The Mangorange plantation in the Nilgiris was born, as others in the region, at the end of the 18th century and beginning of the 19th. It was the era when British officers were exploring the region for cultivation – spices, coffee and finally settling on tea. The English and Scottish Joint Wholesale Society Ltd. acquired tracts of land in the Pandalur and Devala area and began planting tea in 1916. Today the estate is spread over 2,500 acres of tea with two factories. In the middle of the lush green estate lies a sprawling plantation bungalow with three rooms, that can make you time travel over a century back.

Plantations in the Nilgiri-Wayanad district were first opened in 1845 by Mr. James Ouchterlony. Initial attempts at coffee failed due to pest infestation and salvation came in the form of a gold rush in 1874, when as many as 41 companies were floated in England to prospect for gold in the area. This boom was short-lived and the focus shifted back to coffee and by 1916 tea was being exclusively planted in the estate. Not much is known about the origins of why the area is called Mango Range except for the rather large mango tree near the Peria Dorai’s (Manager’s) Bungalow. This Sinna Dorai’s Bungalow dates back to 1918 and its three bedrooms stand in its original form in the 2,500 acres Carolyn Estate.