Vattavada is a village in Idukki district in the state of Kerala, bordering Tamil Nadu, India. Palani Hills in Western Ghats stretched and passed through this village. It is an agricultural village known for growing a wide range of vegetables and fruits in the terrace
farmlands.
Vattavada is known as the market of Kerala, because they are in front of vegetable producing. Vattavada is famous for its wide variety of crops which is not seen on the other parts of Kerala, which includes varieties of apples, oranges, strawberries, guavas, pears,
blackberries, plums, gooseberries, canistels, peaches and passion fruits, etc. Vattavada was also famous for cultivating wheat. But as the water content in the soil became less over the years due to large-scale cultivation of Eucalyptus, wheat cultivation has reduced
significantly.
Most of the native flora and fauna of Vattavada have disappeared due to severe habitat fragmentation resultant from the creation of the plantations. However, some species continue to survive and thrive in several protected areas nearby, including the new Kurinjimala Sanctuary to the east, the Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Manjampatti Valley and the Amaravati reserve forest of Indira Gandhi Wildlife Sanctuary to the north east, the Eravikulam National Park and Anamudi Shola National Park to the north, the Pampadum Shola National Park to the south and the proposed Palani Hills National Park to the east. These protected areas are especially known for several threatened and endemic species including Nilgiri tahr, the grizzled giant squirrel, the Nilgiri wood-pigeon, elephant, the gaur, the Nilgiri langur, the sambar, and the neelakurinji (that blossoms only once in twelve years) and special thing is it center for Munnar, Kodaikanal and Marayur.
