Kil Kundha
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'Kil-Kundha', ("Lower Kundha") is one of the biggest 'hatties'['Villages'] in the Kundai Seemai ("region"), one of the four Seemais of the Nilgiri Hills of southern India. "Kundai" refers to the region compraising the fourteen villages of Kil Kundah, Mel("upper") Kundah, Manjoor, Kinnakorai, Iriyaseegai, Kariamalai, Ketchigatti, Mattakadni, Thuneri, Edakkadu, Mukkimalai, Bakkorai, Bikkaty and Mulligur. Kil Kundah has about 300 houses and 1500 inhabitants.
The popular 'Hetthai Gudi' (Temple of Holy Grand Mother) is situated at Kil Kundah and is generally recognized as the biggest temple of badagas. Every year around July, the Hetthai festival is celebrated. Dodda abba (grand festival) is another important festival that is celebrated.
The nearest town is Manjoor, and Kundah taluk was created in late 90s as an administrative unit separating it from Ooty taluk for adminsitration convenience.
The other hatties [ villages ] that surrounf Kil Kundha are :
Mattakandy - About 1-1/2 KM
Thunery - About 1/2 KM
Manjoor - About 1-1/2 KM
Kariamalai - About 2-1/2 KM
Kandibikkai - About 2 KM
Mullimalai - About 4 KM
Ketchigatty - About 4-1/2 KM
Schools: Kil Kundah has one of the oldest Panchayat Union School that attracted students from near by hatties like mattakandy, Thuneri and Onikandy hamlet. This school building and land was donated by philonthraphists of Kil Kundah. the school was prominent till late 80's, after which it has lost its charm owing to mushrooming of private schools. Now only the people of economically weaker section send their children to this once famous school.
Agriculture : The predominant occupation of people of Kil kundah is agriculture with cattle rearing providing additional income. Tea, Coffee, Cabbage, Potato and beans are the chief crops cultivated. Since mid 80s, cattle rearing and cultivation of not-tea crop declined on account of sharply rising [Tea] prices. Most people converted vegetable fields into tea field in this period. Since 1998, when tea prices nosedived, agriculture lost its lustre and many youth of the village started moving out to nearby by towns of Ooty and Coimbatore seeking better opportunities.
The latest development in Kil Kundah is the 'Village Welfare Body'- a group of people informally coming together to form a better society. The festivals that were celebrated between two parties of the village over couple of decades is being celebrated in unison these days. The 'Welfare body' announces the importatnt happenings in the form of notice board kept in the entrance of the community hall that was built in around 2003-04. Towards the end of 2006, the body has called for hygenic living by cleanness in the surroundings.
Kil Kundha also has some of the highest literacy rates amongst badaga villages with a surprisingly high number of engineers. some of the earliest and most famous engineers the village has produced are:
Mr M Nanjan - Civil
Mr K Chandran - Civil - PWD Engineer
Mr M Chandran - PhD Mechanical Engineering
Mr M Devarajan - ME Electronics Engineering
A number of people from Kil Kundha have emigrated to other countries, USA being the country of choice for many. A partial list of them and the counties they now reside is shown below
Vinod Krishnan, BE - Singapore (Son of L.Krishnan)
Vikram Krishnan, BE - Singapore (Son of L.Krishnan)
Dinesh Raman, MCA - USA (Son of B.Raman)
Jagadeeh Raman, BE, MBA - USA (Son of B.Raman)
Niveditha Raman, BE - USA (Daughter of B.Raman)
