A teak museum in the forests of Nilambur

Apart from the tribal settlements, vast rain forests and waterfalls, the Nilambur forests are also known for the world's first Teak Museum. The planatation is just 2 km from Nilambur town  and is located in a place called Vadapuram near to the Govt Timber depot of Nilambur.

The teak plantation is named after H.V. Conolly, the then British Malabar district collector. The plot, developed in the 1840s, is home to numerous large teak trees, which he decided to plant to meet the growing demand for teak during that time. The initial Nilambur plantation was of 1500 acres, and considered as the stepping stone to the foundation of systematic forest management in India. During the world war II, 9.1 acres of teak were chopped off to meet the timber requirements of the allies.

Along with a local sub-forest conservator Chathu Menon, he planted the saplings on the plot, which extends across 5.71 acres. Located besides Chaliyar River, one of the major attractions of the place is Kannimari, the plantation’s oldest teak tree, which has a width of 420 cm.