Yendayar

Yendayar is a village in Kottayam district, Kerala, India that is totally surrounded by hills. According to local tradition, Mr. J.J. Murphy (known as JJ to his friends and Murphy Sayippu to the people) named the place, which was to be his home until death in 1957, after his mother and the local river. Yendayar is a combination of 'yen' (my) 'thai' (mother) and 'ar' (river). Murphy had come in 1904 to the place which was a thick forest and had no name or people then. He had traveled a long way to reach there. There he established India's first successful rubber plantation. He brought workers from near and far – Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka.

Location
Yendayar is situated in the eastern border of Kottayam District, 59 km from Kottayam, and around 11 km away from Mundakayam on the NH 220 (Kottayam-Kumily Road). All the buses to Elamkadu, Mukkulam & Vadakkemala are passes through Yendayar. Mundakayam, Koottickal and Elamkadu are the nearest towns The Nearest Railway Station is Kottayam railway station and airport is Nedumbassery.

How to reach

 * Kottayam - Manarcad - Pampady - Ponkunnam - Kanjirappally - Mundakayam - Yendayar (61 KM)
 * Kottayam - Ettumanoor - Pala - Bharananganam - Erattupetta - Poonjar - Kaipally - Yendayar (59 KM)
 * Cochin International Airport - Perumbavoor - Muvattupuzha - Thodupuzha - Erattupetta - Poonjar - Kaipally - Yendayar (102 KM)
 * Thiruvananthapuram - Kazhakootam - Kilimanoor - Kottarakkara - Adoor - Pathanamthitta - Ranni - Erumeli - Mundakayam - Yendayar  (161 KM)
 * Kumily - Periyar - Vandiperiyar - Peerumedu - Kuttikkanam-  Mundakayam - Yendayar (64.3 KM)

Economy
Rubber plantations are the major source of income for the local population. India's first commercially successful Rubber plantations are in Yendayar. An Irishman named John Joseph Murphy (1872 - 1957) who arrived in India in 1897 at a very young age and realized the growing importance of manufacturing Rubber and he established the India’s first successful rubber plantation in Yendayar.

Educational institutions

 * John Joseph Murphy Memorial Higher Secondary School [JJMMHSS], Yendayar
 * John Joseph Murphy Memorial Public School, Yendayar
 * Sree Gandhi Memorial UP School, Olayanadu
 * Little Buds Primary School, Yendayar
 * Deepa Nursery School, Yendayar



Churches

 * St. Mary's, Syro Malabar Church also known as Velankanni Matha Church, Diocese of Palai
 * St. Joseph's Latin Church, Kottayam
 * St. Jude, Syro Malabar Church

Temples

 * Sree Chelliyammal Temple, Yendayar, the goddess Chelliyammal is the main deity in this temple. The temple is considered as common to the Hindu devotees. Chelliyammal Devaswam is in control of covil's administration.
 * Sree Subrahmanya Swami Temple, Mukkulam

Masjids

 * Badariyya Juma Masjid, is located in yendayar town. More than 200 Muslim families are praying at this masjid every day. This masjid consider as for all Muslim devotees.

River

 * Manimala River

Financial institutions

 * Meenachil East Urban Co-operative Bank
 * Mundakayam Service Co-operative Bank
 * State Bank of India, ATM
 * Kerala Bank, ATM

Nearest railway station

 * Kottayam (59 KM)

Nearest airports

 * Cochin International Airport (102 KM)
 * Trivandrum International Airport (168 KM)