Kumily, also spelt as Kumaly is a revenue village and Gram Panchayat in the Idukki district of Kerala. It is a town in Cardamom Hills near Thekkady and Periyar Tiger Reserve. Kumily is a gateway town into Kerala from Tamil Nadu.
The present-day Kumily has roots in the British colonial period. The area was once owned by the Thekkumkoor rajas in central Travancore and later when Marthanda Varma conducted his campaigns in central Travancore, regions including Kumily came under the kingdom of Travancore.
Till the end of the 19th century, the area was under control of Poonjar kings. But the drastic and significant changes occurred in the region by the advent of British powers. They obtained these regions from the local rulers and transformed the forestlands into cultivatable one. Large-scale production of cash crops like cardamom, pepper, coffee, cinnamon etc. started in the hilly terrains. Many people from in and outside Kerala were brought to work in these plantations.
Kumily, on the outskirts of the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, is a plantation town closely associated with Thekkady. While Thekkady is a sleepy, picturesque place garbed in greenery, Kumily is a busy town. The spice and tea plantations and the bustling spice trading activities have made Kumily one of the important tourist and commercial centres in Kerala.
Kumily, situated in Periyar Valley, drops off to the plains of Tamil Nadu. Apart from being the main bus station in the Periyar region, the town also provides decent, affordable accommodation facilities to tourists.
Apart from tourists, Sabarimala devotees and workers from Tamil Nadu also visit Kumily from time to time.
