close to Thodupuzha in central Kerala. Kuninji is surrounded by seven hills, which gives it a fortified effect. The place falls under the jurisdiction of Purappuzha gram panchayat with around 1,500 inhabitants.
The village is mainly inhabited by Syro Malabar Catholics and Hindus; with the majority being Christian members of the Syro Malabar Catholic Church. Most of the inhabitants are well-to-do farmers and agriculturists trading in rubber, teak wood and cocoa beans and small supplementary businesses. The land is extremely fertile and almost any plant not in need of a very cool climate is known to grow extremely well. In the early 1950s, residents were 100% self sufficient in terms of food as they grew rice, mangoes, jack fruit, tapioca, coconut, cashew, coffee, raspberries, mulberries, and a range of spices including black pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
The production of rice though has dropped in the last few decades while the other crops and plantations continue to grow. Most families use bio gas and solar water heaters to keep the green village a sustainable village. The climate is extremely hot and humid with the weather improving during the rains and in the month of December when it's relatively cool.
The well-known families here include the descendants of the Vattackattu family and the Vellackal family, who moved here over a century ago.
The known landmark in this village is a church named after St. Antony atop the Kuninji Hill and a temple in the name of Mahadeva and Sree Narayana Guru, a well known social reformer of Kerala. Kuninji has a small town center popularly referred to as Chelappara, a term derived from a nearby rock.
- On the east of Kuninji is Kodikuthi Hill
- On the west is Thattaranirappu hill
- On the north are the Kottamala and Kurian Kunnu hills
- On the south are the Attupurath Hills.
Kurian Kunnu hill is the highest among these hills, rising above sea level.
Kottamala Hill has a height of above sea level. This hill is famous for its 2.5 km stretch on top that could have easily been (but never was) the site to build a fort. The view from atop Kottamala hill on a clear day reaches up to Cochin, Ernakulam and the Arabian Sea, which is 80 km away from the base of the hill.
Kodikuthi Hill got the name during the British Rule, by a British surveyor, who did the survey of this area. The remnants of the survey still exists atop this hill.
Kuninji has in recent years been the location for Malayalam movie shoots. Elsamma Enna Aankutty was partially shot in the village by well-known Malayalam director Lal Jose.