The Mount Carmel Church in Munnar, the first Catholic Church in the high ranges, was set up for workers who mostly came from Tamil Nadu when tea planting was in full swing in the 1880s.
The church sheds light on early plantation life in Munnar.
As per documents, Fr. Alphonse, a Carmelite missionary from Spain, was instrumental in starting the church in a shed in 1898. He was among a team of 10 missionaries from Spain who reached the Varapuzha archdiocese. He travelled by foot from Varapuzha and with the support of plantation workers and management erected a shed for holding prayers.
