
Let me reveal a fascinating but less known fact that may make many of the readers astounded. Amid the lush green, wild-life rich thick forest of the Idukki district of Kerala State in India, not too far away from the world renowned hill station of Munnar, there is a small but beautiful village within the mountains of the Western Ghats. Well, the official name of the village is the real surprise – the village is called the ‘Kuwait City’!! I dropped my jaws when I learned about this curious information.
Living in the State of Kuwait since 2012, I have developed a strong bond with Kuwait. Therefore, I was totally taken by surprise when I came to know that there is a village bearing the name Kuwait City in Kerala. I am sure, the inquisitiveness to know more about this village will be very high on the readers as well, especially on the questions how and why this village got the name as the Kuwait City, where it is located, its geographical description, other features, etc.
Well, it goes as this - during the last summer vacation, I happened to visit my uncle’s farm house in Munnar in the Idukki district of Kerala in India. Munnar is rich for its tea plantations, cool weather, mountainous terrain, rivers and streams, lush green forest and thriving wild-life in it. In fact, it is one of the top listed hill stations in India. I was excited to be in Munnar because of the opportunities it affords me to explore wonderful places around, to enjoy the cool weather and above all to be with the company of my beloved cousins with lot of out-door activities.
During our stay in Munnar, one fine morning, my uncle took us to a tourist spot around forty-five kilometers away from Munnar, called Anakulam. In the local Malayalam language Anakulam means ‘Elephant’s Pond’ (Ana = Elephant; Kulam = Pond). As the name implies, there is a water body at this place which is a part of a larger river. Here, the wild elephants from the surrounding jungles come in large herds to drink water, round the year. There are popular study reports to the effect that it is the rich and special mineral content at this spot that attracts elephants to this spot. However, there are other mystic stories as well among the local inhabitants regarding elephants’ liking of this spot. Regardless of the reason, it is a fact that the prospect of seeing large elephant herds at the Anakulam water body is very high and the mystery is not yet completely resolved.

On our way to Anakulam, my uncle intentionally stopped in a small village. In fact, he stopped the car very close to the official name board of the village. My eyes were on stalks when I read the name of the village on the name board as the “Kuwait City”!! I couldn’t believe my eyes, is it true, I screamed in an unbelievable tone!! Yes, it is true. I wasn’t mistaken. The name read as the ‘Kuwait City’. I was so surprised that anyone could have knocked me down with a feather!
I scanned the landscape intently. This peaceful village is located in the middle of a thick forest, located about 4 kilometers away from Anakulam. Distant view of two enchanting waterfalls, locally called as the ‘Kozhiyalakuthu Waterfalls’ and ‘Perumbankuthu Waterfalls’ will welcome you as you reach the suburbs of this village. The lush green ambience with various shades of green all around, dotted with wild flowers of various colors is the dominating feature of the landscape. Located at the banks of river Karinthiri, the place is always filled with wonderful sounds of nature such as rushing water, chirping sounds of various birds, calls of monkeys and deer and occasional elephant trumpets from the surrounding jungle. This village is around 1450 meters above the sea level, at the lap of the Western Ghat peaks. The ‘mist’ is another factor that makes this place magically beautiful. The beauty is so overwhelming that one will be in a state of trance mesmerized with the magical formation of the elements of nature. A perfect place where essential elements of nature have come into a magical combination – serene and tranquil!!
The village has a thin population of less than thirty families – mostly migrant farmers. They depend largely on agricultural activities such as rubber, cardamom, coco and pepper cultivations.
Growing more eager, I wanted to know how the village got its name! My uncle suggested that we talk with the locals to find out from them about it. So, we all walked into a village teashop. In fact, it was the only teashop in the village. It had two old but neat wooden benches kept in front of the shop for the villagers. We sat on one of the benches and ordered tea in order to establish a friendly connection with the shop owner. He served us hot tea with a welcome gesture and a prominent sincere smile. We opened-up our conversation with him, and soon few other villagers also joined us turning the venue into a cordial discussion ground.
Per the narration from one of the men in the group, it was, and still, a customary practice in the village that after the day long hard toil in the farm, they gather in the evenings at the river bank as a time-pass to discuss and share the information they have gained from nearby villages, towns and other sources. As he understood from others, in 1990, during one such evening gathering, a youngster who just returned from the not too far Munnar town, shared the information about the Iraqi invasion and occupation of Kuwait and the positive support Kuwait is gaining from major countries. The villagers, although had absolutely no direct connection or knowledge about Kuwait, discussed the matter and opined among themselves that Kuwait’s side is unquestionably right. Therefore, they decided among themselves that their moral support and prayers should be for Kuwait. Thus, during this period, Kuwait and Gulf War had become the major topics for their evening discussions, and they were closely trying to get all the updates. Any news that favored Kuwait made them very happy. In fact, they even had a small celebration when they later came to know that Kuwait was liberated and a free-country as before. Their support for Kuwait and its cause was popular in the nearby and distant villages and towns, that these outsiders started calling this village respectfully as Kuwait City to acknowledge the villagers support and love towards Kuwait. Gradually, through recurrent usage, the name got into the local government records and now, it is officially called as the Kuwait City.

Thus, although located thousands of kilometers away from the State of Kuwait and although none of that villagers had any direct connection with the State of Kuwait, the moral support, prayers and love the inhabitants of this village displayed during 1990, earned the village the title of ‘Kuwait City’. I listened to the narration with great interest and attention. A sort of appealing respect and love developed in me towards the village and its inhabitants. When the man completed his narration, I could feel my eyes wet - my tribute to that beautiful village and the people in there.
The geographical coordinates for the location of this village as provided within the Google Map is 10°08'26.0"N 76°55'20.8"E. It is available at the Google Map link https://maps.app.goo.gl/ArM4kvSrbR559M5n8. The nearest international airport is the Kochi International Airport which is around three hours drive from the village Kuwait City.
Don’t miss the Kuwait city!