Vagamon is an Indian hill station and a revenue village primarily located in Peerumedu taluk of Idukki district (majority area including Vagamon town), and also Meenachil taluk and Kanjirappally taluk of Kottayam district in the state of Kerala, India. The Vagamon glass bridge is the longest cantilever glass bridge in India.
Vagamon does not have a long history to boast of as it remained unexplored for centuries. Though the British had plantations here, it was only in 1926, when Walter Duncan and Company started their tea plantations, that it became well-known. In the 1930s, more tea plantations were set up in the area. After 1940 people from Travancore, mostly from southern Travancore, and people from Madras (Tamil Nadu), migrated
to Vagamon. Later, after the formation of Kerala State, people from various parts of Kerala migrated there.
In the 1950s, the famed Kurisumala Ashram was set up here and that was the turning point in its development into a well-known place. National Geographic Traveler has listed Vagamon on their directory of the “50 most attractive places to visit in India”.
Vagamon, due to its elevation and climate, has a unique ecosystem, leading to the emergence of rich natural vegetation, plant species, shola forests etc. From the early 20th century plantation crops like tea, coffee started. Vagamon hills are home to less explored floraand fauna. A faunal diversity study conducted by Dr Pratheesh Mathew recorded 112 species of moths from 16 families under eight superfamilies and has become the prominent faunal diversity study in this area. The author has also recorded sightings of many species of insects, annelids, amphibians, lizards, snakes, birds and mammals. A wide variety of flowering and non-flowering plants, including rare Cycas species, has also been noted. The ongoing faunal and floral surveys are expected to shed light on the richness of biodiversity at this location. The flourishing tourism and related developments are predicted to have a negative impact on the flora and fauna of this region.
