PARAMBIKULAM

Wildlife Sanctuary

Established in 1973, it is located in the in Sungam range of hills in the valley between the Anamalai ranges of Tamil Nadu and the Nelliampathy ranges of Kerala on the Western Ghats, sprawling over an area of 285 km². It is situated in the Chittur taluk of Palakkad revenue district in the state of Kerala. Surrounding the sanctuary are Pollachi and Valparai taluks of Coimbatore district in the state of Tamil Nadu and Thrissur and Mukundapuram taluks of Thrissur district of Kerala.The sanctuary is approachable only by road and is 95km from Palakkad (Kerala state) and about 100km away from Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu state). The nearest town is Pollachi (Tamil Nadu), which is 39km away. As of now the only road leading to the sanctuary is the Ambrampalayam-Parambikulam road passing through places in Tamil Nadu viz., Anamalai, Vettaikaranpudur and Sethumadai including (Top Slip) Indira Gandhi Wildlife sanctuary and National Park. There is no road directly connecting Parambikulam with the rest of Kerala without having to pass through Tamil Nadu. The Altitude ranges between 300m and 1438m above MSL. There are 7 major valleys and 3 major river systems. Geologically the sanctuary has Hornblende biotite gnesis and charnockites. Major peaks in the sanctuary are Karimala (1438m), Pandaravarai (1290m) ,Kuchimudi, Vengoli (1120m) and Puliyarapadam (1010m). Apart from the natural rivers and streams, the sanctuary possesses three man-made reservoirs namely Parambikulam, Thunacadavu and Peruvaripallam whose cumulative waterspread is 20.66 sq. km. It is an abode of wild animals like elephants, wild boar, sambar, gaur, crocodiles, tigers and panthers. Parambikulam has a rich diversity of flora and fauna. The area is hilly and rocky, drained by several rivers, including the Parambikulam, the Sholayar and the Thekkady. Thickly forested with strands of Bamboo, Sandalwood, Rosewood and Teak, the sanctuary has some marshy land and scattered patches of grassland. Parambikulam was once home to some of south India’s finest strands of Teak. However, most of them have now been replaced by Teak plantations. Little remains of the original Teak forests, other than the famous Kannimara teak tree, allegedly the largest tree in Asia. It is located about 5 km from Thunakadavu. Trekking in the forest is allowed with prior permission. Boating is available at the reservoir. Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary is the home of 4 different indigenous communities viz., Kadar, Malasar, Muduvar and Malamalasar.