The wonderful days of my life in SURIANALLE, MUNNAR

SURIANALLE----the outside


Surianalle---is actually anglisized from 'Surya Ille", in Tamil,  and  it means 'no Sun'. Located in Munnar, Kerala, its a drive through pot holed roads from Power house junction to the entrance of the estate, by the same name.

The Manager's bungalow in 1920. The horses were a means of transportation then. The manager, in 'Solar Topi' and his wife are standing by their respective horses, whilst the syse awaits with another horse. The butler  is in full white jumba and mundu and all of them are watching the pet deer, on the beautifully manicured lawns.

Surianalle bungalow transformed. This was taken in year 1995. Note that the shingle roof has been replaced due to years of wear and tear and asbestos sheets replaced the old roof. The landscaped garden still looks the same except for pockets of beds that have been removed to allow for a more lawn area.

A Sight for Sore Eyes! These pictures brings wonderful memories of our days in this bungalow. This awesome garden and its surroundings  give us a  sense of serenity and the air is almost always  filled with scent of sweet peas, lemongrass and the varied flowers that adorn the landscaped garden.Its eye candy -- for the soul.

Bee Boxes are part & parcel of attracting the bees who feed on the pollen of the flowers, and we get our own home grown honey. A bird bath is a common sight in bungalows to attract the various species of birds that are common in this area.

The rose patch with a feature of a pigeon coop.... there were pigeons reared earlier. Dwarf cannas  present the welcoming bed of flowers on the driveway through a canopy of Casuarina and gum trees.

Dahlias in full bloom. A sundial rests on the pillar of stone pillar  closeby.

Early morning sun streaming through the trees. Gypsophila paniculata( baby's breath) in full bloom.

Tequila, our German Shepard, runs riot on the lawn, given every chance when he is let loose. His favourite thing to do is to run through the drains which is full of water,giving himself a muddy bath of sorts. 

Hollyhocks and Schizanthus Pinnatus( poor man's orchid) make an attractive combination with Allysum on the border. 

An iron aged Urn sits under a tree next to the garderer's shed. It was recovered from the  Anayirangal( path of the elephants ) lake on  Panniar estate, when the dam site was built.

Beyond the  waterfall, the steps lead to the tennis court. The boys would play a lot of tennis when they come home for holidays and I used to know how the game had ended from their body language when they walk thru the path, whilst I await at the bottom of waterfall. Extinct tree ferns form a tree line, that fringed the periphery of the bungalow.

The pride of the garden-- a  staggered waterfall! With the perennial source of water, from the stream above, this  was diverted to the bungalow, collected in a tank and  when it overflowed,  meandered through the flower garden and into the strawberry patch in the vegetable garden.,--the water zig zaged thru the rows of   strawberry beds,eliminating the need for the gardeners to heave watering cans.

Me, standing near the purple cabbage patch,( talking to a journalist, covering the write up on the bungalow).  The  rows of  strawberries get a shade from the Peach  and Tamarillo trees.

 Think of any exotic vegetable and it was all grown here, ( friends from Holland and England used to send me gifts of seeds) from artichokes, celery, radish, asparagus, broccoli, beetroot, knol rabi, mange tout, endive, red coral lettuce, leeks, to name a few. Herbs like peppermint, spearmint, lemon mint, parsley, sage, rosemary , thyme, chives were in abundance.

Yes, we had areas for wheat and potatoes too.

and the golden harvest of wheat was a sight to behold. Nikhil kneeling down with Niren standing in the wheat field.

Surianalle bungalow --- the inside

Surianalle bungalow was an inn  in the 19th century for weary  travellers, riding on horseback thru the bridle path from the plains below ( Bodi naikinur,Tamil Nadu)  to Munnar town. They would rest up here and on their return to low country, do likewise. Hence the need for several sitting rooms and the bedrooms, had numbers on them.The Portico,  leads into the smaller sitting room,  which is adjoining the large sitting room and the dining area. This forms the frontage of the bungalow. The trophies for the best garden sit on the alcove  near the fireplace.

More trophies from years of winning the Munnar flower show and  the Shield for the best vegetable garden.  Bobby is in his uniform of a planter.

The large sitting room. A swing made from a traditional cradle sits in the alcove.

The dining room

The Bar and our usual entertaining area . Memories of Tequila shots and more drinking at  soiree.

 A picture postcard of the  inner  courtyard that divides the bungalow into the living and service areas and is  home for Terrapins from the  Anayirangal lake. All 5 of them were given names from the ninja turtles. Banana trees, Boston ferns  and a toddy palm adorn the courtyard giving it a green  feel. Its a feel good atmosphere. 

Picture taken when  Ms.Meenakshi Doctor, from the Inside Outside magazine, came to do a feature of Surianalle Bungalow in their issue dated July 1999.